Nelson Points Finger at Himself for Problems With Webber

New Knick Coach Don Nelson now blames himself for the rift with Chris Webber that ultimately cost him his job with Golden State, saying he should have reached out to his young star before their relationship deteriorated past the point of no return.

“As I look back on that, I’m going to take the blame,” Nelson said Thursday as he was introduced as New York’s coach.

“I feel that I was the adult in that situation and I should have communicated more with Chris during the summer when he was in negotiations with our team. He probably needed that closeness to me.”

Webber’s resistance to what he viewed as Nelson’s heavy-handed coaching style eventually led him to opt out of a 15-year, $74-million contract and become a restricted free agent at the end of the 1993-94 season. The lack of communication between the two chilled relations. By the time training camp opened, it became clear the only way to resolve the situation was to trade Webber.

On Nov. 17, Webber was traded to Washington for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round draft picks, 20 hours after re-signing with Golden State.