Al Harrington was as solid as they come when it comes to big-men in the 2000s. He was an overtly dominant force in the paint nor did he have one specific skill that he excelled at more so than any other skill. Simply put, he was an incredible all-rounded presence out on NBA hardwood and any team could use a guy like him.
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He only ever played all 82 games once in his career and that was the season after suffering a knee injury. His best year was arguably the 2005-06 season when he played for the Atlanta Hawks. He would average 18.6 points per game but unlike most of his seasons in the league, he played in 76 games and started all 76 of those.
By the time he had gotten to the Denver Nuggets in 2010, Harrington was a well respected veteran big-man throughout the league. Legendary head coach, Don Nelson, was heading the Warriors during Al’s time there and he had some choice words for him.
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Al Harrington had a single moment with Don Nelson that changed everything
The ‘We Believe’ Golden State Warriors era was one of the most memorable times in the life of a Warriors fan and Don Nelson’s stellar coaching was a big part of this. Nelson is the second winningest coach of all time and it makes sense as to how he got to that point.
However, when Al Harrington was with the Warriors, he didn’t exactly have the best experience with the Hall-of-Fame bench boss. According to Al, he was once giving the locker room an incredibly motivating speech. After he got done, Nelson would give a sly remark, belittling everything he had just said.
“After I got finished, Nellie [Don Nelson] was like ‘Man, nobody wanna hear that sh*t.’ After that, I always wanted problems with him,” said Al.
Al Harrington would leave the Warriors for the Denver Nuggets.
Al Harrington would eventually leave the Golden State Warriors to sign with the Denver Nuggets in 2010. Many speculated over what the reason was for this as the Nuggets’ championship window with Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson had already closed.
Nelson himself claimed it was both due to money and because of his feud with him. Harrington didn’t hold back on ‘Nellie’ as he said that the Nuggets coach is “known for ruining careers”.
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