OAKLAND -- The news that Warriors great Nate Thurmond died Saturday hit A's manager Bob Melvin hard.Melvin spent a lot of time in the Warriors clubhouse as a kid, and he developed a personal relationship with the man they called ``Nate the Great.''"I was lucky enough to know him,'' Melvin said. "My godfather was a trainer for the Warriors, and I used to set at his locker and read his mail to him."What a great, great man and what a great player. He'll be missed, sorely missed, here in the Bay Area.Melvin said he'd see Thurmond from time to time at Warriors games and called the longtime center ``one of the great athletes in Bay Area history.
Nate Thurmond 's death hits A's manager Bob Melvin hard
