Wednesday Cleanup

April 23rd, 2008 Posted in Avery Johnson

Avery finally took responsibility for this mess today, too bad it’s in such a sarcastic tone.

“I take full responsibility about everything,” Avery said. “And that’s my job. But at the same time, we have a game plan. We’ve got to have a high level of concentration, and we have to have a high level of physicality, which I haven’t seen yet. We’ll get there. We’ll keep prodding them and cheering them on and challenging and doing all that we do to try to get the team ready to play.”

“It all starts with me,” Avery said. “Whenever something goes wrong with the team – if we’re not making free throws, if we’re not making layups, if we’re not defending – it’s not the players. It’s me.”

So he says he takes responsibility then in the next sentence basically says it’s the players fault. Nice. The sarcastic part is the second quote, about how it’s his responsibility that the guys are missing free throws and layups. It just makes it seem like the only reason he accepted any responsibility at all is because of the reaction of everyone that he always blames it on the players. Just a bad way to handle the situation.

Jean-Jacques Taylor has another good article today about Avery being on the hot seat.

If the Mavericks lose this series to New Orleans – and they’re well on their way to doing so – Mark Cuban must decide whether Avery Johnson can lead his team to a championship.

A few months ago, the question would’ve been laughable. These days, it’s legitimate.

After New Orleans spent the final few minutes Tuesday of a 127-103 win clowning the Mavs and attempting dunks usually reserved for practice, Cuban must wonder whether the players still respond to Avery.

Byron Scott is openly mocking the Mavericks lack of defense.

“They could put an extra defender out there, but I don’t know if they will allow that. The way that we played tonight and the way that CP was able to navigate his way through the defense and then find open guys…and Peja, Mo, and David and all of those guys were making shots. It makes it tough (on a defense).”

We all know that Avery’s substitutions leave a lot to be desired. Some of the decisions look like he’s throwing crap against the wall and just trying to find something that sticks. If you look at the game flow from last night you’ll see just how many lineups Avery threw out there. For the entire game the Hornets made 14 lineup changes with only 6 in the second half. The Mavericks made 22 changes total, 10 in the second half. It would be nice if he could find a lineup to use and let the guys get into a bit of a flow.

So if the Mavericks get swept and the Rangers lose 4 of their next 5 or so, they are off on Monday, what are the odds they both get fired on Monday?


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  1. 32 Responses to “Wednesday Cleanup”

  2. By mrtwister on Apr 23, 2008 at 6:42:45 pm

    Sounds like someone’s feeling the heat!

  3. By mrtwister on Apr 23, 2008 at 7:04:15 pm

    It’s funny looking at the Game Flow from the last game and comparing it to the last game of the regular season. In the latter, there are 2 BIG gains, one in the 3rd and one in the 4th

    http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20080416&game=NORDAL

    and the lineup for both those runs is Dirk, Kidd, Terry, Howard and Bass. Then go to the last game and see if you can find that combination on the court.

    I’ll give you a clue (look very carefully at the last half of the second quarter).

    Crazy times.

  4. By Dave B on Apr 23, 2008 at 7:47:38 pm

    Well, he’s just completely oblivious at this point. His success in past years is blinding him from his huge mistakes this series and last years’ series, and nothing will change. I would love to see Dirk get a better supporting cast, but at the same time, I wouldn’t mind Dirk being traded to a different team.

  5. By Dave B on Apr 23, 2008 at 7:57:22 pm

    I’d also like to point out the lack of intensity on Dallas’ part. How hard is it to show some emotion? To dive for a ball? Get a little excited after a big dunk? I can’t even remember the bench standing up the whole game.

  6. By chazy on Apr 23, 2008 at 9:10:56 pm

    As a Spurs fan I have to say hahaha.The Mavericks run to the finals 2 years back was a fluke.Dirk has no heart, Avery is and always was an idiot, even when he was a Spur,and Dallas fans better just get ready for another disapointing playoff run by the Cowboys.Get Cuban’s ego in check,bring in some defensive players to help Dirk,and get rid of the other big mouth on the team. Good luck see yall next year.

  7. By Fred Krueger on Apr 23, 2008 at 9:12:01 pm

    Avery is already gone. I read that link posted on the one post about him and Galloway and he’s already gone. He will leave either way next season so no sweat.

    I think anyone saying that we need to trade everyone is wrong too. Look at Harris now. Out from under Avery he is averaging great numbers. I think some of the oldies need to go, but after Avery is gone the talent will shine again. I do believe though he did need to go though.

    Also, that bogus quote that Stack gave is crazy about the Hornets playing like they do and us not advancing. Give me a break. He SHOULD be benched the rest of the season. If I were Dirk I’d kill him.

    Go Mavs!

    Fire Avery!

  8. By Jose Galindo on Apr 23, 2008 at 9:26:44 pm

    Just a tidbit you may enjoy….no bs….A buddy of mine was out and about one night in addison, shortly after( about a week) after the mavs meltdown in the finals. He told me J-ho was there, smiling, conversating, acting diva-ish, and acting like he was just so proud to have played in the finals, as if his play deserved that kind of treatment. My buddy said some of the women who were with him just rolled their eyes when he talked about it.

    Also, many people aren’t aware that when the mavs were in miami, many top players (including j-ho) were out way past curfew and into so much partying and late-night action, avery actually made them move to another hotel. Looks like another one of his famous substitutions…..

    Go to this website…..drunkathlete.com
    click on mavs pics….the first is an infamous one from j-ho in miami….looks like he’s paying more attention to the “twins” then to avery johnson during timeouts on the bench…..

  9. By Kyle on Apr 23, 2008 at 9:35:06 pm

    how about avery go and make those missed free-throws,layups and “freaking what he knows best—-defense” for our sick and tired mavs?????????????????????????he needs to STFU and GET FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  10. By MFFL on Apr 23, 2008 at 11:41:01 pm

    he can feel that “you’re fired” speech coming on…he’s sweating and not even knowing what he is saying. He needs to resign. He shouldn’t wait to get fired, and then maybe the Knicks will take him on. I am so tired of watching him.
    And, can ANYONE besides Dirk play consistently in this Mavs team? I’m actually sad for Dirk, because he doesn’t deserve this.
    J-Ho needs to GO! He is overrated and even during his best games, NEVER played good bball for more than 2 quarters. Never!
    Stackhouse would be coming off the bench if he was in any other team, but Avery has some attachment to him and is not willing to let him go.
    And back to Avery’s comment. He failed to mention that the MAIN reason the mavs lost was not so much they were not scoring, granted that was a problem, but because they could NOT stop CP3. He has no clue what to do with Paul.
    Watch the Spurs school the Hornets next round and make it look easy, and make Chris Paul nothing but another play..Just watch..they did that to Lebron last year, and they’ll repeat.
    It is becoming embarrassing to be a Mavs fan!

  11. By Mavs have no potential on Apr 23, 2008 at 11:52:17 pm

    Spurs will shut CP3 down cuz they actually got post ppl that protect the paint so the perimeter defenders can play super aggressive. And anybody going to games 3 & 4, start a “FI-RE AVE-RY!” chant!! That would be the story of the entire NBA playoffs! And it’d be extremely entertaining.

  12. By Dave B on Apr 24, 2008 at 1:48:21 am

    Oh please let there be “Fire Avery” chants. It’s one thing I’m looking forward to for the next two games.

  13. By Mark on Apr 24, 2008 at 2:47:21 am

    He did the whole “my fault when the players aren’t making their free throws” thing last year too, but at least he waited until the team was out of the playoffs.
    No learning effect whatsoever and he needs to be fired.

  14. By Herbie on Apr 24, 2008 at 5:45:41 am

    Sounds like Avery is making fun of the media and his own players with his sarcastic comments, it’s really pathetic.

    No , Avery, it’s not your fault when players miss free throws or layups. Too bad that you just tried to hide you REAL mistakes (and there are many of them) behind such a foolish assertion.

    It’s your fault not utilizing Kidd the right way!
    It’s your fault we play stupid Isos instead of team basketball!
    It’s your fault that a running team is not allowed to play like a running team!
    It’s your fault players like Dirk and Kidd or Damp sit WAY too long in stretches where we need them desperately (it’s the playoffs, fool!)!
    It’s your fault that we have lineups on the court together that sound like an old men’s NBDL lottery team!
    It’s your fault that Josh Howard doesn’t go to work for weeks now (any motivational tools, ave?)!
    It’s your fault that we have no clou how to stop C3PO, or at least the other b-level hornets who killed us lately.
    And it finally will be your fault when a great player like Dirk will leave the stage without the ring.

    So Avery, it’s really not the free throws (as this is what the Mavericks do best, without your help, fool!)…

  15. By Frank on Apr 24, 2008 at 8:07:09 am

    Is it possible that Avery has gotten the least out of his players? Is it reasonable to speculate that some other coach (not necessarily Nelson) would have the Mavs winning the Finals against Miami AND have taken the 67 win Mavs to a second consecutive NBA title?

  16. By WyldMavsFan on Apr 24, 2008 at 9:50:53 am

    Avery sucks, we all know that, and we are down 0-2 but I still think we can turn this around and diehard fans should never count us out (Houston series).

    We need to focus on the next game and what we can do to win, not how many things Avery screwed up in the 1st 2 games (which was a lot) but in what we can do to for game 3.

    I think the best way to guard CP3 is to turn him into a scorer. Don’t let him get his teammates involved and that means, no switching on pick and rolls, whoever is guarding Peja never leaves him. When Kidd is guarding CP3 he should slide under the screen and if everyone else is right no there man, CP3 will either shoot the open jumper (which is way better than what he is doing) or he drives on Kidd and I think Kidd can handle that.

    The mavs let Steve Nash put up 50pts on us in playoffs b/c we didn’t no one else left their man and we turned Nash until a scorer and not a passer, and we won the game.

    you can’t CP3 down completely, it’s not going to happen, the best plan is to limit the times he gets his teammates involved.

    Thoughts?

  17. By CT on Apr 24, 2008 at 11:37:09 am

    Turning CP3 into a scorer is the wrong thing to do. He is already a scorer 30+. He passes at will! He is scoring at will! MAVs moving like a bunch of old men! We need an active body on CP3. I would cut JKidd minutes in this series and bring in T.Lue. Yes I agree JKidd is better player but is ineffective against CP3. He is not hitting outside shots so CP3 don’t have to play defense on him or he can double-down on other player. T.Lue is a better shooter and he is the fastest defending player we have on the bench. And also for the record Steve Nash hit 48! We won that game but lost the series 04-05. Nash averaged 31 PG

  18. By WyldMavsFan on Apr 24, 2008 at 11:58:22 am

    Nice work there CT you figured it out. Our prayers are answered. T Lue is going to win the series for us b/c he is going shut down the best PG in the game. The guy nobody wanted, who was released by whatever crappy team he was playing for is going to come into the game and be the game changer. T lue is old and slow

    I know we lost the series against PHX, that was the only game we tried that strategy. It’s about not letting his team get involved. Would you rather have CP3 have 30pts and 4 asssits, or 20pts and 15 assists and those assists give his teammates the confidence that this team needs.

  19. By FreeDirk on Apr 24, 2008 at 12:22:18 pm

    Avery probably needs to be fired, okay? Fine. Whatever. I’m so sick of hearing about it I could puke.

    If that is truly the case – that Avery’s “over-coaching” drags this team down – then I’d like to see a different response than what our players have shown so far.

    Having a crappy coach is no excuse for playing with no pride whatsoever. These guys are supposed to be men. Men don’t blame pansy-a$$ performances on anyone but themselves. I almost won’t be satisfied with tomorrow’s game unless someone from the NO squad leaves with a bloody face.

  20. By CT on Apr 24, 2008 at 12:39:30 pm

    Ok WyldMavsFan I’m not saying T.Lue is the complete answer to the problem of CP3. Who is now injured as of yesterday! Take a look at the roster! Who can defend him? I would have suggested Barea but he is not a good shooter. So far we have try Kidd, Terry, Jones, George all too slow! We have coach problems but we also have match up problems. I don’t see anyone on the roster that can stop CP3 for get 40/20 if he wants. The MAVs struggle against athletic teams. We don’t have an athletic team like 2 -3 years ago. We have a bunch of aging good player but mostly ok players. Kidd best playoff showing was I believe 01-02 and 03-04. But all other playoff showing the team struggled to Kidd offense. I would take 18 – 20 pts from Kidd and 7 – 10 assist then the CP3 would have to play defense instead of resting on defense. CP3 is only playing on one side of the court. Realistically they should have won 04-05, 05-06, and 06-07. But now the West has gotten much better. We window is gone!

  21. By FreeDirk on Apr 24, 2008 at 12:44:41 pm

    The only PG in this league that can come close to slowing down CP3 is Deron Williams. Proven fact.

    It’s the other guys that are killing us. Check that: It’s our inability to guard ANYONE with any degree of pride or competence that is killing us.

  22. By JParas on Apr 24, 2008 at 1:01:35 pm

    i agree with WyldMavsFan. Kidd should guard paul. Stop trapping him on the perimeter. it is doing no good. paul is too quick. Kidd should D up on paul one on one. Hell even if paul score 40+ at least he will not be dishing 18!!! do the math. 32+(18*2)= Mavs loss. We are making West and Chandler look better then they actually are. I think that kidd is an underrated defender (before the season over he D up on D. Williams, Nash and Paul, all wins). Paul is 6′0″ with shoes on, 175 pounds. Kidd is 6′4″, 210!!! thats +4″ and +35 pounds…another thing, POST Kidd on the offensive end. make paul play D, wear him out(use that +35 pounds)…And please could someone from the bench (George, E. Jones, Maglore, etc.) put paul on the floor?..We need someone to PLAYOFF Foul paul every time he drives the hole…That is what NO are doing to Dirk…when NO advances you will see SA/PHX put a hurt on paul the first game…Then we will start seeing the paul’s 1st time playoff jitters!!!

  23. By CT on Apr 24, 2008 at 1:03:41 pm

    The MAVs are playing like a bunch of wussies with no PRIDE. I agree that Avery is not a good coach. But I also see MAVs is in love with jump shoots and fade shoots. Everyone see it but them.

  24. By CT on Apr 24, 2008 at 1:08:34 pm

    I guess I’m from the old school! Playoffs NO LAY-UP rule in effect!

  25. By Julian on Apr 24, 2008 at 1:20:43 pm

    Does anybody really think we can slow down Chris Paul. This is Dwayne Wade and Baron Davis all over again. When the bright lights are on star players torch us in every way possible. Good defense can’t slow CP3 at this point. When these quality players get into a zone there is no way to stop them. If we played the Lakers there is not doubt in my mind Kobe would average 50 points a game. Nobody is afraid to play the Mavs…we are way too soft.

  26. By MFFL on Apr 24, 2008 at 1:52:18 pm

    I really believe we can win the series, but to do that, we might have to borrow Pops from the spurs for the remainder of the series.
    And I do agree with a lot of the comments here. Yes, the players are to blame also, but what good would it do to get stops when you can’t make any shots? Have you ever seen so many iso plays on any other team? I’m talking about even Cleveland here, with a player that can take down anyone, even they don’t do it as much.
    If you go down the list of the Hornets team, the only real advantage they have is at the point guard position, that’s it! So in effect, we’re being killed by one player. Dirk >>>> West; Dampier/Bass > Chandler;…
    and all the other players, if we’re not better than them, we’re at least at the same level. So, WHY, are we losing by so much?
    J-Ho has the greatest advantage of all of them, and so instead watching his pal whoop his team, he should be returning the favor. But obviously, something is wrong with him. Don’t get me started with the others!
    Anyhow, Avery needs to demand that his players play to their potential, instead of sitting out there and rotating every player on the roaster.

  27. By PininFarina456 on Apr 24, 2008 at 1:53:07 pm

    Avery should just SHUT UP and resign, enough is enough!

    After that get rid of all the old foagies and give Dirk some playmakers.

  28. By FreeDirk on Apr 24, 2008 at 1:54:17 pm

    Julian,

    Couldn’t agree more. Forget about slowing CP3. Forget about Avery’s deficiencies. Hell, forget about strategy altogether at this point.

    Can we please just go out and play with some pride and hunger? That’s all I’m asking for at this point. If we lose, I won’t be surprised, nor will I mind, as long as we don’t make ourselves look like the playoff b*tch of the NBA.

  29. By Nostradamus on Apr 24, 2008 at 2:19:58 pm

    Here’s what will happen on Friday –

    – Dirk will put up 30 and 12
    – Kidd will put up 14/10/8
    – Mavericks will lose
    – Avery will explain how “some of our players must play with greater urgency and heart” and will acknowledge that he is “still responsible for everything; if the team bus breaks down, it’s my accountability”
    – Cuban will lay a turd
    – we’ll all comment about Avery’s juvenile offense and his inability to influence these players.

    I have spoken.

  30. By speak ez on Apr 24, 2008 at 2:33:12 pm

    Avery is responsible. If the lights go out at the AAC, he’s responsible. If an intenstinal virus strikes Dirk in the lower bowel, he’s responsible. If his offense stinks, his players show no passion and other coaches kick his ass…well, not so much.

  31. By rumblin on Apr 24, 2008 at 2:38:35 pm

    i have gas. and avery is responsible.

  32. By Dwande Langston on Apr 24, 2008 at 2:44:05 pm

    avery is a coach who should be fired from his team. Though he makes bad decisions, it doesn’t seem like Cuban cares though. Sometimes I see good players staying on the bench too long and it is the coach Avery that makes these decisions while letting players like Juwan get into the game when they shouldn’t even be on the team and they take time away from guys who can shoot and pass but spend too much time on the bench as we fall way behind meanwhile Dirk is getting a 7 minute break when he could be on the floor scoring 50 points and grabbing 15 rebounds but Juwan is in the game.

  33. By Ronald on Apr 24, 2008 at 9:39:48 pm

    To Mr. Nostradamus above:
    First of thanks for coming back to life…
    Secondly, could you also tell me what my future will be like because I can tell you’re really good…
    It hasn’t happened yet but I am already working on my part… (i.e. your last point)