NBA betting handicappers will have to adjust to life without Don Nelson as he is set to be fired as head coach of the Golden State Warriors on Monday morning.
A Promising Return Initially
Nelson has been in his second tour of duty with the Warriors, where he first had a generally successful run from 1988-1994. Nelson came back to Golden State for the 2006-07 seasons and led the Warriors to winning records in his first two seasons back on the bench. Fans responded and also enjoyed the wide open style of play that Nelson brought along.
Implosion
But the last two seasons were horrible, as Golden State went 29-53 two seasons ago followed by a 26-56 record last year. While Golden State continued to have one of the highest scoring offenses in the NBA it could not overcome the bad defense or injuries to key players. As the losses mounted so did the criticism from fans, which lost confidence in Nelson and the franchise.
All Time Leader
Nelson has a career NBA bet record at Golden State of 422-443 with a winning percentage of .488. The 70 year old Nelson has the all time record for wins by a NBA coach with 1335. Nelson had his best years as head coach of both the Milwaukee Bucks and later the Dallas Mavericks where he led perennial playoff teams.
Bargain Value
Last year Sbgglobal handicappers were surprised to find that despite their bad straight up record the Warriors were actually one of the best values on the board as they covered 47 games. Golden State was often made into an enhanced NBA betting value by oddsmakers that knew that the general public wanted little to do with them as one of the least appealing teams on the board.
A New Image
Golden State is under new ownership and is working hard to change their image in the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area. A new old school logo and uniforms have caught favorable attention and press and the franchise wants to move forward with a fresh face on the bench. Assistant coach Keith Smart is expected to replace Nelson to start the 2010-11 NBA bet season. Smart has been more like an assistant head coach to Nelson as he often ran practices and worked the duties that a head man would normally assume.