Don Nelson vs. Baron Davis
Although I have been rooting against the Golden State Warriors in favor of the Denver Nuggets for the final spot in the Western Conference Finals I feel that there has been a great wrong done on to Baron Davis.
Baron Davis like it or not is the franchise player of the Golden State Warriors and for Coach Don Nelson to put him on the bench for the second half of a game that decided there playoff fate has got to be one of the most back stabbing questionable decisions I have ever seen made by a Coach in the NBA.
Don Nelson said:
“He was having a bad game. He was terrible,… He was the worst player on the floor, and I told him to take the second half off. He was 2-for-13, we were down 14 points.”
Take the SECOND HALF OFF??? Is this the best you got Don? You turning Pat Riley on me Don Nelson?
When the franchise player is having a bad night in a regular season game I can see a glimpse of logic to this decision. But this was the Golden State Warriors last chance at making the playoffs!
If Baron Davis was having such a horrible night why not try a bit of COACHING Don? I do believe this is what you get paid for Don Nelson (aka Coach of the Golden State Warriors)! You pull Baron Davis over and say “Look man, you are stinking up the place! I want to see you taking less shots and start giving a ton of assist, get some steals and focus on defense! FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN DO!”
Look the Warriors bench gave a good run but without there leader Baron Davis on the floor they were nothing! Although Baron Davis most likely will not opt out of the last year of his contract that pays out at $17 million you can be sure that this will not be forgotten. NBA Teams make room in there salary caps for great players, especially players like Baron Davis who can opt out!
For future reference Don Nelson you do not bench your franchise player when the playoffs are on the line to pull a power trip! Good luck getting this team motivated next year!
P.S. Hey Don, thanks for helping the Denver Nuggets secure the last playoff spot! The check is in the mail.
john
April 16th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
don, you’re a damm idiot for real