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**narek** · 12-09-2007, 05:11 AM

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Portland - The question had to be asked.

That one glaring number on Golden State coach Don Nelson's statistics sheet made the subject impossible to ignore.

So Nellie, you brought in former Milwaukee Bucks guard Sidney Moncrief to be a part-time free-throw shooting coach this season and it says right here that your team is shooting a whopping 69.3% from the foul line. How's that hire working out for you coach?

"Well, he's not here all the time," said Nelson with a laugh. "And when he's not here, I take over."

Well, that certainly explains that.

After coaching the Ft. Worth Flyers of the NBA's D-League last season, Moncrief decided to take up Nelson on his offer to join the Warriors' staff as a part-time shooting coach this season. Moncrief is with the team about two weeks out of every month, which has reunited him with Nelson - his former coach in the 1980s when Moncrief was the backbone of a Bucks teams that won seven straight division championships.

Moncrief was on the Warriors' bench last week for their game against the Bucks at Oracle Arena.

Moncrief said Nelson had mellowed some over the years.

"He's still intense," said Moncrief, whose uniform No. 4 hangs from the rafters in the Bradley Center. "He has a great feel for the game, that's still there. I don't know if he's as vocal throughout the process because as you get older, you get wiser, and you have to pick your spots a little more. But he's done that well.

"He's straight-forward. That's how you relate to players. He tells them what's going on. Be honest. That's what he does and that's all players expect."

Asked about his memories of Moncrief the player, Nelson said: "A great guy and a great player. Tough. He played on a leg and a half most of his career. He had a bad knee but he played every game."

Moncrief resides in Dallas so he commutes to Oakland to work with the Warriors, which he says makes his job a bit more challenging. But he's enjoying his time with the Warriors and is appreciative of Nelson for giving him a chance to get his foot in the door in the NBA since he wants to continue to pursue coaching.

Moncrief coached the Flyers to a 29-21 record in the D-League last season and worked with Warriors guard Kelenna Azubuike who was D-League's leading scorer before the Warriors called him up last January.

Moncrief's eyes lit up at the mere mention of the D-League.

"I love the D-League, he said. "Loved it. I loved coaching the D-League. I was the head coach. I got to set my offense and defense. Set the game plan. You do everything. You make travel plans. You don't have much of a staff. So it was a nice overall experience on how to manage a team."

Moncrief was asked if he had been refreshing to work in the D-League where, presumably, most players are eager to work hard in an effort to make the NBA.

"Oh, you still had some of the challenges," he said. "It's a sign of the times. But you do have players eager to move up the next level, not always knowing fully what it takes to get to the next level, even with their work ethic and other things. It was just fun to do."

Now, about that 69.3% foul shooting?

"We had 77% the last game," said Moncrief. "We're taking it game-by-game."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=694337

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