When I read the report today, my first reaction was: "Of all the people to blame, why Avery?!". Avery Johnson was fired by the Dallas Mavericks today, one day after the Mavs lost their first round series to New Orleans, 1-4... With a team that had made no signicant moves since losing last year's first round series to the Golden State warriors- until making a foundation shaking trade for Jason Kidd at the mid season deadline- it seems Johnson was not quite given the necessary tools or time to undo the damage from last year's meltdown. Especially when you consider how insanely competitive the Western Conference playoff race is this season. And it's not like the Mavericks slipped into mediocrity during the regular season either- unless you consider a 51-31 win/loss record mediocrity. Given all the obstacles he faced this season, his stellar record to date (a 194-70 (.735) regular season record since March of 2005), and his relative youth as a coach- was firing him really the best solution? I'd like to think that if he had a full training camp with Jason Kidd and a remade roster Avery would have little problem overcoming the hurdles he faced this season... But alas, Mark Cuban has spoken. Avery's tenure with the Mavericks has ended. But a coach like Avery Johnson will not be out of a job for long.
During Avery Johnson's playing days, he was regarded as a true floor general. He was full of fire, basketball smarts, and determination. He was known as a winner and a man of integrity. For the most part, Avery's coaching career has been much the same. And as far as coaching experience goes, Johnson is still relatively young in his field. Don't write Avery Johson off yet. I have a feeling we have not yet seen the best of him.
Damaris Lewis
Melissa Haro
Tweets of the Week
NFL Cheerleaders: Week 11
Comments (0) Add A Comment
Comment
Remember to keep your posts clean. Profanity will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.