Nelson says he's returning to Warriors
By LOWELL COHN
Press Democrat Staff Columnist
Published: Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 5:17 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 5:19 p.m.
First, the news part. Don Nelson is returning to coach the Warriors next season. He informed the Warriors of his decision two weeks ago.
How do I know? Because he told me.
How did he tell me if I'm in California and he's in Maui? I called him, that's how. I called the other day and got his voice message, and he phonedback the next day and dropped the news nugget on me.
In the interest of total disclosure, I must add he subsequently flew to his Oakland penthouse to prepare for the NBA draft. At least, that's what he saidhe was planning to do.
OK, that's the news part of this column, the nuts and bolts lacking nuance and subtlety. If you don't mind, I'd like to start over, take my time,portray in words the character of Nelson.
And believe me, he is a character. I don't mean character as in nut. I mean character as in fascinating, character as in a full personality with lots ofsunny glades but some back alleys that lead, well, who knows where?
So, I'm starting over.
I had his cell number - it starts with a 510 prefix - and I wondered if he was still using it in Maui.
How did I get his number? I asked two years ago when he returned to the Warriors. I routinely ask for numbers. A few weeks ago I asked Mike Montgomery, nowback at Cal, for his cell. And Montgomery, a guy I've known forever, said, "I'm not going to give it to you. You'll call me just when Idon't want to talk to you."
As you can see, getting a phone number is tricky business. I had Nelson's number with the 510 prefix. Was I nervous before pressing the digits? You bet Iwas. I've been doing this job my whole adult life but I still get edgy phoning a famous person. Wouldn't you?
I dialed. Right away, I got the answering message. "Hi, this is Nellie. Please leave a message. Mahalo."
His voice sounded cheerful, bubbly. He was a man at peace. But it wasn't him. It was the voice answerer. I waited for a return call all day - cleaned outthe bag from the vacuum cleaner, re-arranged my sock drawer, stared out the window. No call. No nothing.
The next morning, the phone rang at 9:30 a.m. I rushed to pick up the receiver, but answered trying to sound cool.
"It's Nellie," Nelson said.
Thank God, I thought. Right away, I asked if he's returning to the team and right away he said, "I'm coming back. I decided a couple of weeksago."
I asked if this will be his last season - he's 68.
"I won't make that judgment until the end of the year. I'll see what happens and how I feel."
I stuck with health questions for a while. I asked how he feels now - sports people love to talk about that stuff.
"I feel great," he said. "I'm exercising. I lost 10 pounds. But I'm getting bored."
I was happy to hear his voice. He sounded happy to hear mine. I reminded him that after the Warriors' final game, he acted grumpy at the post-game newssconference and, as he cut things off and left early, he snapped at the media, "I've got bigger fish to fry."
I've always considered myself a small fry, so it didn't hurt my feelings. I asked what the bigger fish were. Nelson laughed.
"Golf and poker and a tee time."
That sounded reasonable.
"Where are you right now?" I asked.
I was setting the scene and Nelson would understand that. Once, years ago, he told me of his insomnia in road hotels, how he lies in bed staring at theblinking red light of the smoke alarm.
"I'm in the office in the back of my house," he said. "I'm drinking my coffee and smoking a cigar."
Note to self: Nelson was smoking a cigar at 6:30 a.m.
He continued with the scene setting. In another life, he could have been a writer.
"I'm in Paia, Maui, a little hippie town. I'm looking out my window at the ocean. We live in two houses. We also have rental properties. We havean acre and a half on the ocean. We also have a commercial building with a coffee shop, a store that sells clothes for surfing, a realtor and a Hawaiian shirtshop. I invested my fortune here. I have five places on the ocean and one up north where I grow coffee and flowers."
Why does he like Maui?
"There aren't many people aware of the NBA here, so that's a good thing. I don't have to sign a lot of autographs. I go about my business.I'm a regular guy. I've been here 15 years. I play poker every other night. It's not a bad life."
Who are his poker pals?
"Willie Nelson lives a mile from me. When he's on island - he isn't on island now - I see him every day. He's got a poker room in his garage.I've got one in my office. And shuffleboard. We play shuffleboard. Woody Harrelson likes shuffleboard and he likes to gamble. Owen Wilson lives threeblocks away."
That's the Paia Rat Pack - Nelson, Nelson, Wilson and Harrelson.
I changed the subject - although it was fun to think about playing cards with those guys, the lapping Pacific in the background. I asked if Baron Davis willreturn next season. I expected Nelson to stonewall.
"Of course, he's coming back," Nelson said.
"Why?"
"He has one year left at $17 million. That'll do it."
I agreed that would do it. I said Nelson never won a championship and probably won't. Does it grieve him?
"I strive for that (a championship). Only one guy can win and sometimes it's the same guy. A lot of the rest of us don't have the opportunity.Part of my career I took bad teams and developed good ones out of them. It's my M.O. It's hard to do what I do.
"Phil (Jackson) went to good teams and made them better. I don't have to coach to win titles. My goal is to get the best out of the team. If they win30 games and they did their best, I'm a happy guy. I'm hired to get them to max out their ability. If they win 22 games, I'm not a happy guy."
We chitchatted a few more moments. He said I should visit him in Maui. Right. And then, because he was in a reflective mood, I said, "How do you want tobe remembered, Don?"
He thought a moment.
"When they write my epitaph, I want it to say - He was a good coach and a good guy." That seemed a suitable end to the conversation.
I said goodbye.
"Mahalo," he said.