This summer has been all about change for the Golden State Warriors, with a new ownership group coming in willing to spend and turn around arguably the most dysfunctional organization in basketball (save, maybe, for the Clippers). Don Nelson was one member of the organization who represented the old guard.
Report: New Warriors Ownership Wanted Don Nelson Out
So it’s only natural that Nelson’s “retirement” wasn’t really much of a retirement at all. As Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports report, the new Warriors ownership group was willing to eat Nelson’s $6 million salary to get him out of the picture. This of course was fine with Nelson, who now gets to make money for not working.
New Warriors owner Joe Lacob was determined to replace Nelson as coach, and Nelson, sources said, was glad to take his money and return to retirement in Hawaii.
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“I don’t think the new owner liked Nelson’s style of coaching. That’s what it boils down to,” a source with knowledge of the situation told Y! Sports’ Marc Spears. “They’re saying he quit, but Lacob wanted to go in a different direction.”
Lacob is right to want to go in a different direction. Keith Smart, Nelson's replacement, is a good, promising coach. I suspect the Warriors will be much better off with him officially in charge.
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