PHOENIX -- The Don Nelson era with the Warriors has ended.
The Warriors will announce today that Nelson is stepping down as coach and general manager, an NBA source said yesterday, which would end a 7 1/2 -year reign as general manager and a 6 1/2 -year tenure as coach of the team. Donnie Nelson, his son and top assistant, also will resign, according to the source, and assistant coach Bob Lanier will be named the interim coach. The GM position, for the moment, will remain vacant.
"It's a done deal," the league source said, echoing a statement made by a team source earlier last week about Nelson's imminent departure. "Some of the details need to be worked out over the next few days, but they had an agreement before they got to Phoenix."
That agreement only expands the head-spinning metamorphosis of the Warriors since the season began. Since the second day of training camp, the team has been sold to a new owner (Chris Cohan), named a new president (Andy Dolich), traded two marquee starters (Chris Webber and Billy Owens), and suffered injuries that claimed nearly a half-dozen players (including four-time All-Star Chris Mullin).
Cohan and Nelson, the league source said, have agreed that Nelson will receive a $1 million settlement, to be paid in installments rather than a lump sum, even though it was initially Nelson's idea to resign. Nelson had three years remaining on his contract, but there was a $1 million mutual buyout clause at the end of this season, which meant either Nelson or Cohan could end the deal by paying the other $1 million.
Lanier served as a special assistant with the Warriors during training camp last season and was hired last summer as a full-time assistant.
"I think he knows the X's and O's well enough to be an NBA coach," forward Clifford Rozier said. "We'll have fun, but he'll get on us."