FanHouse

Don Nelson Sidelined With Pneumonia

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-23T17:05:00 00:00

Golden State coach Don Nelson has been diagnosed with pneumonia and did not accompany the Warriors on their upcoming road trip, which includes games at Dallas on Tuesday and at San Antonio on Wednesday.

Assistant coach Keith Smart will coach the team in Nelson's stead.

The Warriors have been hit hard by injury and illness this season, and needed assistant coaches Russ Turner and Rico Hines to participate in practice on Monday just to give the team eight healthy bodies.

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McMillan Scraps Blazers' 3-Guard Lineup

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-22T15:25:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Trail Blazers

Apparently, when you're a pretty good team but lose to the Warriors, it's time to make some changes. Even if you don't necessarily want to.

And that's what happened with coach Nate McMillan and the Blazers over the weekend. After losing to Golden State 108-94 on Friday night at Oracle Arena, lo and behold there was a different starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Timberwolves: Andre Miller out; Martell Webster in.

Gone is the three-guard starting lineup featuring Steve Blake, Miller and Brandon Roy, and McMillan explained the change pretty matter-of-factly to The Oregonian before his team blew out Minnesota on Saturday: "I want to give the team back to Brandon. It's his team."

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Nelson Opens Up About Issues With Ellis

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-20T13:15:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Warriors

Warriors coach Don Nelson doesn't give a lot up to the media these days. He's acknowledged losing interest in the daily give-and-take with the team's beat writers and looks to end his postgame press conferences as quickly as he can.

Nelson has said, though, that he likes doing radio because it's a way to speak directly to the fans. To that end, Nelson had one of his most open exchanges on Thursday while speaking on his weekly radio show on KNBR.

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Vinny Del Negro Learning on the Job

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-18T07:00:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Bulls, NBA Coaches

SACRAMENTO -- Vinny Del Negro is 10 games into his second season as the coach of the Chicago Bulls. He was hired in June 2009, despite never having been a head coach on any level. FanHouse caught up with Del Negro before Chicago's 101-87 win over the Kings on Tuesday night and talked to him about the challenges of his unique situation.

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Warriors Trade Stephen Jackson to Bobcats for Bell, Radmanovic

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-16T12:00:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Bobcats, Warriors, NBA Transactions

The Golden State Warriors no longer have a Stephen Jackson problem. He's Larry Brown's issue now.

The Warriors and Bobcats reached agreement Monday morning on a trade that will send Jackson and Acie Law to Charlotte for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic. Jackson had made it clear late in the summer that he "was looking to leave" the Warriors and hadn't relented on that theme through the early regular season.

The Bobcats weren't on Jackson's original "wish list" of teams, however, his agent, Mark Stevens had said about a week ago that his client would be willing to play for any team if it meant getting out of Golden State.

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Westphal Having Fun, Nellie Looks Done

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-14T12:20:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Kings, Warriors, NBA Coaches

SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal and Warriors coach Don Nelson might not know it, but they find themselves in similar situations. Both are experienced coaches trying to guide young teams, each with a few veterans sprinkled in.

The expectations for both teams are low, with few believing either team will sniff the NBA's postseason. Both teams have intriguing rookie point guards (Tyreke Evans/Stephen Curry), talented but flawed shooting guards (Kevin Martin/Monta Ellis) and promising second-year power forwards (Jason Thompson/Anthony Randolph).

But stop right there. That's where the comparison ends.

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Cleveland Remains Stephen Jackson's Most Likely Destination

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-10T15:45:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: 76ers, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Heat, Warriors

We all know Stephen Jackson is a short timer in Golden State. And now, with the Warriors off to a troubling 2-4 start, it looks as if Jackson will be gone sooner rather than later.

When Jackson first said he was "looking to leave" the Warriors, he listed Cleveland, New York or one of the Texas teams as desired destinations. Since then, a few other teams have supposedly expressed interest.

Charlotte, Miami and even Philadelphia are said to have emerged. However, there remains little doubt that the Cavaliers remain Jackson's most likely end-up spot. The reason: compatibility.

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More Than Just a Bad Start for Warriors

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-09T00:33:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Warriors, NBA Press Box

SACRAMENTO -- It's not so much the Warriors' 1-4 start that's the problem. It's the teams they've lost to and the manner in which they've been defeated.

Nobody expected the Warriors to be among the Western Conference elite. But they shouldn't be a team that can't compete with the L.A. Clippers and Sacramento Kings. But they can't. Not now.

What a miserable weekend it was for the Warriors. And you could tell by taking one stroll through the locker room after their 120-107 loss to the Kings on Sunday that there's more to this tough start than just a tough start.

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It's Early, but Chris Kaman Breaking Out

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-07T10:53:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Clippers, NBA Press Box

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Anyone who has watched the L.A. Clippers so far this season pretty much has the same question: what's up with Chris Kaman?

The guy's been playing some ball and doesn't seem to resemble the player of past years. But according to coach Mike Dunleavy, nothing at all is up.

"The only difference with him is he's shooting the ball," Dunleavy said before the Clippers dismantled the Warriors, 118-90, on Friday night. "And I mean literally shooting the ball. He's always been able to shoot the ball but always had this kind of mentality of 'I can't take too many shots,' or 'I need to get closer to the basket.' "

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Hollins Already Tired of Iverson Talk

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-04T22:45:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Grizzlies

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Four games into the Memphis Grizzlies' season, head coach Lionel Hollins says he's done talking about Allen Iverson.

Well, not done all together. But apparently done talking about what Iverson says. Two days ago, Iverson complained about a lack of playing time after he made his Grizzlies' debut in Sacramento, and it was clear those statements didn't sit well with Hollins.

"I'm not commenting on Allen," Hollins said Wednesday when asked if he was surprised by Iverson's comments. "I'm done commenting on what Allen says. Allen has a right to say whatever he wants to say. ... Most of you are ready to leave now, huh?"

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No Extension for Grizzlies' Rudy Gay

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-03T03:00:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Grizzlies

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Rudy Gay didn't get his contract extension from the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, but to hear him tell it, he's fine with that. The Grizzlies and Gay had until midnight on Monday to hammer out an extension but didn't do so.

As it is, Gay will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

"We just didn't agree upon it," Gay said after the Grizzlies' 126-117 overtime loss to the Kings. "That's all it was. It's a business."

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Iverson Returns, Unhappy About Role

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-11-03T02:15:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Grizzlies

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Allen Iverson made his debut for the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night in Sacramento, and for someone who hasn't played in a month or so, it wasn't too bad of one. Iverson, returning from a partial left hamstring tear, had 11 points in 18 minutes in the Memphis' 127-116 overtime loss.

He said the hamstring felt fine. But it was another part of his body that Iverson wasn't feeling so good.

"I had no problems (with the hamstring)," Iverson said afterward. "I had a problem with my butt from sitting on that bench so long. That's the only thing I got a problem with."

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Here's What's Jumping Out of (NBA) Box

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-10-31T11:20:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Bobcats, Bulls, Kings, Raptors, Wizards, NBA Last Night, Thunder

Couldn't help but notice some interesting box score lines from a busy Friday night of NBA games. Among them ...

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Don Nelson Channels His Inner Belichick

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-10-29T17:45:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Warriors, NBA Media Watch, NBA Coaches

Don Nelson insisted again on Thursday, like he's been insisting since the start of training camp, that he's excited by his young Warriors team and that he is having fun coaching it.

But that's not the way it looks. Nelson has grown increasingly short with the media in the past year or so and his pregame press conferences are littered with one-word answers and uncomfortable silences.

One day after the Warriors lost to the Rockets 108-107, a radio host on the team's flagship station opened his program by saying it sure seemed like Nelson's heart wasn't in it anymore.

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Jumping to Conclusions After One Night

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-10-28T09:05:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Lakers, Mavericks, Rockets, Trail Blazers

Home sweet home. Well, for one night anyway. In front of a 42-inch big screen on opening night in the NBA. Let's go ahead and try to read too much into it ...

o. You can't tell me the Cleveland Cavaliers aren't going to come knocking for Stephen Jackson at some point. Looks like LeBron James is going to need some more help.

Hard as this is to say, it doesn't seem like Shaquille O'Neal can even be your No. 2 option. Apparently, the Cavs are reluctant to give up Zydrunas Ilgauskas for Jackson because Cleveland doesn't want to get smaller.

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Stephen Curry Has a Fan in Chris Paul

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-10-25T14:40:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Hornets, Warriors

Warriors coach Don Nelson has gone out of his way to compare rookie Stephen Curry to a young Steve Nash. That's a nice comparison and one any young player would likely take.

But Curry's already got a mentor, thank you, and it's tough to argue with his choice: Chris Paul.

Curry and Paul, both from North Carolina, go back a few years. But this summer their friendship grew, the result of spending nearly a month working out together at various venues in the South.

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Maggette Starts Over Randolph, For Now

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-10-22T22:07:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Warriors

OAKLAND, Calif. -- When Warriors coach Don Nelson let it be known early Thursday that he was going to start Corey Maggette at power forward instead of Anthony Randolph, you could almost hear a collective groan among fans in the Bay Area.

"Not this again," seemed to be the refrain.

Randolph is considered the Warriors' brightest young star and figured to be a shoe-in to start at at the four this season. But now that Maggette's the man -- at least for now -- it's only natural to wonder whether Randolph is back in Nellie's doghouse, a place Randolph spent a good chunk of his rookie season.

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Hornets Deeper, but Are They Better?

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-10-22T18:00:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Hornets

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Priority No. 1 for the Hornets this offseason was to get some help for Chris Paul and David West. After watching his team get manhandled by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs last season, coach Byron Scott knew that his team needed more depth.

Well, the Hornets are now deeper. But whether Paul and West get some more help remains to be seen.

The basic plan in New Orleans is to have either rookie Darren Collison or Bobby Brown cut into Paul's minutes and for Darius Songaila or Ike Diogu to do the same to West.

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Mason Looking Like Kings' Starting SF

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-10-19T16:00:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Kings, NBA Preseason

SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal continues to maintain he hasn't yet settled on a starting small forward. He talks of possibly using either Kevin Martin there or perhaps rookie Tyreke Evans.

But that's only if he decides to roll out a smaller lineup that would include Beno Udrih as the starting point guard. Westphal has even suggested that rookie Omri Casspi is in the mix, saying he likes Casspi's hustle and competitiveness.

And Westphal also claims he hasn't ruled out Andres Nocioni -- despite acknowledging that he likes Nocioni off the bench. But if you've been watching the Kings in the preseason, it's starting to seem apparent who's going to get the nod for the regular-season opener against Oklahoma City: Desmond Mason.

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Nothing Going Down for Warriors' Curry

Matt Steinmetz — 2009-10-18T02:00:00 00:00

by Matt Steinmetz

Filed under: Warriors, NBA Preseason

SACRAMENTO -- It's probably a little early to say that Warriors rookie Stephen Curry is having trouble shooting the ball at the pro level. After all, he hasn't played a regular-season game yet.

At the same time, Curry has begun to assemble his professional body of work -- with a full summer league behind him and six exhibition games. And if that's all you've seen of him, it certainly seems fair to ask: "Is this guy really a good shooter?"

On Saturday, Curry again struggled from the field, going 3-for-9 in Golden State's 101-94 loss to the Kings. Unfortunately, it was just the latest in a string of bad shooting performances.

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