I phoned Nelson yesterday and he called me back this morning from Maui. Here's a transcript of our conversation.

Q: How does the injury to Ellis affect your team?

A: I'll have to make more adjustments. I already lost my No. 1 scorer (Baron Davis) to free agency. I had three 20-point scorers and now two are out. (Stephen Jackson is the only remaining one.) I'll have to rely on the younger players. It will be interesting.

Q: Did Ellis' injury depress you?

A: I feel sorry for Monta. I quit feeling sorry for myself a long time ago.

Q:Will the makeup of the team change?

A: I'm not involved in the front office. I coach the guys I have. Not that I don't have influence there. I do. But I was hired to get the most out of the players. There are a lot of questions to be answered. Like who will fill Monta's minutes? We're used to him scoring a certain way. He's unique in the NBA. That's why we paid him $63 million.

Q: I think it's $66 million.

A: Whatever.

Q: Will Ellis' injury hurt the Warriors' chances to make the playoffs?

A: I'm not sure the playoffs were in our future, anyway. This year will be a building year to get the young guys into being good NBA players. That (the playoffs) was in question anyway. The question is are we good? Monta is an awfully good player.

Q: How much do you know about Marcus Williams? (Williams will play point guard while Ellis rehabs.)

A: All I can say is I liked him in college. I felt the Knicks should have drafted him before New Jersey. He didn't play much (in New Jersey) for whatever reason. Mully (Chris Mullin) likes him even more than I do. He can be good. He's at an age (23) when he can be a positive influence on our team. He's a penetrator. He finds people. He's not a great shooter as yet. I haven't studied his shot to know how I can improve it. He's an adequate shooter.

Q: Are you angry that Ellis got hurt in a pickup game?

A: Not at all. He got hurt in a basketball-related activity. You have to expect players to play in the summer. As long as it's basketball related I can't complain.

Q: What are you doing now, Don?

A: I'm at one of my properties, sitting between two palm trees. It's a gorgeous calm day. The ocean is almost like a lake.