Nellie Out as Coach of Warriors

Don Nelson, the all time winningest coach in NBA history, will step down as the coach of the Golden State Warriors and retire. This move was inevitable as the Warriors are going through an ownership change. Nelson has coached the Warriors for 6 years and led them to one playoff series win, when as an 8 seed they upset the Dallas Mavericks.

This move will give the Warriors a fresh start. Nellie's run and gun coaching style and inconsistent rotations wore thin on many players -- Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Baron Davis, Jamal Crawford, and others. Assistant coach Keith Smart will take over coaching duties. As a Nellie disciple, you can expect a similar uptempo offense with more of an emphasis on defense.

The Warriors have a nice core with Steph Curry, Monta Ellis, David Lee, and Andris Biedrins. With new ownership and (hopefully) stability in the organization, the Warriors are not far off from being a playoff team.

Louis Amundson signs with Golden State

Louis Amundson, who I chronicled in this post, has signed a 2 year $4.7 mil deal with the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN. Amundson, who will be entering his 5th year, has played the last two seasons for the Phoenix Suns as a scrappy energy guy off the bench. His tenacious defense and hustle make up for his inept offensive game.

The Hornets also had immense interest in Amundson, but couldn't offer as much money without transgressing the luxury tax threshold (Chris Paul can't be happy). Thus, Amundson will fight for minutes off the bench with Ekpe Udoh, Brandan Wright, and Dan Gadzuric to backup David Lee and Andris Biedrins. With Udoh injured, and Wright and Biedrins being injury prone, Amundson should see consistent playing time. This is his first big contract, so congratulations!