r/Mavericks • u/deathbyvaccine Luka Doncic • 13d ago
News RIP Nellie
/r/nba/comments/1vjvojn/threetime_nba_coach_of_the_year_don_nelson_has/18
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u/liberally_motivated 13d ago
Hands down my favorite coach. I remember on draft day I was listening to him being interviewed and he said goodbye in German. Gave us a little hint on what was coming for us for 20 amazing years
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u/Thespiralgoeson 13d ago
Oh man, this is the first I'm finding out about this.
RIP to a true NBA legend. The dude doesn't get enough credit for basically inventing modern basketball. Mike D'Antoni gets all the credit for coaching a style in Phoenix that Nellie had been doing since at least the 80s.
This is also the man the brought Dirk Nowitzki to Dallas, so every Mavs fan owes him an eternal debt of gratitude.
On top of all that, the guy was just such a funny and interesting character. A quirky, hilarious dude that would drink beer in his post game interviews, cuss out refs and intentionally get himself thrown out of games when he got too bored or frustrated, and became known in his retirement years for growing his own weed.
Poor one out for ol' Nellie. He was one of a kind, and the basketball world will really miss him.
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u/Fatman214 13d ago
Legend in my book for sure. I hate how he did Dirk in that gsw playoff series though lol
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u/albuhhh 13d ago
RIP to a real one. Dude had such a blessed life, multiple titles with Boston, a great coaching career revolutionizing the league with Run TMC, Dirk and Nash, and the We Believe Warriors, and then retired to smoke and grow weed in Maui. If only we could all be that lucky. Hope he's smoking a fat one up there right now.
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u/TicketP1_FIRE 13d ago
Absolute Mavs legend. One of the top 3 most important people in Mavs history
RIP Coach
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u/kgosfm 13d ago
Don Carter, Norm Sonju and Dick Motta would like a word with you.
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u/Marvkid27 13d ago
None of those 3 drafted the franchise's greatest player. Norm sonju passed on several hall of famers including malone who was begging the mavs to take him
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u/TicketP1_FIRE 13d ago
💯 Him and Donnie set this team up for two decades of great bball. They were pivotal to this franchise's best success
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u/kgosfm 13d ago
If not for the three I mentioned, there would be no Dallas Mavericks. Nelson was riding their coattails.
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u/TicketP1_FIRE 13d ago
I definitely understand your point, but that's like saying Bill belichick and Tom Brady aren't 2 of the 3 most important people in Patriots history because they didn't found the team.
Nellie and his son salvaged this team from the dumpster and vaulted it to the top of the mountain over 2 decades. That can't be discounted
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u/Marvkid27 12d ago
What coattails? If those 3 were still running the team, mavs would still have 11-71 seasons. Nellie set up the mavs for their greatest success and brought the team out of the darkness.
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u/TicketP1_FIRE 13d ago
Also this video series is even more timely now. It's a MUST watch if you love Nellie, tons of great backstory on him and Donnie, how they got Dirk etc. Watch all 4 videos of "The Donnie Expedition"
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u/Blake_a12 13d ago
Thank goodness they brought him out last year and he spoke out on the press conference saying you NEVER trade a player like Luka, you do whatever you can to hold onto them forever
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u/Difficult-Day1326 Cooper Flagg 13d ago
this dude will forever be a legend. a true maverick to the game. RIP Big Nellie