crgassoc
10-12-2006, 02:26 PM
By ART GARCIA
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Avery Johnson is committed to delivering the Mavericks their first NBA championship. Mark Cuban is committed to Avery Johnson.
Four months after being on the verge of that first title, the Mavs coach and billionaire owner agreed on a new five-year contract worth $20 million. The agreement ends an off-season of negotiations that sometimes turned touchy, but ultimately proved fruitful for both parties.
“This is just another sign that Mark and I are committed to work with each other,” Johnson told the Star-Telegram on Thursday afternoon. “We have laid the foundation of where we want to go. We haven’t gotten there yet, but we’re both committed to do whatever it takes, however long it takes, to get there.”
Johnson’s deal is now in line with many of his successful peers around the NBA. Cuban has arguably the league’s top young coach locked up through 2010-11, which coincides with Dirk Nowitzki’s extended contract and the Mavs’ likely championship window.
Johnson’s first contract averaged $2.5 million over four years, ranking him in the bottom third of league coaches. That contract was appropriate for a rookie coach.
Guiding the Mavs within two wins of the championship led to the renegotiations. The team’s success also reaffirmed Cuban’s decision to go with Johnson after Don Nelson resigned with 18 games left in the 2004-05 season.
Johnson, 41, led the Mavs to a 60-22 record last season, tying the best mark in team history, and earned NBA Coach of the Year honors. Johnson bolstered his stock even more with the team’s remarkable run through the Western Conference playoffs.
Perhaps the biggest win since the birth of the franchise came in Game 7 of the conference semifinals when the Mavs beat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on the road in overtime. That was followed by a six-game triumph over two-time MVP Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns to earn a Finals trip.
The Mavs beat Miami in the first two games of the championship series and led by 13 with six minutes left in Game 3 before Dwyane Wade led an improbable comeback that culminated with the Heat winning four straight.
The disappointment of falling short has fueled Johnson and the rest of the retooled Mavs going into this season. The team is recognized as the one of the favorites in the West.
“Any individual reward that I receive is a product of the players’ commitment to our vision, their commitment to defense and being unselfish on offense,” Johnson said. “That’s the reason I’m in the position I’m in.”
There were contentious feelings in Johnson’s camp earlier this summer when talks to renegotiate his contract hit a snag. Johnson and Cuban hammered out the new contract together.
It’s been a busy and expensive off-season for Cuban. He’s committed nearly $120 million to new deals for Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry
Negotiations are ongoing on a contract extension for fourth-year forward Josh Howard, though those discussions may be tabled until after the season.
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Avery Johnson is committed to delivering the Mavericks their first NBA championship. Mark Cuban is committed to Avery Johnson.
Four months after being on the verge of that first title, the Mavs coach and billionaire owner agreed on a new five-year contract worth $20 million. The agreement ends an off-season of negotiations that sometimes turned touchy, but ultimately proved fruitful for both parties.
“This is just another sign that Mark and I are committed to work with each other,” Johnson told the Star-Telegram on Thursday afternoon. “We have laid the foundation of where we want to go. We haven’t gotten there yet, but we’re both committed to do whatever it takes, however long it takes, to get there.”
Johnson’s deal is now in line with many of his successful peers around the NBA. Cuban has arguably the league’s top young coach locked up through 2010-11, which coincides with Dirk Nowitzki’s extended contract and the Mavs’ likely championship window.
Johnson’s first contract averaged $2.5 million over four years, ranking him in the bottom third of league coaches. That contract was appropriate for a rookie coach.
Guiding the Mavs within two wins of the championship led to the renegotiations. The team’s success also reaffirmed Cuban’s decision to go with Johnson after Don Nelson resigned with 18 games left in the 2004-05 season.
Johnson, 41, led the Mavs to a 60-22 record last season, tying the best mark in team history, and earned NBA Coach of the Year honors. Johnson bolstered his stock even more with the team’s remarkable run through the Western Conference playoffs.
Perhaps the biggest win since the birth of the franchise came in Game 7 of the conference semifinals when the Mavs beat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on the road in overtime. That was followed by a six-game triumph over two-time MVP Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns to earn a Finals trip.
The Mavs beat Miami in the first two games of the championship series and led by 13 with six minutes left in Game 3 before Dwyane Wade led an improbable comeback that culminated with the Heat winning four straight.
The disappointment of falling short has fueled Johnson and the rest of the retooled Mavs going into this season. The team is recognized as the one of the favorites in the West.
“Any individual reward that I receive is a product of the players’ commitment to our vision, their commitment to defense and being unselfish on offense,” Johnson said. “That’s the reason I’m in the position I’m in.”
There were contentious feelings in Johnson’s camp earlier this summer when talks to renegotiate his contract hit a snag. Johnson and Cuban hammered out the new contract together.
It’s been a busy and expensive off-season for Cuban. He’s committed nearly $120 million to new deals for Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry
Negotiations are ongoing on a contract extension for fourth-year forward Josh Howard, though those discussions may be tabled until after the season.