Don Nelson doesn't look or sound like he's crazy. The general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, who added head coaching duties to his workload on Dec. 4 when Jim Cleamons was fired, is well-aware of his surroundings.
"I had a good job, now I've got a hard job," Nelson said before a college-like 68-66 loss to the Utah Jazz Friday in the Delta Center. "Keep heading in the right direction and play a better brand of basketball - that's what we're trying to do."The Mavericks, however, aren't exactly cooperating. Dallas is just 1-4 under Nelson, who took over a team that had lost 11 of 12 games following a 3-0 start.
"The only way for us to even get to .500 is to go and consistently be professional about our jobs," said 34-year-old A.C. Green, the veteran on the NBA's second-youngest team, where the average age is 25.5. "That's going to take time. So in the interim, I can't lose sight of the big picture."
And make no mistake about it, the Mavericks are far from being silver-screen material.
"This is a situation in disarray," acknowledged Green, who won championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and played for winners in Phoenix earlier in his career. "We don't have the chemistry and continuity because of all the changes."
In less than one year's time, Dallas has traded away such talents as Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn, Jim Jackson, Sam Cassell and Chris Gatling. The new Mavericks include Utah native Shawn Bradley, Robert Pack and Kurt Thomas, who are currently sidelined with injuries. Just exactly what the Mavericks didn't need.
"With three starters out it's going to be interesting," said Nelson, who has varied the Mavericks' game plan in his eight days at the helm. Dallas ran past New York 105-91 in Nelson's debut, but took the air out of the ball at Utah.
"I just thought if we didn't do that, we wouldn't have had a chance tonight," said Nelson. "We're not the greatest team in the world, but they can carry out a game plan and that's encouraging."
Another optimistic Maverick is Bradley. The former Emery High and BYU standout was acquired by Nelson from New Jersey last February.
"I love Dallas and I love the situation there," said Bradley, who did not play because of a torn calf muscle. "Things are headed in the right direction with coach Nelson coming in, and I want to be part of it."
The journey, however, likely won't be easy.
"The first week has been a lot of fun. Everything has been a `10' except the wins," said Nelson. "They'll be hard to come by. Let's face it, we'll have to put our hard hats on."