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KoriEllis
09-05-2004, 03:31 AM
Nellie Ball still a losing proposition
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com

This latest installment of the continuing series on NBA coaches focuses on the spectacular trivialities of Nellie Ball.

msn.foxsports.com/story/2941008 (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2941008)

Nelson's 14-season playing career in the NBA (1962-1976) was all about offense. The primary reason why he famously (and illegally) glommed his hands with stick'em was to make his shot fakes irresistible. As for defense, Bill Russell, Satch Sanders and K.C. Jones played enough to cover the entire court.

Why then, when Nelson went on to coach in Milwaukee (1976-87), did the Bucks gain plaudits for being so defensively adept?

Nelson willingly took the credit, but the real architect of the team's defense was assistant coach John Killilea, who followed Nelson from Boston to Milwaukee. When "Killer" (who passed away several years ago, suffering a heart attack on the bench while coaching in the CBA) made public his dissatisfaction over his contributions being not only ignored, but totally appropriated, Nelson simply bounce-passed him a pink slip.

Ever since then, Nelson's teams have showcased a stunning variety of offensive gimmicks. Remember the Golden State Warriors of 1990-91? That's when Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway played 3-on-3 basketball, while the Warriors' big men were stationed in the parking lot.

Opposing coaches accused Nelson of junking up the game — and they still do. And the NBA was forced to devise a rule that mandated more contiguous alignments of offensive players.

In his brief stint in New York (1995-96), Nellie Ball featured Anthony Mason as a point-power-forward. At the same time, Nelson refused to establish a set rotation, so that the starting lineup and the distribution of playing time varied greatly from game to game. Patrick Ewing eventually led a team-wide rebellion and Nellie Ball was punctured in New York after only 59 games.

In Dallas, Nelson has expanded his junk man's repertoire. His overriding philosophy is that the team that scores the most points always wins the game. Good offensive players can learn to become good defensive players, but the reverse is not true.

Add to the mix Nelson's fondness for zone defenses — which likewise has a philosophical basis: Because the backgrounds of so many of the NBA's head coaches and assistant coaches are in professional ball, the league's zone offenses aren't very sophisticated.

In any event, during the regular season, the Mavericks of recent vintage have been boffo on the scoreboard and in the box office before being regularly bopped in the playoffs. And not even a dramatic off-season overhaul of the Mavericks' roster will change the outcome as long as Nelson has the reins.

Of the holdovers, Dirk Nowitzki is a dynamic scorer with a convincing series of up-fakes, who can only play "efense" because his "D" is invisible. The suspicion around the league is that Nowitzki is precisely the kind of player that Nelson himself wishes he could have been.

Michael Finley lost his chops for playing defense as soon as Nelson breezed into town. Finely has also become increasingly soft around the edges.

Marquis Daniels is more of a scorer than a point guard, and it remains to be seen whether or not the second-year player can run the show for 82 games and beyond.

Shawn Bradley is taller, thinner, and more passive than Frankenstein, but a slightly better shot-blocker. Of the important newcomers, Jerry Stackhouse only has eyes for the red ring. Jason Terry is a scorer who does a paltry imitation of a point guard. And Erick Dampier is a minimally talented plugger with a history of cruising except when a new contract is in the offing. Devin Harris is a rookie is a rookie is a rookie ...

Either by design or though front-office negligence (Nelson doubles as Dallas' general manager), the Mavericks' current roster contains not a single player who has recently been accused of playing defense. So expect another season of Nellie Ball to light up the scoreboard like a pinball machine from November to April, and then to be short-circuited should they be fortunate enough to reach the playoffs.

In truth, Nellie Ball would be a perfect fit for the razzle-dazzle games in the Rucker Tournament — which is where Nelson himself might be coaching next summer.

exstatic
09-05-2004, 10:40 PM
I've only been saying this for the last five years.

RobinsontoDuncan
09-06-2004, 03:00 PM
have they gotten around to Pop yet?