The Warriors hosted the Knicks Wednesday night, giving Don Nelson and Al Harrington a chance to finally meet face-to-face and hash out their differences. Except, well, that didn't happen. Instead, the two communicated like they have for most of the year: trading insults with each other through the media.
Before the game, Nelson told reporters that Harrington forced the trade because he wanted more money, and that the only reason things got ugly was because Harrington made it personal. When told of Nelson's comments, Harrington denied ever talking money with his former coach, saying Nelson "just made that up."
Harrington also said that he still talks with some of his former teammates, including Brandan Wright, and feels sorry for the situation they're still in. From Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (emphasis mine):
I talk to B-Wright every once in a while. I just tell him to keep his head, try to stay positive and try to weather this Nellie Storm. Because he's been known to, you know, ruin guys' careers. So hopefully that won't happen to those guys.
[...] You'll go into his doghouse for no reason. It's hard to figure him out. That makes it tough, because it's hard enough playing against the opponent every night.
Strong words, though I'm sure Marcus Williams would agree. What's funny is that Nelson's offensive style is a system that most players love to play -- and yet he still finds a way to make playing for him unbearable. Check out the Google results for "Don Nelson feuds" and you'll see stories about his recent tiffs with guys like Harrington, Anthony Randolph, Monta Ellis, Chris Mullin and Mark Cuban, not to mention former players like Chris Webber and John Starks.
His entire career has been one argument after another. Granted, only Lenny Wilkins has more career wins, but it makes you wonder how many more wins he could have if he didn't run off so many talented players.
Al Harrington: Don Nelson Ruins Careers originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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