Three Years Ago Today

March 19th, 2008 Posted in Avery Johnson

Three years ago today Don Nelson stepped down as the Mavericks head coach and Avery Johnson was named his replacement. At the time this was a great move. Don Nelson had quit on this team and Avery had pretty much been the coach the entire season. Then Avery got off to an amazing start, going 66-16 over his first 82 games, the best pace in NBA history for a first-time coach. Then Avery became the fastest coach to every reach 100 and 150 wins. And things should still be going well, but Avery is very quickly proving not to be right for this team and now it’s come to this.

So, what has Avery given this club in the last three years?

- The first trip to the NBA Finals in club history.

- Blowing a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

- The club’s best regular season ever, going 67-15 in the 2006-2007 season.

- Going out in the first round of the playoffs to the 8th seed Golden State Warriors that same season.

- Playing down to an 8th seed in the playoffs by changing the teams starting lineup that had won those 67 games.

- Having none of the players the Mavs have drafted since 2004 still on the team (Devin Harris, Pavel Podkolzine, Maurice Ager, Nick Fazekas)

- A lack of trust in young players that has lead to this being an old team, with 11 of 15 players being 29 or older. I know aging isn’t Avery’s fault for the guys that have been here, but recent additions to the team have been older players.

- Sitting down a hall-of-fame point guard during the last 30 seconds of an important division game after specifically saying you brought him in to close out games.

I’m sure there are many more, this is just a list of greatest hits. Post up some more examples of what Avery has done for or to this team the last 3 years in the comments.


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  1. 10 Responses to “Three Years Ago Today”

  2. By Josh Howard on Mar 19, 2008 at 5:18:27 pm

    Making me inbound the ball with 4.1 seconds left

  3. By ?????? on Mar 19, 2008 at 7:39:20 pm

    Has anyone here e-mailed Cuban to see what his reaction to firing Avery is? You know he has to be as frustrated as the fans are right now.

  4. By what happened? on Mar 19, 2008 at 8:51:40 pm

    He used to be a good guy but absolute power corrupts absolutely. The power of coaching has gone to his head.

  5. By Bud on Mar 19, 2008 at 8:55:27 pm

    Yes, I’ve emailed Cuban several time…after everyone of these ‘incidents’ since the Kidd trade happened. No response yet…but he’s responded to me before on other topics.

  6. By Avery Johnson on Mar 19, 2008 at 9:55:11 pm

    So you think im a bad coach? This video says otherwise… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTsu–pVxVY

  7. By premature plans on Mar 20, 2008 at 1:27:55 am

    I heard they had the parade route mapped out for Avery’s anniversary, but they cancelled it after the loss to the Lakers.

  8. By captainjack on Mar 20, 2008 at 8:13:05 am

    Yo. Take the link posted by “avery”. It is a wonderfully creative knockoff on “my sharona”. I think we are overeacting here a little. Avery does need to be fired. But the team does not need to be blown up. In fact, I think they can still compete this year. I believe Avery is a firey overachiever who could be the next edie robinson if he were at prarieview a&m. (I honestly think Avery needs to be at a small southern college) He inheirted the most talented NBA team anyone ever inherited. He applied a si es–tim from Pop in s.a. and they won a shit load of games. People forget that Pop was the g.m., not the coach in s.a. until they bucked the odds in the lottery and got duncan. Pop then fired the coach and took over himself—before the season started. Why? Because any sis is tim will work with 2 of the top 5 big men of the last 25 years on the same friggin team. And both of them solid citizens with coachable egos. Unfortunatly, such a sis es -tim does not work very well, against the best teams, on defense when you don’t have the best defensive big man since bill russell (played 13 years, won it 11 times) - that would be robinson, and by the way he was flanked by duncan. Ball side and weak side 7 foot shot blockers with unselfish team oriented, friggin INTELLIGENT styles.
    Can’t you see this? Robinson and Duncan were the type of superstars who would allow themselves to be chewed on by “Generals” and coach’s for the good of the team. But that is a wonderful and damm unique set of qualities and it is simply scarce to non existant here in the real world.

    Avery Johnson is a fine man and I admire his work ethic and everything else about him. But Stevie Wonder could see that the window of opportunity has closed for Avery’s unique brand of rhetoric to move this group.

    Here is what needs to happen. In case Mr. Cuban comes to this site. I will give you a million in advise for free. (but donations will be accepted, i need a new a/c unit) 1. Fire Avery. 2. bring in little nellie from the front office as interim coach. 3. Josh Howard is the key. He has his head in his butt right now. Cuban needs to call him in and tell him what the lord told moses. JOHO needs to be the defensive stopper. JOHO, you were spoken of as an all star because the d was on dirk. You read too many of your own clippings. You disapear at clutch time and despite your most ferverent desires you will never be Kobe or even a poor mans Kobe. Stack needs to be the 2nd option on offense and jet the 3rd. But JOHO, you can be a Michael Cooper. You can be a Bruce Bowen. And that is what we need you to be. Real bad. If not you need to be traded to Miami or back with your running buddy to the swamps of jersey to be mediocre forever-be careful what you ask for 4. Run, Run and Run on offense. You did not get Kidd to run sets. When you have to set up you ISO DIRK. Every time. Every time. One man has won the finals mvp from a losing team. That is how the lakers nearly beat the celts with a very undermanned team. They ISOed this West Virginia fella EVERY TIME. and he won the mvp (the only nfl player to win sb mvp on a losing team is also from W. Va. and attended my wifes H.S.-He was a cowboy) Run and when you can’t, ISO dirk with stack and jet as options when the double comes. Can’t folks see how much better Damp is on both ends in a up and down game? Everyone is talking about how much better Dirk is with Kidd. Am I the only one who sees how much better Damp is? Stop pulling him when he gets 2 fouls. Let him use all 6. If he fouls out then worry about it. But lets use all 6 of damps fouls in every game if necessary. We need to get a bench rotation that has some idenity and some god damn swagger. This is the biggest difference from the mavs at their recent best and now. Edie N. was an effort player who changed the game. Buckner and Raja Bell helped on both ends and had the balls to ask the devil for a match. Nick the Quick would break it off in you butt and then laugh at you for bleeding. These guys now come in the game like they are the poor old subs and lucky to be playing. They NEED to come in the game with the attitude of an old toast we used to use when I was in the Air Force–”Heres to us, and those like us. and theres damn few left. For those who like us, heres to us, for those who don’t like us, Fu*% you, heres to us” as LT said, come in like a “pack of crazed dogs”. That is what bowen and others do for the spurs. Sure, Stack has that kind of sack but he is in the starting lineup now. But Bass could have it. And I bet there are others. And reward them with court time based on RESULTS no COMPLIANCE WITH THE SIS ES TIM. You don’t have to fire em—-you can fire em UP. But you do have to fire Avery!!!

  9. By Mark on Mar 20, 2008 at 9:16:44 am

    - Giving out huge contracts to Stack and Jet.

    - Giving one of the most shameless and dishonest interviews ever after the GSW series (not my fault when the players aren’t making their free throws), only to top it all with an incredibly ego-centric and insincere speech when Dirk got his MVP trophy.

    -changing hotels during the Finals and thus making such a rookie mistake that Riley is still laughing about it

    -asking Kidd to shoot more and still calling the plays from the bench (after repeatedly stating at the start of the season how much he hated to do this and expected Devin to take over, but I guess Kidd isn’t good enough either).

    - benching Diop and starting to play small ball this season for no apparent reason and despite plenty of evidence that this isn’t working.

    I’m sure there’s more, but with Avery it’s almost easier to list the things he does well.

  10. By Roy Tarpley on Mar 21, 2008 at 12:34:40 am

    Well at least the Rangers don’t have to worry about being the only team in D/FW without a title in 2008.

  11. By Loren Meyer on Mar 21, 2008 at 1:26:32 am

    I’ll hate Avery forever for giving up on Marquis Daniels. Marquis is exactly what this team needs right now, I don’t know what he did to fall out of favor. I guess he didn’t make enough bad decisions to stay out of Avery’s doghouse, he should’ve taken more notes from JET and Stackhouse on how to brick shot after shot, blow defensive assignments, and recklessly turn the ball over and still stay in the rotation.

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