NEW YORK, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Dallas Mavericks Coach Don Nelson and his assistant and son Donnie were suspended for the first two games of the 2002-03 season by the NBA Friday for improper contact with players not eligible for the draft.
The team also was fined $125,000, which is nothing new to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. He was fined $500,000 last season for complaining about referees.
The Mavericks have five assistant coaches, including Del Harris, who figures to guide the club in its first two games at Memphis on Oct. 30 and against Phoenix on Nov. 2. Harris briefly replaced the elder Nelson while he was being treated for prostate cancer two years ago.
The Nelsons have long been advocates of international players and that is where the violation occurred. In early June, father and son attended two private workouts in Belgrade, Yugoslavia involving players not eligible for the draft.
The Mavericks currently have six international players on their roster. The younger Nelson was an assistant coach for Lithuania in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics.
