| | Normally, it takes a lot more than $280 million to bring down an
empire.
Normally, you have to have an actual war, with soldiers and guns and a
Discovery Channel film crew -- the works.
|  | | Don Nelson's tenure in Dallas is coming to an end. |
Then again, empires aren't what they used to be, which is why it only
took some cash and one meeting to bring down the Great Nelson Empire.
The cash belonged to Mark Cuban, who gave it to Ross Perot The Younger
to take control of the Dallas Mavericks. The empire belonged to Don Nelson,
the head coach, general manager and all-around dude du jour of the Mavs.
That is, until the two fellows met Wednesday to discuss the future of
the franchise, and remarkably, they both came to the same conclusion.
Having a new boss stinks, unless you're the new boss.
Nelson handled the post-meeting press gathering, so the spin was
dizzying. It was not, however, convincing.
"It was a great meeting, just great," he was quoted as saying. "I
told Mark I'd do anything if he asked me, but that I didn't think it was a
good idea for the franchise or for me to coach after this season."
In other words, Cuban noticed the team's record under Nelson -- 44-103,
a percentage of .299 -- and was going to come to the same conclusion anyway,
Nelson's wishes be hanged.
Nelson also recommended that his son Donn, an assistant under Pops,
not be considered as his replacement.
"He may be a head coach somewhere else someday, but it's just not
right for him to be a head coach here," The Big Whistle told reporters.
"At one time we thought it was, but Donnie is very open and very
comfortable to working here in any capacity."
In other words, Cuban saw the arrangement Nelson had made with Ross
II, in which Don-One-N would coach until Donn-Two-Ns was ready, and
decided, "Not with my $280M they're not."
And if you think Nelson will get to stay as GM, well, you haven't been
paying attention to the last several paragraphs.
"I'd love to stay here and do the job I was brought in to do, which
is be the general manager," Nelson said. "If that doesn't work and Mark
decides to make any change in that area, that's fine, too."
In other words, Cuban talks, and Nelson walks.
Such is the way of business when a new sheriff comes to town and sees
that you can't get the right result even three times out of every ten
tries.
| |
“ |
Had Perot decided to keep the
Mavs, Nelson's gravy train would have pulled happily into the station,
because rich guys hate admitting their own mistakes but love admitting
someone else's. Perot saw Nelson's firing in Oakland as a mistake and
rectified it. Cuban saw Nelson's hiring in Dallas as a mistake and
rectified it.
” |
But that's the problematic nature of Nelson's career since his gig at
Golden State blew into smithereens. Nearly everything he's touched in the
NBA from the moment he got on the wrong side of Chris Webber lo these many
years ago has turned into a hie-thee-to-Maui ticket.
He once ran the Milwaukee Bucks out of his brain, and when that got
weird, he turned his skull to the Bay Area to straighten out the Warriors.
Along the way, he managed to build an entertaining if flawed team around
Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond, only to lose it all by first
getting on the wrong side of club president Dan Finnane, and then, worse,
crossing Chris Webber when it was clear that Webber's pay stubs could beat
up Nelson's any time they wanted.
The Warriors were sold to cable hotshot Chris Cohan, who sided first
with Nelson and traded Webber, and then with the absent Webber and fired
Nelson, setting off a chain of events that have resulted in Rick Adelman
and Dave Twardzik, hired and fired within two years; Hardaway traded; P.J.
Carlesimo hired and fired within 2½ years; Latrell Sprewell made infamous
and then made a Knick; and now, a penchant for reclusiveness that would
make Greta Garbo seem like Sandy Duncan.
In other words, Nelson has been caught in two franchise switches, at a
time when his resume looked like it had been chewed by the family
alligator.
The lesson: Bad results make bad luck. Had Perot decided to keep the
Mavs, Nelson's gravy train would have pulled happily into the station,
because rich guys hate admitting their own mistakes but love admitting
someone else's. Perot saw Nelson's firing in Oakland as a mistake and
rectified it. Cuban saw Nelson's hiring in Dallas as a mistake and
rectified it.
And now, we're left with the nagging suspicion that Don Nelson has
been rectified for the last time. It's been years since he was considered a
genius by people who enjoy the euphoria that comes with excessive praise,
and he is now officially out of fashion, if not yet out of a job.
That, too, is coming. Mark Cuban, understanding soul that he is, is
just like every other owner -- he wants to get started on his own mistakes,
and at $280 million, who can afford to tell him he can't?
Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Examiner is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. | |
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