By Geoff Lepper
Contra Costa Times

04/12/2007

OAKLAND -- Only three times in 43 full seasons has the NBA's Coach of the
Year Award gone to the man whose team finished with 42 wins or less. So the
chances of Warriors coach Don Nelson waltzing off with the Red Auerbach
Trophy are pretty slim.
But even if Avery Johnson of the Dallas Mavericks, Sam Mitchell of the
Toronto Raptors and Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz all rate higher than Nelson
in the voting, perhaps no coach has had more of an impact on his team this
season.

The Warriors have spoken often over the past few years of needing to build a
culture of winning. Back with Golden State after an 11-year separation when
it averaged 28 wins a season, Nelson has whipped up such an environment in a
matter of months.

And in doing so, he's proved that perhaps nobody can get more out of the
Warriors, even with a completely different cast of characters from what he
had in the "Run TMC" era.

"Just the character of guys, the different personalities, the way guys
approach the game, the way guys play the game, I think he's the only coach
who can coach this team," said guard Jason Richardson, who has played for
five coaches in six seasons with the Warriors.

Nelson, one of only two men to be named NBA Coach of the Year three times,
feels this season ranks up there with some of his finer works, given the
injury problems and grafting four new players into the mix after the Jan. 17
trade with the Indiana Pacers.

"I think given everything that's transpired this year, it's one of my better
coaching jobs," Nelson said. "I wanted to get the juice back, I wanted to
get the fans back, I wanted to play exciting ball, and I wanted to play
winning ball. So at the end of the year, we've accomplished those things.
The juice is back in the arena. Our fans are great, they're into it. Our
team is into it.

"Now it's just about winning it, getting that (playoff) spot."

Regardless of whether the Warriors (38-40) manage to hold off the Los
Angeles Clippers (37-40) and New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (37-41) for
the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot, they've tied the mark
for the most wins since Nelson's departure. That record was set in 2002-03
by an Eric Musselman-led squad that featured Antawn Jamison and Gilbert
Arenas in their Warriors swan songs.

"He turned this team around," swingman Stephen Jackson said. "We've got a
chance to make the playoffs. I don't think this team was close last year, so
he's done a definite great job. ... The confidence he's brought to this
team, it's definitely special. Not too many coaches can do that."

Warriors executive vice president Chris Mullin, who lured his former coach
from Maui over the summer, said Nelson isn't slowing down at age 66.

"He just keeps on getting better, every day," Mullin said. "A lot of the
things that he does in practice, which are pretty subtle, become huge
difference-makers in games."

Whereas Nelson is lauded for the on-court adjustments he makes during and
between games, he's done just as much to help the atmosphere in a locker
room where agendas between the players and their coach have often clashed
(see Sprewell, Latrell or Blaylock, Mookie) in the intervening years.

"It's his presence, his personality," Mullin said. "It's kind of like a
player who gets a triple-double, having the whole package. To me, he's
always had that."

Notes: Viewing Tuesday's game between the Clippers and Hornets was a new
experience for Richardson. "I think that was the first time I ever watched a
game and cheered for a team. Usually I'll watch a game just to see how guys
are playing," said Richardson, who managed not to break anything as Clippers
forward Elton Brand scored twice in the last 10 seconds to force overtime.
"I shouted a few times, but that's Elton. He's a great player."

Contact Geoff Lepper at glep...@cctimes.com.