Nelson has issues with Randolph, and he might not be the only one

January 3, 8:13 AMGolden State Warriors ExaminerMatt Steinmetz

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Anthony Randolph 

About two weeks ago, Warriors coach Don Nelson made assistant coach Keith Smart his defensive coordinator.

This week, apparently it will be Smart's call _ or Stephen Jackson's or Ronny Turiaf's or Andris Biedrins' _ as to whether or not rookie Anthony Randolph will get to play in a game anytime soon. Nelson said after the Warriors' 115-108 loss at Minnesota on Friday that Randolph isn't going to be getting any run for a while.

Said Nelson to SF Gate: "We're going to put him on ice for a while, until the assistant coaches tell me he's ready to play in an NBA game and my captains tell me he's ready. He's just going to have to grow up."

It seems obvious what Nelson is doing here, and that is making it known there is a major problem with Randolph. It's one thing if Nelson isn't going to play Randolph because the kid isn't ready or he has an attitude problem or whatever.

But it's another to now lay the onus on whether or not Randolph plays on the assistant coaches and/or captains.

Nelson seems to be saying he's out of ideas and options with Randolph, and it's now up to underlings and Randolph's teammates to decide whether or not the rookie is going to play.

That seems odd, but it appears to be Nelson's way of saying that he isn't the only one tired of Randolph's act, and that others in the organization might be down on Randolph, too.

That certainly seemed to be the case last Saturday before the team took off for a road game against the Lakers.

It was in that practice that forward Rob Kurz caught an elbow from Randolph that broke open Kurz' chin and sent him to the locker room bloodied. It was an elbow that at least one Warrior thought was uncalled-for.

Kurz was playing three-on-three with some other low-minute players after the team's official practice had ended. It was Kurz and Randolph and Corey Maggette, Marcus Williams, Anthony Morrow and DeMarcus Nelson. They seemed to be going about 80 percent.

During one possession, in which Randolph seemed to be frustrated, he went hard to the basket and caught Kurz under the chin. Kurz immediately left the court and was eventually escorted to the locker room by athletic trainer Tom Abdenour.

At the far end of the court, Jackson and some other veterans were watching. After Kurz left the gym, Jackson began shouting at Randolph from the other end of the floor. The message: That wasn't cool."

I asked Jackson about the incident a couple of days later, and he confirmed it. Not that he had to. There were a few of us in the gym at the time, although at the far end of the facility. At the time, I chalked it up to a normal-type practice thing. Jackson said it was a little more than that.

Said Jackson: "That was some b.s. I told him that was something that he should be doing to the other team, not his teammates."

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