The power pendulum in the Warriors' front office took another swing in Don Nelson's favor Tuesday.
Hours before they defeated the Timberwolves in overtime, the Warriors announced the hiring of Larry Harris as an assistant coach. It might not sound like much, especially when you consider the club had an opening for a coach, but the potential ramifications are huge. The Warriors now have a general manager type (Harris) serving as a coach and an assistant coach type (Larry Riley) serving as an assistant general manager. It's quite possible they will someday soon swap titles.
Harris is the son of Del Harris, a longtime buddy of Nelson. So the hiring clearly signals another shift toward Nelson and away from Chris Mullin in the front office.
In the last two months, the Warriors have given Nelson a two-year extension, refused to guarantee Mullin anything past this season, fired Mullin's right-hand man (Pete D'Alessandro), replaced him with Nelson's right-hand man (Riley) and hired the son of one of Nelson's best friends in the business.
It's clear who soon will be (if he isn't already) making the big decisions in Oakland.
WARRIORS 113, TIMBERWOLVES 110 (OT): The Warriors were happy to come away with a victory and snap a two-game winning streak, but they certainly weren't proud of it. When you need a 9-0 regulation-ending run, at home, just to send a game against the lowly Timberwolves into overtime, a subsequent win is no cause for celebration. Stephen Jackson, the club's designated go-to player in the absence of Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette, saved the day, scoring the final hoop of regulation before burying a difference-making 3-pointer late in overtime.
