Well, so much for Game 1…Sacramento destroyed Detroit 95-71 last night in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals…DeMya Walker and Kara Lawson combined for 39 points with Lawson going 6-of-8 from 3-point range, surpassing the finals' record for shots made beyond the arc, and Powell going 4-for-7 from long range….

News, sort of…The Houston Chronicle reports the Rockets, desperate for shooting, may sign Casey Jacobsen. He played in Spain for Tau Ceramica last year….The Arizona Republic reports Charlotte free agent Jumaine Jones is expected to arrive in Phoenix today and have a guaranteed one-year contract with the Suns signed by Thursday.

I’m tired of hearing about Ronaldo Balkman, who the Knicks somehow drafted in the 1st round as being the next Dennis rodman…over Balkman’s three-year career at South Carolina, he only averaged 7 PPG and 5 RPG…over Rodman’s four-year college career, he averaged 25.7 points and 15.7 rebounds per game. In his senior season, Rodman averaged 17.8 rebounds per game….it’s not even close folks…

Charles Barkley quotes from a recent Chris Myers interview on Fox:

About religion: “ Religious people in general are so discriminatory against other people, and that really disturbs me. My idea of religion is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have common decency and respect for other people. So right now I'm struggling with my idea of what religion is. ”

About the government: "They're criticizing a guy who can't run again, who can't get fired…So they spent the last two years criticizing him instead of saying, 'Some things aren't right. This is our game plan.' And now we're two years away from the election, and we have no solutions and no front-runner."

About gay marriage: "I think if they want to get married, God bless them," Barkley said. "Gay marriage is probably 1 percent of the population, so it's not like it's going to be an epidemic. Hey, trust me, I'm never going to kiss you and say, 'Chris, you're sexy."'

About hurricane Katrina support from the government: "I don't know anything about a lot of things, but I would ask somebody and try to make a fair, honest decision for the majority of the people. Not the rich, not the poor, not the black, not the white," Barkley said. "When you get elected to public office, you're supposed to represent everybody. Your job is not to take care of the rich or the poor or the black or the white. Your job is to take care of everybody."

Charges that the Chicago Bulls mascot attacked an off-duty police officer during an outdoor festival in Chicago have been dropped…apparently, Benny, clad in his bright red bull costume, threw a punch at a sheriff's deputy on July 2, knocking off his glasses and breaking his watch. Police said the officer had tried to stop the mascot for riding a mini-motorcycle through the Taste of Chicago festival without a permit. When the off-duty officer, who was working security, tried to stop him, Anderson ran, police said. The officer chased and caught him.

1) Marty Burns of Si.com thinks the Warriors will improve a little under Nellie:

Step right up -Warriors should find respectability under Nelson

Don Nelson back with the Warriors? What's next? Latrell Sprewell and P.J. Carlesimo signing up as assistant coaches? OK, so maybe Nellie's return to Golden State isn't really all that shocking. After all, last year saw the reunion of Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant with the Lakers. Like the Zen Master in L.A., Nelson (aka "The Mad Scientist"), was one of the most successful coaches the Warriors have ever had and has remained a popular figure in the Bay Area. But considering Warriors owner Chris Cohan clashed with Nelson at the end of their previous stint together -- suing him after he took the Knicks coaching job in 1995 -- it's somewhat remarkable that they could put aside their differences and join forces again. It's even more amazing when one considers that Nelson's price tag is probably in the $5 million per year range. For Cohan to shell out that kind of money -- and agree to eat the remaining $5 million on outgoing coach Mike Montgomery's deal -- shows he must really want to see the Warriors create a buzz. Either that, or team president Chris Mullin's powers of persuasion are even better than his old jump shot. Clearly, Mullin's fingerprints are all over this move. The former Warriors star enjoyed his best NBA seasons in Golden State under Nelson. He and assistant GM Rod Higgins, another member of the Run TMC gang, have remained close to Nellie over the years. With their own jobs possibly soon to be in the balance, they no doubt figured he was the most trusted man to get the Warriors on the plus side of the win-loss ledger. Nelson will bring instant credibility to the Warriors locker room. As a former college coach, Montgomery didn't always command the proper respect from his players. Too often they seemed to tune him out, much the same way other NBA teams stopped listening to Tim Floyd, Lon Kruger, Leonard Hamilton and all the other recent former "basketball professors" who tried to make the jump to the NBA. Nelson, a three-time Coach of the Year, shouldn't have that problem. Even young players such as Monta Ellis and Ike Diogu will remember how he helped turn around the Mavs in Dallas. Veterans such as Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy, meanwhile, will love his up-tempo style and the freedom he gives his players. Nelson's experience also should help the Warriors learn to finish close games, a major weakness a year ago. Golden State lost 17 games by three points or less, or in overtime, during the 2005-06 season. Nellie, known for being a good tactician, should be able to improve that area significantly. Nelson, famous for his creative use of matchups, has some pieces to work with on the Warriors roster. Davis, Richardson, Mike Dunleavy and Mickael Pietrus all can play more than one position. Even Murphy could be a tough cover for opposing centers, though he'd give up size at the other end. Nelson certainly will experiment and try different combinations until he finds something that works. Can Nelson get the Warriors back into the playoffs? Yes, but probably not right away. The West appears loaded again in '06-07, with the Mavs, Spurs, Suns, Clippers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Lakers and Kings all expecting to return to the playoffs while the Rockets, Jazz and T'wolves look to crack the rotation. Even an improved Warriors squad isn't likely to make up that much ground in one season. But whether or not the Warriors break their 12-year playoff drought this season or not, they should take a step forward under Nellie. Plus, they'll be a lot more fun to watch.

2) While Marc Stein of ESPN.com has clearly lost his mind:

Forget Warrior warts -- Nelson can deliver playoff berth

The Golden State Warriors, at last, are a playoff team again. Mark it down. Nothing's official, of course. Not yet, some 30 days before camps open.
But that's how you have to see the Warriors now that Don Nelson is back to coach them. That's how I'm seeing them even though the Warriors haven't played an actual playoff game for a dozen years ... and even though I haven't exactly figured out who Golden State bumps in a Western Conference that didn't have room for Utah, New Orleans/Oklahoma City, Houston or Minnesota in last spring's playoffs. I'm betting that Nellie has the Warriors back in the postseason at the first attempt. I'm even more convinced that there isn't a single free agent or trade target they realistically could have landed who makes the Warriors up to 10 wins better than they were, as Nellie does. The stars Golden State dreams of swooping for -- Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal -- were never in reach because they never made it to the trading block. Al Harrington, meanwhile, proved beyond the Warriors' free-agent means. So instead of forcing trades for the sake of new blood, and giving away an asset or two that could bring back something better at the February trade deadline, Warriors vice president Chris Mullin finally convinced his bosses that the most prudent way to make an immediate culture change was buying out the remaining two seasons of Mike Montgomery's contract and resurrecting Nellieball. You can safely surmise that Warriors owner Chris Cohan wanted to do neither. Montgomery had $5 million left on his contract. If paying him off wasn't sufficiently unappealing, reupping Nelson meant burying a nasty history that landed owner and coach in a legal wrangle for nearly five years, haggling over $1.6 million (which Nellie eventually got to keep) after Cohan blamed Nelson for blowing up the way-too-short Chris Webber era. But credit to Cohan for getting past all that and finally empowering Mullin to end the Montgomery experiment and hire the most decorated coach available, even if it comes pretty late in the offseason. The Warriors have a bright future, with several interesting (and tradeable) young pieces to keep shaping their roster, but they've run out of grace period waiting for that future. They need a playoff berth ASAP and needed to do something big in the offseason to suggest they'll get there. This is the bold move the Warriors' ridiculously loyal fans have been calling for. Better yet, bold and smart. Twelve seasons without a playoff berth, in the NBA, is as ridiculous as it gets, but Mullin has made a meaningful splash here. The Warriors already have some depth, talent and versatility. Nellie will take what they have and get a lot more out of it, with an up-tempo philosophy and creative playbook that should be even more potent now given the NBA's increasing reliance on smaller lineups and pushing the pace. Nelson will scare the young, lost Warriors into following his directions and, most of all, teach them how to win. His new group has undeniable deficiencies -- defense and low-post scoring, for starters -- but knowing how to close out games might be the biggest. Golden State lost a whopping 17 times last season by three points or less, or in overtime. These players desperately need some been-there, done-that guidance. For two seasons, they struggled to mask the sense that they never believed Montgomery could provide those things. Montgomery, furthermore, never gave you the feeling of total command or confidence that oozed from him at Stanford. None of that figures to be an issue with Nelson, who will be stern and fun. Troy Murphy at center? Mike Dunleavy as a playmaker? Nelson is bound to try out lots of things with wild cards like Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu and Mickael Pietrus. Jason Richardson? Nellie's new (and more athletic) Mitch Richmond. Baron Davis? Questions will be asked about Baron buying in no matter who's coaching, but I don't buy it here. Davis knows what sort of freedom Nelson gave Tim Hardaway and, later, Steve Nash. I'm guessing Baron, after the Montgomery experience, will volunteer to pick up Nelson at the airport before Wednesday night's unveiling. From the moment word started circulating in Dallas last winter that Nelson was interested in coaching in 2006-07, Golden State was an obvious option because of Mullin's presence ... if Cohan and Nelson could reconcile. The bigger mystery, now that coach and owner apparently have, is why Nelson, after nearly three decades on NBA benches, is so eager to come back. The only thing missing from his coaching legacy -- a championship -- won't be forthcoming in the next two or three seasons. Nelson's son, Donnie, told me himself back in February: "I would just ask him, 'How many more mountains can you climb?' He's the second-winningest coach of all-time. He's achieved pretty much everything there is to achieve as a player, coach and executive. If he asks me, for health reasons and everything else, I'd tell him, 'You don't need it.' " Nellie apparently didn't ask Lil' Nellie. He showed interest in the Sacramento job that opened in May, which also set up the chance to work with friends -- Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof -- and couldn't resist Mullin's offer to go back to the Bay Area as a savior. Especially not after being drummed out of town as the villain more than decade ago. Throw in an annual salary of roughly $4 million, according to team sources, and, well, mystery solved. You certainly have to wonder whether Nelson, at 66, really has three seasons' worth of steam left, and whether the unhappy ending can be avoided this time, but I'll be shocked if the Warriors' playoff problems aren't solved next.