Don Nelson Will Mull His Future in Maui

If you told Don Nelson before the season started that the Warriors would win 48 games this year, he'd probably have been ecstatic. After all, it's a six-game improvement from last season and should be enough to secure a No. 5 or 6 seed, right?

Eh, you already know the answer to that: the Warriors are on the outside looking in after finishing two games shy of the "coveted" No. 8 seed. The Warriors capped things off by losing on Wednesday to the Sonics, although by that point it was merely academic as they had already been eliminated from the postseason.

So now, instead of getting excited for the playoffs, Warriors fans must now spend their offseason completely confused as to what in the world their team will look like next year. Nelson told reporters yesterday that he planned on going to Maui for the next six weeks or so before deciding whether he'd coach for one more year or retire. What, other than board shorts and tanning oil, might help him make up his mind?

For starters, the draft lottery occurs on May 20; you have to figure if by some stroke of luck the Warriors get a top 3 pick he'll jump at the chance to return. Also, he admitted that he'd like to defer making a decision until after his late June arbitration hearing with Mark Cuban and the Mavericks regarding $6.5 million of deferred compensation the Mavs feel he's no longer owed. But will the money actually play a factor in his decision? He says no, he just wants to get it off his mind. From Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News:

-Q: If you win your arbitration with Cuban, would you be more likely to retire?

-NELSON: You mean when I win the arbitration? Not necessarily, but that's probably the reason I'm going through all this. It's weighed heavily on me for almost three years now. Two years, anyway.

My mind would be freer after that.

Once Nelson makes up his mind, there's still a matter of Baron Davis decision if he wants to opt out. He obviously would prefer to sign an extension, but it's awfully hard to leave $17 million on the table if he can't hammer out a deal beforehand and tries to call Golden State's bluff. On a side note, I'm curious if enough time has passed for Davis to enjoy Nelson's humor from his pre-game meeting with reporters:

-Q: Do you have any regrets about this season?

-NELSON: Play Baron Davis last game. That's a joke.

My guess at what ultimately happens? Nelson puts off retirement, Davis returns sans an extension, the Warriors draft another guy like Brandon Wright who can't crack the rotation and you and I are having this exact same conversation 12 months from now.