Avery to coach the Nets

[bigfan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nba/news/story?id=5268483

[lefty]

Cool

[Fabbs]

Darn, wanted the Celts to assrape the Fakers and Phil J go to the Brooklyn Nets with Lebron and Bosh.

Oh well, Avery could do well.

[lefty]

Looks like Cuban won't be paying his paycheck anymore.
Prokhorov will force him to.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

AJ and Devin Harris. Together again!

[koriwhat]

holy shit! spurs forum! so glad this forum is strictly spurs related...

[ShoogarBear]

Well, if that doesn't sell LeBron, I don't know what will.

[Cane]

Wonder if this helps or hurts the Spurs when it comes to making potential deals with NJ.

[ManuTastic]

holy shit! spurs forum! so glad this forum is strictly spurs related...

Avery is a former Spur. Just sayin'.

[Obstructed_View]

Avery hated Devin Harris so much he followed him to the worst team in the NBA.

[DPG21920]

Harris has nothing to do with it. A high draft pick and a new owner that seems bad ass has a lot more to do with it.

[The Truth #6]

I was hoping Avery would hang in the shadows and take over once Pop retired to the vineyard.

[ChuckD]

Looks like Cuban won't be paying his paycheck anymore.

Actually, I think he was done doing that anyway. It was two years ago when he got fired.

[superbigtime]

unexpected and surprising

[ducks]

Well, if that doesn't sell LeBron, I don't know what will.

aj will not put up with the cavs bench acting like 2 year olds

[ducks]

I was hoping Avery would hang in the shadows and take over once Pop retired to the vineyard.

and he could not still do that?
pop will stick around atleast 2 more year

aj might get canned in 2 years

[Big P]

Good..glad he's on the east coast & don't have to listen to his whiny analysis anymore.

[DesignatedT]

Wonder if Avery is shopping the #3 pick. :lol

[LoneStarState'sPride]

I was hoping Avery would hang in the shadows and take over once Pop retired to the vineyard.

This has been my not-so-secret wish for a long time now. Here's hoping the timing works out! :toast

[SenorSpur]

I was hoping Avery would hang in the shadows and take over once Pop retired to the vineyard.

Uh no. Avery has about the same shelf-life as Bill Parcells. That's not to say he's not a good coach, but his mistakes in Dallas were that he listened to no one - not assistants, owner, players, - no one. He wore out his welcome with the team, staff and administration, while making everyone around him miserable.

He was the leading candidate and frontrunner for the vacant Hornets job. Does anyone wonder WHY he didn't get his DREAM job - in his DREAM city? In part, because he had his agent notify the Hornets that in addition to the head coaching duties, he also wanted to be the GM, as well. The guy has only been coaching 3 years. Of course, the Hornets politely "went in another direction", but they never said why.

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/05/avery-johnson-looking-for-two-gigs-in-new-orleans/

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/avery-johnson-may-not-be-the-hornets-man-they-keep-interviewing.php

When he interviewed with the Bulls, he informed the team that he'd schedule an interview on one condition - that he'd be the ONLY candidate they interview. Say what?

I have a lot of sentiment for him in that he helped lead the Spurs to their first title. However, that doesn't mean he's without his flaws. It's amazing that Spurs fans have not seen through the egotistical shroud around this guy. He was a napoleonic, power-hungry tryant, when he played with the Spurs and he's still a guy, whose ego is run amuck. He's obviously forgotten about the most important Pop edict - get over yourself.

Until he learn this is NOT a coaches league, there's no way I want him coaching the Spurs - at least not now.

[Gagnrath]

Uh no. Avery has about the same shelf-life as Bill Parcells. That's not to say he's not a good coach, but his mistakes in Dallas were that he listened to no one - not assistants, owner, players, - no one. He wore out his welcome with the team, staff and administration, while making everyone around him miserable.


I have a lot of sentiment for him in that he helped lead the Spurs to their first title. However, that doesn't mean he's without his flaws. It's amazing that Spurs fans have not seen through the egotistical shroud around this guy. He was a napoleonic, power-hungry tryant, when he played with the Spurs and he's still a guy, whose ego is run amuck. He's obviously forgotten about the most important Pop edict - get over yourself.

Until he learn this is NOT a coaches league, there's no way I want him coaching the Spurs - at least not now.

You don't think that a few successful years in new jersey followed by a year of things not being great and a firing won't teach him that? I pretty much do which will make him ready to step into spurs land.

[The Truth #6]

Señor Spur,

I agree he's a tyrant but I think most successful coaches are tyrants in one form or another. The people in Dallas were morons, such as Cuban and Wayne Winston. And the team was soft and benefitted from Avery IMO. For a rebuilding team I think Avery would be better than most coaches. I prefer Avery to Coach Bud.

We disagree. Oh well.

[SenorSpur]

Señor Spur,

I agree he's a tyrant but I think most successful coaches are tyrants in one form or another. The people in Dallas were morons, such as Cuban and Wayne Winston. And the team was soft and benefitted from Avery IMO. For a rebuilding team I think Avery would be better than most coaches. I prefer Avery to Coach Bud.

We disagree. Oh well.

We probably don't disagree as much as you think. I agree the Mavs have morons in their organization. However, Avery had a quality staff. He just was stubborn as an ox and resisted any suggestions from anyone - coaches, scouts, etc. For example, Del Harris is about as knowledgeable of a veteran coach as you'll find around. He'd been a long time Mavs assistant and consultant. Avery forced him out for reasons unexplained. This is the same guy that helped mentor Avery during his internship on the bench, while Nellie was sandbagging it during the 2005 season.

There is no question that Avery made an immediate impact on the Mavs, while making them tougher (especially Dirk) and holding them accountable on the defensive end. Don't get me wrong. I think he's a fabulous coach. However, I just think he's still got a lot to learn. I get the feeling from him that he postures himself as a know-it-all. Whereas Pop, on the other hand, does not - and he's been in the coaching game a helluva lot longer.

I also agree with your assessment that he'd be better served with a young team - like the Nets. He's not a good fit for a veteran team with star players. Stars will not tolerate his humiliating, hands-on approach. You see what it got P.J. Carlisemo.

[BadMotorscooter]

If Avery can turn that situation around, he's gonna write his own ticket. Their will be plenty of Spurs fans who want him but at that point he may be unobtainable. Just because Pop steps down does not mean Avery would leave the bright lights and big city of New York to take over here in San Antonio. I, personally, like Avery and his coaching style. He expects everyone to take their job seriously and holds people accountable. He'll tell ya like it is. If you look at some of the top coaches in NBA history, you'll see the not so nice guys on top alot more than not. Phil Jackson, Popovich, Pat Riley, Chuck Daly,....these are guys that arent exactly nice and have been known to be disciplinarians and expect perfection. Exactly what Avery does in his coaching approach.

[SenorSpur]

After reading this article, I rest my case:

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/nets/avery_dog_has_its_day_XSdZcDQvNqAv8C5iMK5xnJ#ixzz0 qXpZa5bR

[BadMotorscooter]

You rest your case from a New York post article and its written by Peter Vecsey? The guy is a tool. He has no respect from anyone around the league or any basketball fans.

[SenorSpur]

Vescey may indeed be a tool, but the points about Avery's shortcomings, as a coach, and the league-wide perceptions about him, as a whole, are definitely real. Vescey didn't conjure up those quotes from former assistants and staffers that worked with him. Vescey simply emphasized what I've been saying all along - that AJ a micromanaging, self-absorbed, manaical, control freak, that makes everyone around him miserable. He knows it and the most NBA insiders know it. Anyone that followed him daily, while he was coach of the Mavericks, also knows it.

That doesn't take anything away from how good of a coach Avery actually is. He's just severely flawed as a leader. We all know that on the NBA level, a big part of the head coach's responsibility is managing people, egos, and relationships. Unfortunately, AJ is very, very weak in that area. Furthermore, he's nothing like Pop and people should stop comparing him to Pop.

In the right situation and with the right, young team, he'll be successful. There is no doubt in my mind that he will improve the Nets. However, unless he figures out how to become a more effective leader and how to take a less abrasive approach, he'll likely have a very short shelf-life.

[Obstructed_View]

Peter Vescey is a bitter Knicks fan who doesn't want the Nets to be good and still stings from AJ fucking up his team in the '99 finals. Add to the fact that AJ doesn't take shit from dumbass writers and I'm struggling to find people for the list of those that didn't expect a hackjob attack piece from Vescey.

The Mavericks were losers before he got there, and they're losers now. All he did was take a first round exiting Don Nelson team and made them play on both sides of the ball for a change, and the result was one of the best runs in NBA history before the players who were tired of playing defense cried to the owner who loves to meddle with personnel, all in the city that loves to point fingers when they fail. Some people on this board predicted exactly how the relationship was going to end when Johnson was hired.

[Obstructed_View]

Harris has nothing to do with it. A high draft pick and a new owner that seems bad ass has a lot more to do with it.

But AJ hated Harris so much he fucked up the team by trading for Jason Kidd.