Cohn: Warriors running on no cylinders

<p>It's the NBA All-Star break, time to take stock. Let's take stock of the Golden State Warriors.</p><p>Even if you factor in all their injuries, they still get an “F.” If there were a grade of “Z” they would get that, or if you graded on a points system they would earn “minus infinity.”</p><p>Three years ago, the Warriors showed great promise when they made it to the postseason. You remember that, right? That first-round victory over Dallas seems like ancient history now, like it never happened. Here is a bottom-line fact you must admit: the Warriors are as bad as they ever have been. This Warriors team is a billion miles from being good. And face it, with the Warriors there is no plan and no hope. If there is a plan, please tell me. And don't say it's developing the young players — we've heard that before and it never happens.</p><p>Much of the blame goes to Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell. This is surely the worst ownership in the NBA, maybe in all of sports, maybe in the known world. You want an example? They tied up big money in Corey Maggette. After Baron Davis left (was shown the door) they panicked, told themselves they needed scoring. So they signed Maggette for five years at $50 million. They are paying Maggette almost $9 million this season and will have him an additional three seasons after this one.</p><p>This is a contract the Warriors, who have virtually no cap room, never will unload even though they need to unload it. Maggette is currently the second or third best player on the team — he is second in scoring. He may be a perfectly nice man in real life but on the basketball court he is a ball hog. Talk about a point forward, he is a point sewer — which means the ball goes into him and it never comes out. He shoots. He plays one-on-one ball in a team game. He is everything a basketball team does not want, the kind of player Don Nelson never used to tolerate.</p><p>As I say, much of the blame for the state of the Warriors falls with ownership. But a ton of the blame falls elsewhere. I want to talk about the elsewhere.</p><p>The elsewhere is Nelson. Nelson used to be one hell of a coach, really he was. The way he ran a game was special — Nelson figuring out how to isolate the weakest defender on the other team and take advantage of him. The man was pure imagination and daring. He was a basketball visionary.</p><p>He used to be a delightful guy, too — playful, funny and wisecracking. Now he seems tired, as if the life force drained right out of him. He's already had pneumonia and after that he got a cold which came back at least once and his back hurts — he sits in a specially-raised chair at courtside to ease the pain.</p><p>Look at him during games. It is such an effort for him to get up, to raise that big body out of that seat. He walks slowly. He seems life-tired. He looks like a man who led a hard life. And maybe he did with all that travel and those plane flights and awful hours. He looks like a man who needs a rest. He looks like a man who needs to retire.</p><p>His practices are shorter now. He delegates so many duties to his assistant coaches — the minutia of coaching which a head coach should attend to. He made Keith Smart his “Defensive Coordinator.” Smart should change his name to Not-So-Smart because who in his right mind would advertise running that crummy defense?</p><p>Everything about Nelson says he's lost interest in his job, that he hangs around for the big paycheck and to get his all-time wins record. Should fans actually care about that record in the context of the Warriors' wreckage? Can you imagine the hollow ceremony the night Nelson gets that record, if he ever does?</p><p>He used to be charming with the media. He knew how to get the media on his side. Now he is sour and withdrawn and a drag to be around. I bet the players find him a drag, too.</p><p>Nelson is the face of the Warriors. He used to be a good face. Now he conveys boredom and alienation, and the Warriors need a new face, a vibrant, exciting face. Cohan should buy out Nelson after this season even if he has to pay full price. I still find it amazing that Cohan gave Nelson a two-year extension knowing Nelson's history of losing interest once he got his money. I find it even more amazing considering Cohan and Nelson sued each other.</p><p>When he took over in 2006 Nelson told me, “They fired (Mike) Montgomery because he didn't do a good job.” I'll never forget him saying that. I couldn't argue. Montgomery was not a good NBA coach and he knows it and feels bad about it.</p><p>In his final Warriors season Montgomery's record was 34-48. Compare that to Nelson's record. We won't even get into this season. Last season Nelson was 29-53. So how is that better than Montgomery? By his own standards — by any standards — Nelson is doing a bad job. He should fire himself.</p><p>Some of you may think Nelson is not the main problem — ownership is. You may think it won't help to buy out Nelson. To which I reply — it couldn't hurt.</p><p>For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular go to the Cohn Zohn at blog.pressdemocrat.com/cohn. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.</p>