RE: [Celtics' Stuff ] Cuban, Nelson attempt to clear air

["John Lyell" <jlyell@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Anyone for a Davis for Jamison move? I expect they will move Finley if they
don't go far


John

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of
Celtic4Hire@xxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2004 4:33 AM
To: Celticsstuffgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; celtics@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Celtics' Stuff ] Cuban, Nelson attempt to clear air


This article is amazing. Cuban blames Nellie for the losses, Nellie blames
Cuban. If Cuban is the one who made the trades for the two Twans, then it is
his
fault IMO. Breaking up that team was stupid. They overplayed their hand.
Leaving themselves with no inside player like Raef was double
stupid.....Still
need to know if the pick is lottery protected. If the cocky Cuban is running
that
part of the show, maybe it isn't....

DJessen33

<<     Posted on Thu, Jan. 15, 2004


       Cuban, Nelson attempt to clear air

       By Art Garcia
       Star-Telegram Staff Writer

       DALLAS - Oh, the Drama Kings.

       The soap opera that has quickly enveloped Mark Cuban and Don Nelson
took another twist Wednesday before the Mavericks' game against
Philadelphia.
The Mavericks' owner and coach engaged in a closed-door meeting lasting at
least
30 minutes that didn't break until an hour before tipoff.

       The Mavs, up 15 points in the fourth quarter, would need two
overtimes
to beat the 76ers 125-122 at American Airlines Center. The Mavs have won
their past two games.

       "It was a long day," Nelson sighed.

       The meeting began as an attempt to clear the air, clouded lately with
talk of Cuban's imminent/eventual firing of the second-winningest coach in
NBA
history. It ended with some positive words, but questions remained, as well
as a few unresolved issues.

       Cuban maintained he's not about to fire Nelson this season. This
season. Nelson isn't about to quit, but understands if Cuban lets him go.

       Nelson said the makeup of the roster, generally attributed to the
Mavs' underachieving performance and record, is Cuban's responsibility.
Cuban
believes the current team is just fine and its assembly falls under the
jurisdiction of president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson.

       Cuban also called Don Nelson a "drama queen." Nelson isn't sure what
that means.

       Sound like basketball nirvana?

       "Everybody is cranky right now," Cuban said from atop a stairmaster
after the summit meeting. "There's nothing different there."

       Cuban spent much of the past two days responding to questions
regarding Nelson's future, while also dealing with rumors of interest in
former Heat
coach Pat Riley. (Cuban dismissed the Riley scuttlebutt.) Nelson has heard
and
read the same, prompting the unusual pregame sit-down with Cuban inside the
coach's office. Cuban said one of the reasons for talking to Nelson was "so
he
has a way to respond to the questions."

       Cuban also wanted to reassure Nelson, who has two seasons after this
one left on the coaching part of his contract and five additional as a
consultant for more than $10 million.

       "I wasn't going to give him the old vote of confidence thing because
that's the kiss of death," Cuban said. "I just told him I wasn't going to
let
him play golf in Hawaii. I wasn't going to let him get a suntan when I
couldn't
get one."

       Cuban would soften and then reinforce that statement.

       "I have no plans to make a change this year," he said, leaving open
the possibility of change after the season. "It would have to be something
that
I don't foresee."

       Seconds later he said: "I'm not planning on firing him. Period. I
want
Nellie to be here until the end of his contract. I want Nellie to earn his
money."

       Nelson, a subscriber to the theory that all coaches are "hired to be
fired," felt just getting a chance to talk with Cuban was positive. The two
have had communication problems in the past, most notably last season when a
rift
developed after Nelson lobbied publicly for an extension to the coaching
portion of his contract. The extension didn't come until the off-season,
after the
Mavs reached the Western Conference Finals.

       Asked if the speculation is affecting him, Nelson answered that's not
the point.

       "My feelings really aren't important in that situation," said Nelson,
267-215 in his seventh season with the Mavs. "Really, the owner decides
those
things. If he doesn't feel that I'm doing a good job or my staff is doing a
good job, and he wants to make a change, that's the way it's going to be."

       Responded Cuban: "Nellie has a little bit of drama queen in him.
You've got to love him. He feeds a little bit on the pressure."

       Nelson claims he hasn't talked to the team about rumors, either about
him or potential trades. The team is doing its best to block out the
off-the-court tension.

       "It's not going to affect any of the players," forward Antawn Jamison
said. "We have more important things to worry about. I don't think it's
affecting him whatsoever. I don't think it's the rumors wearing on him."

       It's the losses.

       "My life revolves around the game," Nelson said. "When things are
going well and we're winning, of course, it's the greatest life in the
world. And
when it's not, we have to talk about these issues."

       Nelson said the owner made the ultimate decisions on the off-season
moves that reshaped a 60-win team. The Mavs returned only five players, with
the
notable additions being high-scoring forwards Antoine Walker and Jamison.

       "The owner is in charge," Nelson said. "We only give opinions. He's
in
charge of his financial package and what he wants to spend, and even who he
likes. We only give opinions."

       According to ESPN analyst Sean Elliott: "Chemistry is the most
underrated component in this league."

       Nelson acknowledged, after a pause, that he has Cuban's support. It's
just they don't always agree. Cuban has often said that disagreements are
expected and a natural part of business, and he has had his share of
knockout,
drag-out arguments with high-ranking employees and partners in the past.

       "Mark and I both want the same thing," Nelson said. "It's just a
difference of opinion might be how to get there and how long it might take,
but we
both want to win. This team isn't winning enough. That's the problem. The
solution is to win every game."

       That's never going to happen, but the Mavs didn't expect to be 22-16
at this point of the season. They were 31-7 at the same point last season.

       "The reality of my job is it's a hard job to do," Nelson said.
"That's
why it's a high-paying job. Not very many people are successful for very
long. I've been here a long time. If things aren't going well, the head
coach
usually gets replaced. It's usually that simple.

       "I'm just trying to inform everybody that I understand it's part of
the business, and if that happens to me I'm not going to shed a lot of
tears. I
understand the way it goes. I'm going to do the best I can do, and if that's
not good enough, somebody else will take over for me."

       Even with the obvious problems and shortcomings, both men want to see
this thing through. The question remains: Will they?

       Mark Cuban: "I want Nellie to be here until the end of his contract."

       Don Nelson: "If he doesn't feel that I'm doing a good job . and he
wants to make a change, that's the way it's going to be." >>