If Nellie is throwing in playoff towel, then he needs to start playing the kids

November 30, 10:57 AMGolden State Warriors ExaminerMatt Steinmetz

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Nellie: Setting table for disappointment

Warriors coach Don Nelson has been saying since training camp that it was going to be quite a challenge for his team this year.

Nelson has gone out of his way to temper playoff talk and has made certain to distance the Warriors talent level from the talent level of teams he considers good.

Apparently, last night in New York, Nelson took his pessimistic side to the next level, pretty much saying the Warriors weren't going to make the playoffs this season, and that "there's probably not going to be a lot of wins this year."

Ken Berger, of CBS sports, has the story, and it's got some interesting Nellie quotes.

Nelson: Warriors not making playoffs this year.

My first thought upon reading Nellie's quotes was this: I wonder if team president Robert Rowell agrees that the warriors aren't a playoff team and aren't going to get a lot of wins this year?

One thing I know about Rowell is that he is competitive;  this can't sit well with him.

That's not really what Nellie has been selling publicly to Warriors' fans.

To concede the playoffs so early is ridiculous, despite how bad things might have looked on this road trip.

The season is 20 percent over, for goodness sakes.

Even two years ago, when Nellie mistakenly gave up on the Warriors' playoff season, he waited until late February to do it.

But if the playoffs are out, then they're out, right?

That should be good news for the kids, and bad news for some of the veterans.

If the playoffs are out, then it's time to start relying heavily on Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, and Anthony Morrow.

Only Nellie gave Randolph the hook after about two minutes last night, and Belinelli was yanked early and then didn't smell playing time until it officially became garbage time.

If Nellie is giving up on the postseason then he should stop giving so many minutes to Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette and Jamal Crawford, seasoned NBA veterans.

By the way, they can't be too thrilled with Nelson's early evaluation. And if they are, they shouldn't be.

Fact of the matter is, this is the first we've heard of Nelson throwing in the playoff towel.

That's all fine and good. But then it better mean minutes galore for the under-23 crowd.

UGLY LOSS AT NEW YORK ON SATURDAY