Don Nelson as The Rocket coach?

This is crazy and proably only a speculation of the reporter but what do you think?

http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/sports/5942563.htm
It was a sports week to remember in the Metroplex
Randy Galloway COMMENTARY


Star-Telegram

Randy Galloway


From the lips of a surprised Big Bill on Friday afternoon at Valley Ranch:

"Is this it?"

Four newspaper beat writers, one camera crew and two radio guys answered with a nod.

That was it.

Not even coach Parcells, stepping to the podium at the Cowboys' minicamp for veterans, could draw a media crowd.

Instead of the usual army of reporters to chronicle Big Bill's every word, this meager gathering summed up a remarkable week in the chicken-fried nation.

Annika?

Did you ever think you'd see the day when a woman golfer would reduce Bill Parcells to the equivalent of sports-page agate?

Obviously, there are people at Colonial Country Club who risked their manly reputations, not to mention their club leadership roles, by approving this "event" in the first place.

But now we know. It was pure genius.

Annika was THE story, nationwide.

Fort Worth was THE place, nationwide.

Never has old Colonial enjoyed such a spotlight, all of it positive.

To those responsible for making Annika happen here, thanks. I enjoyed the heck out of it. It was the very best in jock kingdom entertainment.

Mavericks-Spurs?

Even the NBA Western Conference Finals sang backup to Annika.

And by Friday night at New Arena, the Mavericks had one thing in common with Parcells and Annika. They wouldn't be making the cut.

Big Bill was deserted by the media, Annika by her putter, and the Mavs by an old problem normally associated with the NBA playoffs.

The half-court game.

Finally, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's message got through to his young backcourt:

Slow this sucker down.

One of these days, I do hope Don Nelson's style of play can win a championship. It would be the best thing that could happen to a league that is lacking in entertainment. But as Game 3 demonstrated, that day is not here. Not as long as Tim Duncan is around.

Long before Dirk Nowitzki's knee injury, and even as the Mavs led by eight at halftime, both Game 3 and the series had taken a serious tilt to the Spurs.

Again, pace makes race. And the pace was all San Antonio for the first time in the series.

Duncan shredded the Mavs inside in the second half, and the fine little 21-year-old point guard, Tony Parker (tell me again -- why would the Spurs even think about making Jason Kidd an off-season free-agent signee?), lit up the Mavs from the perimeter.

It would be craziness -- as Nelson said -- to gamble with Dirk tonight in Game 4. Or maybe for the remainder of the series.

Without him, the Mavericks obviously have no chance. But with him, the odds are also slim, as long as the Spurs stick to their Game 3 plan.



Without rushing things, it's not too early to bring up the off-season issues facing the Mavs, starting with the re-signing of Nelson as coach.

Mark Cuban will step up, about seven months too late, and offer Nelson a new contract.

But the one hitch will be the length of that contract.

If it's not a three-year deal, then Nelson will ask for a buyout of his remaining GM/consultant contract, and be gone to Maui.

Nellie staying on that island, however, is not a certainty.

One thing Cuban now has to factor in: the just-opened coaching job in Houston. No one is saying it, but Nelson is already a prime candidate to replace his friend, Rudy T.

If the Rockets' two young stars, Yao Ming and Steve Francis, have their way, the deal is already done for Nelson's move south. Ming has a long relationship with both Don and son Donnie because the Nelsons were way ahead of everyone in exploring the China basketball market. Yao has told the Houston media that Big Nellie is his "American father."

Last summer, Nelson was close, very close, to pulling off a deal to get the No. 1 pick in the draft and bring Yao to the Mavericks.

Francis has long been a Nelson disciple, and, when Nelson missed time in the 2000-2001 season because of cancer surgery, Francis phoned the Mavs' coach to offer best wishes.

Prediction:

Cuban will not screw it up. Nelson comes back at his terms. Then again, why are we even having this conversation?

But then Nelson has to do what he failed to do last summer. Add a front-court rebounder/defender to the starting lineup. For the half-court game, the Mavs are still missing that kind of presence.



Overall, however, what an eventful Friday, and eventful local week. Things didn't exactly work out the best for Annika or for the Mavs, and Big Bill was left with that lonely feeling.

Then again, for better news, consider that the Rangers did close in on the .500 mark.

Remarkable stuff from all corners of the local market

 

Sorry! doubble posts