This team is done

April 22nd, 2008 Posted in Avery Johnson, Mavs Talk

What an absolute embarrassment tonight. I don’t even know where to start and I know I could rant for quite a while. I’ll try to make this short though and just let this game speak for itself.

The entire game was downhill from the start. Avery had the team attempting to trap Paul for about 10 minutes before completely abandoning it. Every time Paul was trapped he had no problem finding the open man. Dirk and Damp just aren’t good/quick enough to be able to handle Chandler and West. And what happened to the plan to let Howard try and guard Paul? I saw that happen just a couple of times. And having Eddie Jones on him was just a freaking joke.

The lineups were a huge mess again. Late in the first quarter Stackhouse and Jones were in the game at the same time. Sorry, but I just don’t even see that being a good idea. Then to start the second quarter this gem was on the floor: Terry, Howard, Stackhouse, Bass, Allen. What the hell? How could that possibly be considered a good option? Malik Allen can’t get off the bench in game one and all of a sudden he’s in the game when the Mavs are down 10? Dirk didn’t get back in the game until 7 minutes were left in the half. Devean George didn’t even see the court in the first half. With 2:24 left in the second Damp and Kidd are taken out of the game and replaced by Jones and Bass. I honestly stopped paying attention there, but I’m sure the second half wasn’t any better.

Damp played a total of 16 minutes while Bass played 29. Might not seem like such a bad idea since Bass ended up with 19 points and 8 boards, but the guy cannot play defense. Not that any Mav was too keen on playing D tonight anyways. Avery and his staff have to come up with some way to slow Paul down, but I don’t really see that happening. Having Del Harris on the bench to help out with seems like it would be a good idea right now.

It seems pretty obvious to me that Avery has completely lost this team. Nothing he says seems to have any effect on them. For the past three days Avery has said that they have to play better defense and then they come out with this type of performance. On TNT they showed a bit of Avery’s speech in the locker room. He ended by saying “Let’s score about 10 points in the paint to start this quarter.” The first basket of the quarter by the Mavs? A 16 foot jumper by Dirk.

There are going to be some people that say that the Mavs are still ok, that the Hornets just did what they had to do by holding home court (I’m looking at you Brad Davis). While technically true, has this team and coached showed anybody anything that should breed any confidence going into Friday’s game?

I know this post is pretty disjointed and rambling but I’m just so frustrated by seeing what this team has become when they have so much more potential. A change has to be made and I really wouldn’t mind if it was made tonight.

This site needs your help to be even a tiny bit effective. Spread the word, tell your friends, and get people to come post their thoughts in the comments. The more reaction by fans that this site gets the clearer the picture can be for Cuban and the front office.

Edit: One more thing. Has Avery been wearing his Spurs championship ring before tonight? I couldn’t believe it when I saw that he had it on. Is that supposed to be some kind of motivational tool? If I was a player I’d just be pissed that my coach was wearing something with another team’s logo on it. Just another ridiculous decision by Avery.


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  1. 121 Responses to “This team is done”

  2. By KeepingItReal on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:05:46 pm

    I feel ya, Greg. I haven’t even been able to watch the past couple of games. I usually just tune in during the 4th to see whether they will show up or collapse but they weren’t even in it at all in this one. Some changes definitely need to be made with the remaining games they have left and also the offseason.

    I honestly never saw what the bright side was in making the playoffs. At least if they didn’t make it then everyone can see for themselves that this team just isn’t good and they need to let some people go. Instead everyone started sipping the Mavs koolaid and they are about to get disappointed for yet another season. Oh look, they just showed Paul hitting a deep shot at the end of the qtr. Where have I seen that before?

  3. By Mavs have no potential on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:11:08 pm

    We need a better coach but we need better players too. Any opposing player that’s an above average athlete we can’t match up with. Our only good athletes are Antonie Wright and Brandon Bass and they have the basketball skills of 9th and 10th men on the team. Everybody else are below average and average athletes and only Dirk and Terry are good shooters and sometimes Howard is. This team has serious limitations not just in the coaching position but among all its personnel

  4. By Mark on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:12:44 pm

    Not much left to say - if this game isn’t proof enough that Avery needs to go (and take his vets with him), I don’t know what is.

  5. By Ronald on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:20:28 pm

    I really don’t know what Cuban is waiting for…
    At this stage I would understand if Dirk pulled a “Kobe” and demanded a trade. Avery is just wasting his career and talent away… If I was him I would tell Cuban to chose between him or Avery…
    Pathetic…

  6. By Andrew on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:20:34 pm

    It’s ok…don’t worry…all of this poor playing by the mavericks will make the Dallas Stars the premier sports team in D-Town right now. They know how to take care of buisness when it comes to playoff time. Buy a share of the Stars Mark, instead of the penguins!

  7. By Jdaville on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:20:51 pm

    The thing I despise the most about Avery is his lack of taking responsibility. Guess what Avery…. YOU HAVE BEEN THE HEAD COACH for two of the worst playoff series losses in the history of basketball, and now you are well on your way to losing a 3rd in a not so epic…but just as painful fashion. YOU NEED TO STEP UP AND STOP THROWING THE PLAYERS UNDER THE BUS.

    AND WHAT ARE YOU THINKING WITH YOUR SUBSTITUTIONS!!!!!!!! AHHHH I can’t even form a coherent thought because my anger and frustrations run so deep!

  8. By mffl on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:21:56 pm

    *sigh*

  9. By Spurred1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:24:03 pm

    Too many problems. I’ve read various posts suggesting that Dirk is the problem and should be traded. Granted, he was bad defensively-(not that he’s ever been good at that.) However, he scored 27 points, but again really got no help.I can’t say he was the major problem tonight.
    Josh Howard had 3-10 for a total of 10 points. This guy’s supposed to be our second option, correct? Terrific..
    Dampier got 3-6 and 6 rebounds. I’m sorry, but he’s getting paid a horrible amount of money for such little effort. I can’t understand what good he does anybody.
    Terry was better tonight, 18 points. He wasn’t out there for very long-he’s too streaky for my liking.
    The bench aside from Bass simply sucks. No one contributes a gd thing to the game.
    Is this all Avery’s fault? No, but it is clear the team is not responding in any way, shape, or form to him. He’s too controlling and makes very questionable decisions at the worst times. It is time for Avery and some of the players to go. Most of them should be ready to retire, anyway. And it is classless to wear a ring you won with a rival team-that’s isn’t going to motivate anyone. He really doesn’t respect his players and they’ve lost any respect they have for him. Just end it. FIRE AVERY

  10. By Disappointed Fan on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:24:29 pm

    Lets talk about future. Who else will be available to replace Erica Dumpier.? Who will be in the market to replace “under rated” J.Ho. What Stackhouse was doing today? Just throwing the ball here and there for a major part of time. Why Avery is not seeing any of these. Yeah. As he said, Experience count in the playoffs. They were always thrown out easily by other teams. They are good at it now.

  11. By thutchings on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:24:33 pm

    Now tonite was embarrassing..I’m just glad I’m mot a player on this team and could just walk out of the room in second quarter..Stack back in the starting line up..Imagine that!! Avery’s love affair with him is sickening..I say fire him TONITE Cubes and save a little face for your self!!How an owner could stand by and watch this happen is beyond my ability to comprehend..

  12. By Stop.Collaborate.Listen. on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:24:52 pm

    Seems like a nice guy. Not getting the job done. Who rose to success too quickly. And blamed everyone but himself (refs, players, owner, etc), hiding behind a veil of arrogance. Which is now playing out as, or has taken the form of, self-defeating overconfidence. Darn sad when the star player is more accountable than the coach, the same guy who preaches accountability for one’s decisions and performances. Sad, sad days may be ahead for this franchise.

    Isolation basketball. Doesn’t work with Kidd’s skillset. No changes were made after the trade. “Kidd, here are the plays. This is what I want you to do.” Well, if the Mavs were going to continue playing isolation basketball, they should have kept Harris, who can break down a defense with penetration, preventing offensive stagnancy. I don’t blame Kidd. He is who he is, and the Mavericks knew this. Or did Avery believe he could change Kidd, make him a better player? Didn’t Avery even suggest that? Oh, the pride.

  13. By Suzan Pardue on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:27:29 pm

    Embarrassing. Disappointing. Humiliating. I am a fan that watches 82 games a season. The team doesn’t even look like they have played together before. I quit watching after halftime because I wanted to scream! TNT quit watching also. They switched to the TOR/ORL game. Sad. Sad.

    I think Avery must go. He has lost the team. It is time to rebuild. Just blow up the team with the exception of Dirk and Bass. I would hate to see Dirk go somewhere else - I do like him and respect his game. I think Bass has great potential. Jason Kidd used to be good until he got to Dallas. What happened? Avery? There is no threat on this team. They have no bite. Devin Harris can at least get to the basket and finish. For what it is worth, I was not for the trade at all.

    It makes me sick to my stomache thinking about going through another post season with Avery and the same core group of guys on the team.

  14. By Jdaville on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:29:26 pm

    If you dislike the players we have on this team, then guess what….AVERY wanted them, and he got them….and here we are.

    Howard’s play is just mind numbing….I can’t even believe that is the same guy from the last few years….he has simply lost it.

  15. By james on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:33:12 pm

    well, for any “mavs officials” reading this– fire avery or i (along w/ many others i’m sure) am boycotting this team.

    I HATE the way this team plays w/ no heart, HATE we have old players at the end of the bench, HATE that avery doesn’t trust our more athletic, talented players and plays old “has beens” instead.

    tonight was pathetic and loyal mavs fans deserve more!!

  16. By JaredNow1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:34:29 pm

    quick note-Jerry Stackhouse said after the game that if the other guys on the Hornets (besides Paul) keep scoring that “we’re probably not gonna win this series.” wow, after only the 2nd game? weak.

  17. By Spurred1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:36:27 pm

    Do you guys want Avery fired right now, or do you want to watch him and the team suffer through two more horrible blowouts? I say let’s make him suffer-he wanted this-he can watch it. Cuban can fire him right as the fourth game ends. What do you think?

  18. By anthony on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:38:23 pm

    We are clearly outmanned at every position. The only player the Hornets have who plays regularly and is not athletic is Peja. Everyone we have who is supposed to be athletic is over 30 and for some reason our only “slasher” (Howard) has decided now is a good time to work on his jump shot.

    I’m surprised at how easily these guys let people go to the basket without fouling, and then when they do foul it’s not hard enough to prevent an and one. Damp should be suspended by now with a few body slams.

    Lastly, there is no way we are a better team now or over the next few years with Kidd rather than Harris and TWO first round picks. I hope Cuban can pull something out of his arse this summer. I’m not a hockey fan but I’m gonna have to be because our Mavs are lucky to even be in the playoffs, the Rangers aren’t going anywhere, and we all saw what our hyped Cowboys did two years in a ro.

  19. By Kyle on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:40:21 pm

    mark should fire avery right away and possibly deal out anyone in order to get at least one dominating player!see what Celtics did?

    some reasons:

    JHO:one time allstar because of the best record in the NBA,way more small forwards/shooting guards with his size are better than him in terms of shooting,slashing,rebounding and defending.as one of the big three in dallas?NO!a starter?yes

    JET:hes a good player,dont get me wrong.but hes always outpowered and his small size as a shooting guard in nowadays league always makes him in a bad condition defensively.

    Damp:maybe a quality big man is hard to find,but can we pay less for this not too good one dimensional center so we can sign some big names in the free agent market?

    dirk and kidd are great and they should stay.i dont even wanna talk about firing avery becasue its a no-brainer.maybe i got bored by nelson’s small ball a couple of years ago but it was really fun to watch.not like avery’s so-called “defensive-minded” games.if he stays i wanna see mark cuban buyout dirk right now so dirk can sign with suns for nth and win a championship with his long time friend steve nash!

  20. By Drew on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:41:06 pm

    I just cant believe what i saw. dirk is the only guy who bothered to come and play. I dont know how to fix it or if it can be fixed. the hornets have a lot of confidence right now. Hopefully, the mavs can hold onto homecourt and win the next 2. but even thats a big uncertainity.

  21. By Spurred1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:47:03 pm

    Bass also pitched in. He wasn’t good defensively, either-but at least he tried. Isn’t there any way the Mavs could get Al Jefferson from the Wolves?

  22. By mike on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:47:48 pm

    Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and Brandon Bass are the only Mavs that have shown up in this series. They deserve so much better than to be stuck on this lousy team…

  23. By JaredNow1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:50:10 pm

    Okay, so here’s the deal….
    Avery needs to be fired.
    The only players worth keeping are Dirk, Bass and Jet.
    Trade everyone else for a big man or a decent guard.
    Look, if Nash, Stoudemire, Barbosa, Hill, etc can’t do it without Shaq (and they still can’t do it), what makes ANYONE think we can do it with JUST DIRK? If Kobe can’t do it without Gasol AND Odem, and Pierce can’t do it without Ray Allen AND Garnett, what in the hell makes anyone think that Dirk can do it without a GREAT BIG MAN or A GREAT DEFENSIVE THREAT?
    We have none. The mavs SUCK. Not just Avery, but the Mavs too.
    And the bottom line is Dirk is a patsy. He didn’t step up. CHRIS PAUL STEPPED UP. AGAIN. 27 points is nothing. He didn’t MAKE HIS TEAM BETTER. Chris Paul does that. Look, I hate chris paul and the NEW THUGS more than anyone, but they are a better basketball team. They ARE a 2 seed! How many teams when watching the Mavs games have you seen the Mavs walking back to the locker room with their heads hanging down after a loss? TO MANY. We aren’t there. We need more talent. Josh Howard is TERRIBLE. ERIC DAMPIER IS ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS. NO DEFENSE AT ALL FROM ANYONE—-!!! AND ZERO OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS!!! - that’s what kills us. we get NO SECOND CHANCE POINTS.
    And the bottom line is this is no time do be experimenting with the lineup. We were down by 18 and he didn’t have ONE MEMBER OF THE STARTING FIVE IN! UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FIRE AVERY. TRADE JOSH HOWARD. TRADE STACKHOUSE and his lack of heart. TRADE DAMPIER. TIME TO REBUILD AROUND DIRK. NOW. OR DIRK NEEDS TO GO TO A CONTENDER BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.
    GO SPURS NOW.

  24. By JaredNow1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:51:14 pm

    that’s times not teams and too not to.

  25. By Mavsfan on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:51:37 pm

    I blame Avery Johnson for every thing. The thing I don’t like him the most is that he never wants to take responsibility for losing and always blames the players. Avery Johnson must go. We must get an experienced, well respected coach.

  26. By andy on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:52:20 pm

    avery johnson shoudl have been fired long time ago…after the heat meltdown, he’s not a coach, but just some annoying screamer on the sideline. Now, everybody sees it: HE just can’t get his players mentally ready to play after a big loss, see heat series, see warriors series, and now new orleans series….
    PLEASE Mark fire him right now, after this pathetic game 2 performance, anybody could prepare this team better than he does for game 3!!
    there is no game plan, no defense, no reaction from the team, nothing!
    keep dirk and howard and trade everybody else, it’s time to rebuild now or dirk will be gone to win his ring with a team that has a real coach.
    Dirk: demand a real coach or demand a trade to miami or phoenix, or sign with them as a free agent, nash and amare or dwade and the matrix would be more than happy to play with you. YOu need to get out of there if things are not shaken up.

  27. By JaredNow1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:53:22 pm

    even if the mavs win these next two at home they are freaking b*****s and when they get to new orleans they play like patsy and will blow it. they play with NO CONFIDENCE.

  28. By JaredNow1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 9:56:45 pm

    honestly at this point i have to think that Dirk is overrated. Yes he has no one around him and a terrible coach but c’mon. It’s the Hornets. And he just doesn’t EVER deliver in the playoffs.

  29. By mike on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:01:38 pm

    Jared, the Hornets aren’t the number 2 seed by accident; they have a damn good team. It’s ridiculous to place the blame on Dirk, as he’s been the one producing for us.

  30. By Mavsfan on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:02:33 pm

    The #1 on my hope list for the next season is not to see Avery Johnson anymore.

  31. By Kyle on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:05:29 pm

    btw,does the GM of mavs even have the power to FIREAVERY?whats his name again?i almost forgot hes the son of a great coach!(better than avery a million times and avery should thank nelson for building a wonderful team and letting him takeover the team in the middle of that season so he could win the coach of the year award)

  32. By kwangum on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:07:23 pm

    mavs are obviously worse off w/kidd.
    kidd’s not a reliable offensive option and is a subpar slasher.
    w/harris, mavs could actually get some easy baskets and contain quick guards

    i don’t believe it is avery’s fault, its the players.

  33. By Spurred1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:09:58 pm

    JaredNow1,
    I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the Hornets aren’t crap. They were at the top of the Western Conference for quite a while until the Lakers knocked them off. Chris Paul is a MVP candidate, he’ll probably come in second behind Kobe.You yourself said the Hornets are the number two seed. You make them sound like the Knicks or something-they are actually an amazing team. The Mavs are the number 7 seed. We barely made the playoffs.
    Dirk has delivered in the playoffs-last year, no, he didn’t. He and Bass appear to be the only ones interested in the series. I don’t know how Dirk can get anyone else interested or “make his teammates better.” His teammates are trash, he can’t change that. Can’t turn sh*t into gold.
    Chris Paul has teammates that can score-Dirk does not.

  34. By Mark on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:23:31 pm

    Anybody want my 4 Game 4 tickets with Blue Parking Pass? I refuse to go to another game that Avery coaches. He should be fired tonight.

  35. By Michelle on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:24:03 pm

    Avery Johnson needs to go. He has lost this team and they act like they don’t care one way or the other. As a fan who had watched EVERY game for two years I am wondering if it is worth it if the players don’t even care. IF Avery doesn’t go Dirk needs to be traded to a coach who appreciates him and lets him play his game.

  36. By JaredNow1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:27:45 pm

    thanks for the letters but put the Spurs, the suns, the lakers, the jazz, etc. up there against the hornets. The would handle the hornets in a 7 game series. Don’t believe me? Stay tuned for round 2.
    Who does Chris Paul have? Tyson Chandler? David West? Bonzi Wells? Peja is their second best player, and if that’s saying anything, well then Kidd should at least match that. There’s no excuse. Didn’t everyone pick the upset for the Mavs to beat the Hornets. In cased anyone missed it WE are the ones with the playoff experience. AND don’t give me this crap about them having a great season. The west this year was stacked. Yes, I did say they are the number two seed but mavs were what 5 games back? This was Mavs series to win. What are you going to tell me the Warriors were a better team and the Heat? pfff.

  37. By jp on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:28:21 pm

    It’s clear avery has no idea what he is doing, the fact that he doesn’t realize he needs his most athletic team out there to compete, i.e. bass, nowitzki, howard, terry, and kidd, for the majority of the game should be proof enough. Playing stackhouse at this point is absolutely baffling, the guy turns the ball over more than he scores and he’s dead weight at the defensive end, the fact that george is not getting minutes over stackhouse and jones is amazing. Losing diop and harris was losing a large part of this teams athleticism and it shows now.
    I still hold out hope that they can get the next game and maybe turn the momentum, but I’m already bracing myself for disappointment and actually I have been for awhile now.
    Also, Nowitzki isn’t the problem, he’s their only consistent player, even with a bad ankle.

  38. By "Five-O" on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:30:01 pm

    2 Things:

    1) Fire Avery

    2) I Still Believe (Who’s with me?!?!)

  39. By KeepingItReal on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:32:47 pm

    You’re on your own.

  40. By Michelle on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:35:14 pm

    I believe!!!!!!

    (but I did last year too)

  41. By It's Time... on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:36:19 pm

    I’ve been a Mavs season ticket holder (in the $170/seat range) for 8 years. This team has become sad at the hands of Avery Johnson. Among many sins–

    * Doesn’t understand Dirk. Nowitzki is a scorer, not a playmaker. Huge difference. You don’t put everything on the back of a scorer with mindless iso’s like you do a playmaker.

    * Irrational infatuation with Stackhouse. The guy is done. Why is Jet coming off the bench?

    * Limited basketball IQ. Despite his arrogance, Avery has been outcoached for the third consecutive playoff series. It could be argued that he’s learning at the expense of a team at it’s prime. But I don’t think he’s learning. The combination of limited smarts and healthy doses of unjustified arrogance is a lethal cocktail.

    * Losing his players; and they’ve lost their identity. The team understandably has no confidence in his “system” and are playing like it. Honestly, a team with 2 future HOF players (Kidd, Nowitzki) and a recent All Star (Howard) should be far more competitive than this one is. They players are closer to Avery than we are; undoubtedly they see the inanity of his coaching and system.

    * Honestly, using Damp to help trap Chris Paul?? Reread previous question. Rinse. Repeat.

    Sorry, Mavs, but it’s time…

  42. By JaredNow1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:38:04 pm

    Spurred-I missed that last part. Chris Paul has teammates and dirk has crap? lol. Like I said, Chris Paul has NO ONE. Nobody. Have you ever heard of David West before this year? Have you ever heard of Tyson Chandler besides him being a major distraction with his last team? Oh, I forgot about Bonzi Wells. Man his playoff experience is solid. And I can’t leave out Pargo. or whatever the hell his name is. BEING AN MVP—like Paul, as you mentioned IS about making your CRAP teammates better. PAUL has turned these nobody players into somebody players in some eyes, and how many times is he gonna lob that ball up to Tyson Chandler for a throw-down? This crap would never happen against a skilled team. Oh, wait they are the number 2 seed my bad. Oh yeah, and the mavs Barely made the playoffs. Have you been watching this year.?? This is THE TIGHTEST playoff race in NBA HISTORY. And his teammates aren’t trash. Jason Terry is always in the running for sixth man of the year, Howard is a proven MVP, Kidd is statistically the greatest point guard of all time.
    The point is, The Hornets are good, but so are the Mavs. In fact, the Mavs are better. Why do i say that? Because I truly believe that the mavs can beat ANYONE this year BUT the hornets. Just like last year. If we would have gotten out of that mess with the Warriors we would have gone all the way. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, the hornets can’t go all the way, after the mavs they are toast. Just like warriors. tune in. Chris Paul is having an MVP season, so is LeBron, Kobe, Garnett, Duncan, etc. and Dirk IS the MVP. The Mavs are blowing it once again because they can’t handle tough Point Guards. PERIOD.
    Stop watching so much ESPN and buying into the hype that is the NBA. I’ve seen Chris Paul. But without him the Hornets would BE NOTHING. Don’t tell me they are a good team. Chris Paul is a great player who makes that team better and HE wins the games for them.

  43. By Thor on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:39:43 pm

    Didn’t we trade Devin Harris for Kidd because the time to go for it is NOW and we couldn’t wait for Harris to develop?

    Shouldn’t the same concept apply to the coach?

  44. By Chuck in Richardson on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:39:53 pm

    I tell ya, it’s the Locker Room Curse of T-Mac!

  45. By JaredNow1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:41:06 pm

    avery is also infatuated with Howard. What’s the deal with that? he plays almost every minute of every game. Terry needs more minutes. And Stack and Howard and Damp are the laziest players in the history of the franchise.

  46. By mike on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:43:06 pm

    Yeah, it was the tightest race to the playoffs that the West has ever had, but that only makes what they did all the more impressive. I don’t want New Orleans to win, but you can’t just write off what they did this season and the way they’ve picked apart the Mavs in the first two games of this series. I’m hoping they can still turn it around, but their chances look very slim right now…

  47. By Jake on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:43:20 pm

    It’s Time,

    You’re 100% right. His substitution choices are entirely baffling, the only reasonable explanation is that Avery is just simply lost. I swear to you, the game is moving at a speed beyond his ability to keep pace. He has no material impact on this team. And in the absence of any impact, only bad things can happen.

    J

  48. By jp on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:43:37 pm

    Also, another thought, since Nowitzki’s ankle injury, he hasn’t been rebounding all that well, but I still think forcing Chandler to match up with him could help throw New Orleans out of sync, honestly, I like Nowitzki against Chandler more than I like Dampier against him, really he’s making Dampier look terrible (why did Cuban give him that contract? Oh yeah, avery talked him into it.)

  49. By Adios Amigo on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:46:34 pm

    kudos it’s time. you’ve nailed it. i think avery’s intensity in his first season masked the absence of genuine basketball intellect.

  50. By season tiks on Apr 22, 2008 at 10:49:29 pm

    I only own 4 seats, but I’ll not renew for next year if Avery is still around. I wish the media could get a legitimate scoop and find out what other NBA personnel think about Avery’s lack of basketball savvy. Surely some GMs/coaches are snickering to themselves…most of them would love to have Dirk and Jason, so that they could do something with them. Like win.

  51. By Dave B on Apr 22, 2008 at 11:02:16 pm

    Haven’t missed a Mavs game since Dirk was a rookie, and this is the first time, I can’t believe I’m saying this, that I’ve lost ALL hope in them. I’m honestly just looking for a sweep so changes(like firing Avery)can come sooner.

    And by the way, why must Avery Johnson always focus on the OTHER team’s players? And he has to be the absolute worst coach when it comes to game situations. Jeff Van Gundy anyone?

  52. By PininFarina456 on Apr 22, 2008 at 11:02:38 pm

    This game was simply appaling and sad. AJ made horrible decisions, the box score shows that itself with the number of minutes.

    What stood out to me first were the number of minutes played by the starters, but even more startling is Dirk only took 11 shots the whole game!!! Thats what I call horrible coaching! Dirk should never take less than 20 shots unless he’s totally off.

    Fire Avery now!! Trade overrated JHO, and get a shooting guard who can score and create!

  53. By jp on Apr 22, 2008 at 11:10:46 pm

    Avery is a terrible x’s and o’s coach I think in the opinion of almost anyone who actually follows basketball, but I would be interested to find out who’s behind the trend to make this team as old and slow as possible, (avery, nelson, cuban?) I can basically expect jones and stackhouse to be injured half the time and then when they do play to suck nine times out of ten, and that must of been the stupidest contract of all time to sign Dampier for the amount they did, they needed a big man but not an inconsistent, injury prone one with bad hands and a fragile ego. In reality, Dallas has too much age and baggage, and they look like they’re having a miserable time playing basketball. They need to fire avery and deconstruct the team. However, I still hope they prove me wrong, but they’ve stabbed me in the heart too many times now for me to really believe that.

  54. By ted on Apr 22, 2008 at 11:23:19 pm

    ummm jarednow1, Howard is a proven MVP???? uh unless you are talking about his days in the ACC that is absolutely ridiculous. He is a one time all star, but the way hes playing now is not anywhere close to that neighborhood.

    How you put this on Dirk is also ridiculous, like so many have said earlier he and bass are the only ones who have shown up. And dirk struggles in the past 2 years are partially on avery too.

    Anyone who watched that Miami series could tell that haslem and posey pretty much figured out how to slow down that dumbass iso offense that avery runs for dirk. Then as opposed to adjusting (avery not adjusting, weird i know) he trotted out that same stupid shit for 6 games in a row against golden state last year.

    Thats not to say its not on dirk too, but its just another of numerous ways in which avery has proven hes a terrible coach and needs to go as soon as possible.

  55. By Will on Apr 22, 2008 at 11:28:03 pm

    Avery is a joke for a coach. His substitution patterns are terrible, he refuses to play to his players strengths. We will NEVER advance with him as our head coach. Sad, because I want to like the guy, but he just isn’t Head Coach material at this point.

  56. By Spurred1 on Apr 22, 2008 at 11:30:48 pm

    Jared1-
    I don’t watch ESPN or follow them since they tend to be full of crap. Bonzi Wells was a major playoff problem for the Spurs when he was with Sacramento. Peja also has playoff experience from his days in Sacramento.
    I have no earthly idea why you think Howard is anything remotely approaching a “proven” MVP. Terry is always in the running for sixth man-so? He’s never won it-he was a very distant third or fourth this year. Manu blew everyone out of the water.
    Do you really think that ANYBODY could make Dampier better? God himself could not do that, nevermind Dirk.
    Kidd isn’t trash, but he does not fit with this team-that’s a Avery issue right there.
    I doubt the Mavs are the better team; they would seriously struggle to beat any other team in the playoffs. Howard vanishes, Dirk is less than 100% and Terry is too streaky. You cannot rely on him. Do you think the bench is any good? The Hornets are the better team and they are proving it right now.
    The Hornets actually do have a good possibility of getting beyond the second round. They’ve done very well against Phoenix, SA, and they know how to beat Utah. You are seriously undermining what this team has done. Chris Paul does make the team go, but the players do have to have some level of talent beforehand.

  57. By mrtwister on Apr 22, 2008 at 11:49:27 pm

    Should the Mavs chase Gerald Green? Quick, athletic, can finish in the lane, especially if teams are going to double Dirk.

  58. By vic wightman on Apr 22, 2008 at 11:53:48 pm

    Avery should be parking cars at AAC, not coaching the team.Everyone who bought his book should ask for a refund. Nelson has his revenge,and it is stupid to keep Donny as GM while Mark is fueding with his dad.

  59. By Dave on Apr 23, 2008 at 12:16:34 am

    When people on here say Avery is too controlling, then say nobody listens to him any more, how is that even possible?

  60. By mrtwister on Apr 23, 2008 at 12:18:49 am

    Andres Nocioni?

  61. By mrtwister on Apr 23, 2008 at 12:28:31 am

    Mickael Pietrus?

  62. By FreeDirk on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:03:11 am

    Avery’s gotta go, yes. He needs to go pay some dues as an assistant. I truly never thought it possible to see such egregious mismanagement of a roster from an NBA coach. Why the hell are we paying Tyronn Lue, when Avery is obviously determined to make Jason Terry a point guard?

    Fire him, but only on principle, because it won’t be enough to “save” this franchise (again). Mark Cuban lost Steve Nash, pushed Don Nelson away, and summarily executed the great hope this franchise once had. It’s all on him.

    lynchmarkcuban.com

  63. By FreeDirk on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:13:27 am

    JaredNow1,

    “And he just doesn’t EVER deliver in the playoffs.”

    Right. Except for that seven-game playoff stretch two seasons ago when he averaged 29 points and 15 rebounds, including a 50-point, 12-rebound performance and the series-clinching bucket against the Spurs in Game 7. I can list more great playoff performances, if you want. Just let me know.

  64. By mrtwister on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:24:05 am

    Corey Maggette (if someone will take Howard’s contract off of us). Corey’s optional salary is 1.5mill less than Howard’s next season.

    Kwame Brown’s contract this season was the same as Howard’s and only half a mill more than Terry and Damp. Has he signed for next season?

    Ricky Davis’ contract was 6.8mil this season. Don’t think he has one for next season yet.

    Kurt Thomas. 8 mill this season.

    Eddie Griffin? Stromile Swift? Nachbar? Diop? Jose Calderon? CJ Miles? Paul Millsap if Utah don’t resign him? Andray Blatche?

    Antawn Jamison will probably ask for 18mill. Cuban would spend it given all the dead wood that would be paid out at the end of this season (Bradley, Finley etc.)

    They could all run and gun and they’re young enough to develop into the type of team you want in 3, 4 or 5 years while giving more than this this year’s squad easily.

  65. By stoble on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:26:33 am

    I honestly thought the Mavs would come out and respond with a hard fought game and a victory. At least against the Warriors we fought back some. This is just embarrassing…

  66. By Mavs have no potential on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:34:19 am

    Jared, the Warriors were the better team last year. But the Heat? D-Wade and the zebras were what beat the Mavs that year, not the Heat.

  67. By If Avery's still around then I'm out of here on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:46:42 am

    This has become an absolute joke. The passion and dedication displayed by the Hornets tonight has turned a 20 year fan of the Mavs into a true believer in the kids from the Big Easy. It reminds me of the scene in Rocky 4 when the Russian crowd starts chanting “Rocky Rocky Rocky..”. They were swayed by the determination of a little man with a big heart and the same goes for me and CP3. I’ve never rooted for any other team in my life, but I simply can not watch another game involving Avery Johnson or Josh Howard. I’m done for the year. Let the Hornets sweep the Mavs and hopefully they bring the same level of play against the Spurs or Lakers or whoever else they might face in the future. The Mavs are done and so am I.

  68. By JM23 on Apr 23, 2008 at 4:01:52 am

    The Kidd trade has been terrible for Avery and the Mavs. I personally think Cuban wanted Kidd here more then anyone else, he thought this would make up for the fact that he let Nash walk…I mean think about it, Avery did bench Kidd in the closing minutes in the 4th quarter of a game earlier this season when they first acquired him (a game they lost) and If I remember correctly Mark Cuban jumped all over Avery the following day and questioned his line-up changes and coaching style. Then Avery fired back and said something along the lines of “if you think you can do a better job then YOU coach” Even the local media questioned Avery’s decision to bench Kidd. I remember hearing “Isn’t this why they brought Kidd in, for clutch moments and he’s sitting on the bench? what is Avery thinking” well ever since then Avery hasn’t benched Kidd in the closing minutes of close games infact a couple games later in another close game Avery left Kidd in for the final seconds and guess what? Dirk gets the ball and gets trapped he kicks the ball out to a WIDE OPEN J-Kidd for a corner 3 pointer (the team left him open because they know he can’t shoot) and he hesitated to shoot the ball then he tryed to jump into the defender who was charging him to get a foul…well he didn’t get the foul and he BRICKED the shot, I think he might have even hit the side of the backboard…I think Avery feels pressured to have Kidd in the game at all times even when he knows he’s hurting the team…I mean it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that J-Kidd has no shot and if you want to beat the Mavs you make KIDD beat you with jump shot, I mean opposing PG’s sag so far off of J-Kidd, they basically stand around the free-throw line daring Kidd to shoot, even when Dirk gets double teamed and kicks the ball back out to J-Kidd he ends up passing the ball to someone else, allowing the defense to recover. The Mavs paniced when they saw the other western teams making moves and acquiring veteran players. It backfired!! and yeah trading Harris was bad BUT to me the bigger picture here is when the Mavs traded Diop also. they lost all there size down low and the lane has become a drive-thru for ANYONE to enter at will…Diop at least played defense and would block/alter shots, so players knew that when they entered the paint they had to be weary of Diop, with Pampier their is no fear or intimidation, he’s weak…he’s either out of position most of the time on defense or he fouls. Once Pampier gets in foul trouble (which is like 5 minutes into the game) they have to go small and Dirk gets killed on the block (we know Dirk doesn’t want to bang down low, he’s to soft for that) Bass can’t guard anyone. Malik Allen? haha…right now Dallas’s bigs or lack there of have been making Tyson Chandler looks like a HOF player..it’s embarrassing!!!

  69. By georgia on Apr 23, 2008 at 4:54:49 am

    I noticed the “RING” too Greg…..

    What an insult to the Mavs, to wear that thing. Who is he trying to impress…himself? or just trying to hang onto a thread of ‘yester-year’ confidence?
    Sure didn’t impress me one bit…..

    I’m just sad this team is spent…I’ve never seen them sitting there looking so wore out, confused and done-in, especially Dirk.

  70. By Christian on Apr 23, 2008 at 6:04:36 am

    There was a time when I thought Avery was going to be a great coach, it seems like ten years ago. Like you said it’s obvious that he has lost this team and not just since the playoffs started. I’m tired of his excuses and him saying that we don’t need excuses, what a lame attempt to direct the attention at others.

    He has lost this team and the players have lost what it takes to win playoff games in this league, let’s not even talk about a series. The Mavs need a complete overhaul, starting with the coach going down to the players from 1-15 except for Brandon Bass.

  71. By JMM on Apr 23, 2008 at 6:28:56 am

    One of the things that seems interesting to me, and perhaps indicative of Johnson’s coaching style, is the seeming lack of involvement of the assistant coaches during the game. Has anyone ever seen Paul Westphal do or say anything during the games? How about any of the other coaches? Do you think Johnson misses Del Harris…or anyone else who will provide a counter-balance to his deficiencies?

    There’s the real problem - Johnson really is a very inexperienced and limited coach who happened to inherit a very good team and then proceeded to run it into the ground amd destroy the self-confidence of his best players (and not just Dirk).

    Sound familiar Let’s everyone say “Barry Switzer”.

  72. By Aubrey on Apr 23, 2008 at 8:38:15 am

    Avery Johnson is a control freak he doesnt give his players any freedom…he also doesnt utilize his assistant coaches like he should. I can’t even put into words how embarrassing last nights performance was..it was awful. Chris Paul owned the Mavs, their “trapping” was a joke…not once did they force Paul to pick up his dribble and he was able to easily pass it to the open man. Also, I am not sure if by avery throwing diff. defenders at him like Jones and Howard if he was trying to be like Utah with T-mac trying to wear him out…but it obviously didnt work. We will never win if we don’t play better defense and if our only offense comes from Dirk and Bass.

  73. By Elraptor on Apr 23, 2008 at 9:06:47 am

    It’s been done.

    They gotta get Avery out of there.

  74. By John on Apr 23, 2008 at 9:18:35 am

    How could anyone think that Jason “old man” Kidd is having a good series. Are you blind. JM23 is right. Avery is in a no win situation with Kidd. He can’t win with him and he gets beat up by all the people who think Kidd can play basketball if he doesn’t play him. I have never seen one player make another player look so pathetic as Paul has done to Kidd. For some reason Dirk didn’t like Harris and wanted him gone. Now we have to suffer while we become a lottery team next year. Folks we are not a very talented team anymore. That is why we are losing. The people (Cuban, Nelson, and Avery) who put this team together are to blame.

  75. By arbit on Apr 23, 2008 at 9:31:34 am

    i always think that avery johnson is not a talented coach…back from the playing days….he is a person who will try to give/extract maximum effort however without any talent…..thats’ why evene though mavs were abt to win in Miami after being 2-0, they lost. SImilar is the case with GSW last year. This coach is not able to divise new strategies..during regular season u will win games due to your effort and talent….but playoffs need strategy…which Avery doesn’t have

  76. By Vic Wightman on Apr 23, 2008 at 9:43:37 am

    They are still laughing in New,Jersey…and everywhere else for that matter. Avery looked dumbfounded on the bench last night.(more than usual) The players had no fight left in them, cause they don’t believe anymore.
    Avery is not fit to coach a tetherball game unless you need the children’s pride and confidence broken.
    Send George Jefferson back to the east side with Weezy and Florence. Let Larry Brown come in and teach this team REAL DEFENSE…instead of how to shift the blame from yourself to someone else.

  77. By WyldMavsFan on Apr 23, 2008 at 10:09:31 am

    I believe

  78. By DB on Apr 23, 2008 at 10:38:59 am

    “The Trade” has Mark Cuban written all over it. Avery has the reputation as a defensive coach and three years ago we were all happy that we finally had a coach that would implement a defensive philosophy and he did. Harris and Diop were both Avery guys. If you want to go back further, see Adrian Griffin and Greg Buckner and unfortunately Eddie Jones and Devean George. Jason Kidd does not fit with this squad. Cuban brought Kidd in and expected Avery to coach ‘em up.

    Avery is trying to play the starters more minutes and rotate the reserves but PEOPLE that bench is two-deep at best. Devin Harris and Diop gave the Mavericks the ability to play man-to-man and not have to TRY to double Chris Paul. Keep the faith!!!

  79. By T on Apr 23, 2008 at 10:39:03 am

    It is time to blow the whole thing up. The window of opportunity with the current coaching staff and players is over. Fire Avery. Make no player untradeable. It is time for a new and younger nucleus of players and a smarter coach that can adapt and change to get the best out of his players. I would be interested to see what kind of trade value if any our players have.
    If the Mavs roll out Avery and this same old broken down team they are sure to miss the playoffs next year.

  80. By mike on Apr 23, 2008 at 10:53:11 am

    Jason Kidd might be able to produce if he had the damn reins of the offense!!

  81. By T on Apr 23, 2008 at 10:53:41 am

    First player to go is Josh Howard. He is a lazy and stupid basketball player. Do the Mavs play him so much to keep his trade value up by putting up stats? Bass should be starting in his place. I can’t stand that shake and bake then throw up a crappy jump shot and then disappear completely in the second half. If anything just play him in the first half and bench him in the second.

    Maybe I posted this in the wrong spot but I don’t think http://www.tradeJoshHoward.com exists.

  82. By Aubrey on Apr 23, 2008 at 11:29:14 am

    I agree completely with u John, Kidd is worthless why u would spend that amount of money and give away up and coming players and draft picks for a thirty six year old point guard, who even in New Jersey before we got him was playing awful. The trade does have Cuban written all over it, he saw dollar signs selling jersey’s, he doesnt actually have a clue how basketball works. Kidd has been pathetic since we got him…Howard hasnt had a great game since he came. We would have been better off not making playoffs and getting a draft pick b/c all we are doing is embarrassing ourselves. And John we might as well give up trying to tell people Kidd is awful…he is a name and people that don’t know basketball go by names..thats why he gets to be an allstar every year!!!

  83. By Aubrey on Apr 23, 2008 at 11:31:19 am

    Oh and Chris Paul showed Kidd what a truely great point guard should look like…he owned Kidd and everyone else on the Mavs team!

  84. By Tareque on Apr 23, 2008 at 11:42:05 am

    As gutless as it comes….FIRE AVERY….can we fire him now? During playoff? Why not? No adjustment…on offence or on defense…whose responsibility is that? Coach Avery….fire him..NOW

  85. By blah on Apr 23, 2008 at 12:08:57 pm

    It’s past time to fire Avery. I don’t have much to ad to the comments here, but it has become painfully clear that Avery has ruined this team.

    The Kidd trade is on Cuban’s head, but that was also a disaster.

  86. By Richard on Apr 23, 2008 at 12:43:43 pm

    Do Aubrey and John not remember Devin Harris getting embarrassed by Jason Williams and Baron Davis the last two years? How do you two forget so quickly? You two are the ones who would be crying for Kidd if we missed the playoffs. There is a reason Paul is an MVP candidate. And let’s not say that this is a Cuban trade. Avery wanted this thing as bad as anyone. Please don’t think for a minute that Devin Harris would be shutting Paul down. Don’t think for a minute that they wouldn’t need to double or trap Paul if Harris was still here. And if you think the offense is stagnant now I can’t imagine if Harris was still here. Devin Harris got owned by every point guard he’s gone up against in the playoffs. Nash, Parker, Williams, Davis…there isn’t any reason to think this year would be different.

    There are so many things wrong with this team. If Damp helps out trapping Paul it isn’t Kidd’s fault no one picks up Chandler. It isn’t Kidd’s fault when Eddie Jones can’t make two wide open 3’s or a point blank layup. It isn’t Kidd’s fault that Peja got 7 wide open looks at a 3. It isn’t Kidd’s fault Stackhouse thinks he’s Magic Johnson and throws the ball away on a pass. It isn’t Kidd’s fault that he commits one turnover all game but we end up with 15.

    The Mavs can still win these two home games. I’m not willing to count them out just yet.

  87. By Aubrey on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:09:48 pm

    hmmm Harris getting embarrassed two years ago that mean it was only his what second season…Kidd getting embarrassed now a veteran whos suppose to be on of the “best” pg in basketball ya not a great comparison…

  88. By IHATEKID on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:15:39 pm

    I don’t really know if i’m against Avery or not yet I think he’s a great coach but I think Cuban just fucked him with this trade and gave him a clearly worse team than before

  89. By Greg on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:17:00 pm

    It’s time to get over the Kidd hate. No matter what the trade isn’t going to get undone. I find it amazing how Devin Harris has been made out to be this outstanding, all-NBA, future MVP point guard. What did he manage to do about getting New Jersey into the playoffs? Nothing. Harris has become incredibly overrated by everyone who didn’t like the trade.

  90. By BBALL on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:43:50 pm

    I was a BIG Avery supported. After lastnight I with you guys now. FIRE AVERY.

  91. By TAK on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:44:44 pm

    Kidd is fine…just fire Avery..

  92. By IHATEKID on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:54:25 pm

    Harris was a key part in Dallas getting to the championship and winning 67 games while he was there, and had huge games in NJ after the trade…he’s no Lebron or Chris Paul but he was a very important part of the old Dallas team and can contribute a hell of a lot more than Kidd can

  93. By CI on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:56:14 pm

    I absolutely LOVE this website!! I was ridiculed a year ago (BEFORE the Warriors series) when I was screaming “Fire Avery!!” Too many people looked at the glossy 60+ wins and said Avery was great. Now, FINALLY everyone is getting on board. FINALLY everyone is starting to see it too. Avery is nothing more than a loud-mouthed arrogant bully. Yelling at your players for 60 minutes does NOT make you a good coach. Some of you STILL have it all wrong though:

    1. Dirk is NOT the problem. The guy is a freak of nature. He is NOT a 6′5″ SG that can slash and score at will like a Kobe or LeBron. He is a 7-foot PF who scores 25+ points a night by shooting contested turnaround jumpers while being double-teamed in moronic isolation plays. The fact that he scores as much as he does just speaks to his talent level and is nothing short of a miracle. Put him on any other team that actually has a coach who knows how to run an offense, and I guarantee you Dirk scores at least 30 each game.

    2. Jason Kidd is NOT the problem. Those of you saying he is “trash” really have an embarrassing basketball IQ. Jason Kidd still does a LOT of things really well. Unfortunately, he is not being allowed to do most of those things under Avery’s control. Jason Kidd is a floor general, a shot creator, and plays well by reacting/improvising. Notice when the Mavs do run and gun (for all 2 minutes of a game that Avery allows it), they look incredible. Avery is forcing Kidd to slow down the game and basically just hand the ball off to Dirk in an iso play. That is NOT why he was brought here. He was not brought here to shoot 3-pointers. He should be at all times no better than the 4th scoring option on the floor. He is simply not being used properly.

    3. Josh Howard has become soft, and I think a lot of it has to do with him being tired of being yelled at by Avery. He is NOT the Josh of old, the REALLY good Josh. He is a shell of his former self. He rarely crashes the boards, his hustle has declined, and he mostly settles for jump shots. Unless you are a sharp-shooter like a Dirk or Peja, shooting all jump shots will not give you good numbers.

    4. Guys like Tyronn Lue and Antoine Wright are used very little, if at all. It’s mind-boggling. Both have shown to be valuable assets when they are allowed to play, yet Avery sits them for most games. Lue can still shoot, dish, and play a little defense. Plus he makes smart veteran plays. He is very savvy (both Followill and Davis even commented on that). Wright is athletic, young, and can shoot from outside. We picked them both up for specific reasons, yet we don’t even use them at all. Brilliant Avery.

    5. To the Jared1 guy- you REALLY need to learn some more about basketball buddy. Saying that the Hornets have no one besides Chris Paul is beyond ignorant. Peja is NOT their second best player. David West is. I’m sorry if you never heard of him before this year, but that just shows that you don’t follow the game that closely. West was a beast last year and the year before. Look at his numbers. He was an even more dominant force at Xavier. Writing him off is stupid. Tyson Chandler is also a really, really good player. He was a high lottery pick out of high school, and since then his game has improved every year. His talent/ability was NEVER questioned. His problems have always been injuries and a lack of motivation. Both of those have been fixed over the last two seasons and his numbers show it. He is one of the three best rebounders in the game (along with Camby and D Howard). As someone else pointed out, Bonzi Wells has for a long time been a really good scorer. He was good in Portland, Sacramento, and in Houston. His selfish attitude has been his downfall everywhere, but that still doesn’t take away from his skill set. Chandler is better than Damp, Peja is better than Jet, West is as good as if not better than Howard, and Wells is just as good as Stackhouse. Both the scouts and the numbers say so. Now tell me again how Dirk has more to work with than Chris Paul.

  94. By IHATEKID on Apr 23, 2008 at 2:12:53 pm

    I agree with all of that except #2..Kidd is @ his best when he has high fliers like Jefferson and Carter to throw it up to, which there are pretty much none of on the Mavs. The West is too tough to run and gun all the time and not sit back and play D. He doesn’t fit in and never will.

  95. By TAK on Apr 23, 2008 at 2:17:22 pm

    For most part, I agree with CI. 127 on a DEFENSIVE minded coach’s watch? No adjustment at all…totally unacceptable. He keeps telling in the post games shows that played need to stop taking jump shots..too many jump shots…what the hell? If you are the head coach and every night that’s all you got to say….that means freaking playes do notlisten to you any more. Mavs play a horrible offensive scheme…and defensively, yuck!
    I was Avery fan, I thought Nellie was not taking this team anywhere because of no defense attitude…Avery seems to be no better. Now both our offence and defense sucks.

  96. By winmavswin on Apr 23, 2008 at 2:24:45 pm

    I, too was an Avery supporter until last night. If the guys aren’t performing, sit there butts on the bench. And, if Avery would sit down and let JKidd have the freedom that Chris Paul gets, we might be better off. It certainly couldn’t hurt. I am so freaking mad !!!! I wish Dirk would demand a trade. He DESERVES a championship before he retires. There is no harder worker in the NBA. I am DEPRESSED !!! I am NOT watching the next game.

  97. By Kirk Henderson on Apr 23, 2008 at 3:55:49 pm

    I don’t know why you guys are so mad! I mean he wrote a book! ASPIRE HIGHER! Yeah, his ass is aspiring to not having a job in Dallas anymore.

    The players make the system work in the NBA, not the other way around. Ask Tex Winters and Phil Jackson… God. Avery is an egotistical maniac and he should be kicked to the curb. Then maybe some other team can be stomped into the ground. He was a great assistent, as I think he can reach players who don’t get it, but he just isn’t a good in game coach.

  98. By CT on Apr 23, 2008 at 4:41:04 pm

    I’m not sure why Avery has not match Tyronn Lue against Chris Paul? If you look at the MAVs only one person on the whole team is quick enough to stay with Paul. Plus you have 6 fouls to get into his head. Kidd is good but legs are too old. None of the starting five has quick feet. Not even Terry!

  99. By CT on Apr 23, 2008 at 4:52:34 pm

    I’m not a fan of JKidd but it’s hard to expect him to do the same as in New Jersey. He was surrounded by for athletic players(Jefferson,Carter). Look at the average age of the MAVs. Avery is stuck in the past with Stackhouse, Jones, Kidd, and Juwan Howard.

  100. By ted on Apr 23, 2008 at 5:23:04 pm

    Im tired of people complaining that now everyone thinks devin harris is an all-nba player. I dont think he was at all, but he was a very important part of this team and clearly the third best player behind dirk and josh.

    The argument that a change had to be made might be true, but at the time of the trade the mavs were struggling because devin harris was injured. Right before harris got hurt the mavs were playing some of their best basketball of the season. Maybe just a coincidence, but there has to be something to it as well.

    When Harris went down in the win over denver and then the mavs lost a few in a row, thats when the mavs made this panicked trade to get kidd. Its not that devin harris was all-nba, but the problem the mavs were having this season was when he was out. Devin was not the problem with the mavs.

  101. By mrtwister on Apr 23, 2008 at 5:42:41 pm

    SO…….should the Mavs get Gerald Green?

  102. By Richard on Apr 23, 2008 at 6:11:02 pm

    So Aubrey, what about Harris getting embarrassed last year? And why was New Jersey only 9 and 16 with him? And why did he lead New Jersey in assists only 1 time in 25 games? And why did he get embarrassed by Kidd when they played in Dallas a few weeks after the trade?

    This team is better with Kidd this year. Props to CI for knowing something about basketball.

    And whoever IHATEKIDD is does not know what he talking about.

  103. By Rishabh on Apr 23, 2008 at 6:18:02 pm

    i dont even know what the mavs are doing. they give up when they get down by ten or more. Nowitzki, Bass, Kidd are the only players who play and im not necessarily sure that Avery is the only person to blame. J-Ho thinks he is the best shooter in the league falling away to his left and right and putting up shots. JET could be could but he is inconsistent. STACK is done, stick a fork in him. DAMP needs to leave, this could be the worst possible signing ever. EDDIE JONES, DEVEAN GEORGE, JUWAN HOWARD, are all too old to play in the league as well. Why the hell is Malik Allen in the league? He cant play defense and he hardly knocks down a jump shot. We need to sign some good players in the offseason. A Corey Maggette, Elton Brand, Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas, Monta Ellis, Josh Smith, Ron Artest. I personally think, Elton Brand and Ron Artest or Jamison would be great adds if we can get rid of damp, stack, and jet. we need some younger guys

  104. By Richard on Apr 23, 2008 at 6:19:26 pm

    Typo above. I meant 15 times in 25 games. Not a great ratio considering Kidd has led the Mavs in assists every game since he got here.

  105. By T on Apr 23, 2008 at 6:26:29 pm

    Who cares about Harris? He brought a big bag of nothing when he was here.

  106. By JH on Apr 23, 2008 at 7:30:57 pm

    I think Avery is as good as gone. Cuban always lies about his true intentions, he’s proabably feeling the same thing everybody else is feeling. He just doesn’t want to badmouth anyone as long as he’s on his team.

    As for the Hornets maybe it’s because nobody followed them closely but Chris Paul’s teammates are good. West is a legit all-star, Peja is solid and Pargo is better than people think. Now there’s no doubt Paul makes them better but it’s not like Paul singelhandedly turned a bunch of d-leaguers into all-stars. They all compliment each other which is why there so good, it’s not just Paul.

  107. By Ronald on Apr 23, 2008 at 7:56:07 pm

    I agree with Greg…. Guys we all agreed that the trade for Kidd was just fishy to say the least, mainly because of all that we had to give up… But like I said earlier, Jason Kidd isn’t that big of a set back, compared to Devin Harris, that the Mavs can’t manage two successful offensive possessions to save their lives…
    Even before the Kidd trade our limits were obvious…

    Kidd is not the one limiting our offense to crappy iso plays that end up in even crappier contested jump shots… Avery is just as lame of a coach as they come and since he managed to drive Del Harris away from that bench, we can all see that he doesn’t really know what he’s doing…
    We’ve all talked about his pathetic substitution pattern so no need to go back and talk about them in detail but what it shows is that Avery is just like anybody stuck in a job for which he’s underqualified…
    Meaning: he confuses activity for productivity… he thinks that he’s coaching by pulling all those substitutions and gesticulating for hours on that sideline… ie, he hopes that by staying active it will look like he’s productive… he ends up by just confusing his own team… Just compare with successful teams like the Spurs and check minutes that their stars play in the playoffs… Some coaches even shorten their rotations to 7 or 8 players max… Then explain to me why he would sit Dirk on the bench for 6-7 minutes when the Mavs are getting run out of the gym… in the meantime who’s on the floor?? The genius line-up of “Jones, Stack, Howard, Bass and Terry”… in other words a nice dinner served on a platter for C Paul to feast on..
    We keep complaining about Howard taking all those shots… Isn’t it up to the coach to make sure he sticks to his assignments…? Do you guys see Popovich allowing Parker to take 25 jump shots and making only 4?? He would put his ass on the bench and make sure he understands what they expect from him… Josh is still the same player we’ve known for the last couple of years… it’s up to Avery to make sure he doesn’t mess up constantly…
    I’m sick and tired of Avery’s post game interviews… Where he just sits there and thinks that if he talks like a coach he’ll look like one… How many times have we heard him say something like “We took to many jumpers and nothing going to the basket”… did he actually draw a play going to the basket and the players didn’t execute?? I think the players need to come out and out him… Just be frank with your fans and tell us that he’s just as phony as they come and he doesn’t even have a single comprehensible play… The latest Avery f-up was when he called out Damp, when Nowitzki had words with West… Pretty much saying that Damp should have protected him… Except that Damp was taken out of the game about a minute before the incident happened… so he wanted Damp to come storming off the bench and jump in between them??? What more do you need to see that Avery doesn’t have a clue about what’s going on besides him saying stupid stuff like that…
    If Cuban doesn’t want to lose us all, he’ll fire him and fire him sooner rather than later…

  108. By Adil Malik on Apr 23, 2008 at 8:12:00 pm

    C’mon guys the Mavs aren’t done yet. I know it looks real bad, but New Orleans did what they were supposed to do, and that is defend their home court. I think that Avery needs to bench Malik Allen, and activate Jamal Magloire because he can create a good inside presence against Tyson Chandler. AND JASON KIDD HAS TO STEP UP BECAUSE HE HASN’T DONE ANYTHING. I think that Dallas will win the next 4 games in a row. Remember we came back from 0-2 against Houston.

  109. By Avery Jhonson on Apr 23, 2008 at 8:12:32 pm

    hey alll you haters, its hard being a pimp

  110. By mavsfan on Apr 23, 2008 at 8:13:35 pm

    TWO WORDS…..

    FIRE AVERY

  111. By cp3 has heart on Apr 23, 2008 at 8:15:15 pm

    what i saw out there is that cp3 and the hornets has more heart than than the mavs, the mavs gave up in the first quarter

    AND I HATE THE HORNETS!!!!!!!

  112. By Fred Krueger on Apr 23, 2008 at 9:24:13 pm

    What the Mavs need to do is keep Kidd and Dirk. Drop Howard to get Mike Miller from Memphis. Trade also for Maggette (Whatever it takes. Keep Barea to have a future when Lue and Kidd are gone (he’s likeable and fast). Maybe keep Damp (because he is decent and no one will take his contract) and tr to keep Bass as well. This all hinges on finding a replacement for Avery.

    Avery has already obviously got his ass out the door so make Westphal head coach and Avery assistant until Avery gets pissed and leaves. If he doesn’t keep him as an assistant, if he does then keep Westy until Del Harris agress too come back as head (which he will for more cash)

    Judging by the “little ass general’s comments he doesn’t care anymore.

    LET HIM GO NOW!

    That’s the ONLY way to make it in the playoffs.

    I believe! Go Mavs! Go Stars!

  113. By Spurred1 on Apr 24, 2008 at 12:05:45 pm

    Well, I hope those attending the Mavs games will wear their Fire Avery shirts and have some lovely Fire Avery posters to wave. Start a Fire Avery chant and MAYBE Cuban will start understanding the real depths of the fans’ wrath. If he keeps Avery, he’ll likely lose money. He needs to put his money to good use.

  114. By Tester on Apr 24, 2008 at 12:49:11 pm

    What the hell, i am truly suprised by the comment made of harris going to jersey…first of all and foremost the ball is in carters hands most of the time, while in dallas its in kidds hands, how can you compare assists in a situation like that…the move for kidd was bad all around, like everyone knows kidd only looks good with leapers and there are none in dallas…dallas never need a PG what they should have tried to get was a true low post presence…Prior to kidd playing as of Wed, Feb 13 mavs where 35-17
    so they went 16-14 of which 4-11 against .500 teams the rest of the way Great!

    Sun, Jan 27 Denver 30-13 near last game harris played so say they went 5-4 during harris absence, but they beat every team in the playoffs during that harris period expect boston…during kidds time mavs lost to every team they beat that is now in the playoffs except suns/Hornets….Now ask the question…Were the mavs a better team prior to the trade?…I would have to say yes…

    Oh dont forget, NJ was not going to make the playoffs with kidd anyway…

  115. By gw for OU on Apr 24, 2008 at 5:26:44 pm

    Avery has no clue on player substition patterns, in-game adjustments (or before game for that matter), George sucks,Allen sucks, Jones sucks, Howard is choking, we will be swept! Stackhouse is DONE, George, Allen, and Jones shouldn’t even be in this league, much less playing in the playoffs? Why not try Wright, he’s young, athletic, quick, can shoot, all things which none of these other losers can do at all. It’s the only other option we have, why the hell not?

  116. By gw for OU on Apr 24, 2008 at 5:33:40 pm

    I read a really good post from Ronald above! Avery is simply not qualified for this job. He is WAY over his head. We have huge personell issues also, but Mavs are getting outcoached. check out our playoff record last 11 playoff games!

  117. By Slikkster on Apr 24, 2008 at 9:01:08 pm

    Waah. You want to talk about a bad coach? You people deserve Isiah Thomas. The Mavs were basically an expansion team before. Give me a break. If it wasn’t for Nelson and Johnson, you people wouldn’t be crying (or expecting) more. Kidd has been bad chemistry for the team - the Mavs started slumping the moment he signed on. Fire Avery, and I bet you he would be taken by at least five other teams. So stuff it.

  118. By Visitor on Apr 25, 2008 at 1:03:21 pm

    Ok Greg,

    I’ve been thinking about posting something for a couple of days and reading Slikkster’s comments motivated me to finally take the time. Slikkster, by the way, is absolutely right.

    How can you dog your coach for wearing his NBA championship ring? The Hawks’ coach was wearing the ring he won with the Pistons! Avery only spent most of his NBA career with the Spurs, his jersey is retired in San Antonio and oh, by the way, he hit the game winning jumper in Game 5 against the Knicks that sealed the Spurs’ first Championship in 1999!! Why do you think Nellie wanted to mentor him and Cuban gave him the job? Because Avery is a proven Champion. I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that your comments about Avery’s ring were mentioned in Buck Harvey’s column in the San Antonio Express News today. Check it out at http://www.mysanantonio.com. Yes, I’m a Spurs fan. You Mavs fans just can’t stand the fact that his success was in San Antonio. You are so ignorant and immature that somehow you see Avery as a traitor for wearing his Spurs’ Championship ring. You should be proud to have a coach with that kind of experience to draw on when coaching your team.

    I also thought your comments about Avery saying in the locker room that the Mavs need to get some points in the paint, and then mentioning that the first play was a 16ft jumper by Dirk were hilarious!! Who do you think CHOSE to take that shot? It was Dirk, NOT AVERY, who made that decision. Avery doesn’t go out and play the game for the team. The players have to execute.

    Your complaints about the lineups are naive too. You can’t just run a player into the ground during a game. You have to manage their minutes so that if you have a chance to win a game in crunch time your key players still have somewhat fresh legs. It’s your bench’s responsibility to keep the team in the game, or even go on a run sometimes. You don’t lose games in the playoffs by as much as the Mavs have because Avery kept Dirk out, or had too many bench players in at one time. You lose by 15-20+ points because you only have 1-2 players producing during the game, rather than 4 or more players who’ve shown up to play.

    I’m curious, do you ever pay attention to any other teams in the NBA who’ve had success? Dude, your trouble is that you can’t remain objective about your team in spite of being a fan. Calm down. If the players don’t have enough respect for your coach, it’s not neccesarily coach’s fault. Especially in Dallas. The way Cuban runs that team is a joke and he breeds opposition in the Mavs locker room. Cuban thinks he knows better than his coach and that’s his problem. Cuban is just a fan himself and needs to keep his hands out of the pot. The Mavs’ morale is low, and a coach can say all he wants to boost his team, but if the players don’t believe it, you have no hope.

    Also, for all you Kidd haters out there: Avery didn’t want that trade. Dirk BEGGED for it. So why isn’t Dirk on the chopping block for wanting something that would elevate his game, but not work out for the good of team? Because of the trade, the Mavs now have matchup problems, and that is why you can’t beat anybody who’s good, let alone when it counts.

  119. By dhffl on May 4, 2008 at 2:40:32 pm

    cuban needs to bring harris and diop back home

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