ducks
06-19-2007, 01:42 PM
By RANDY GALLOWAY
Star-Telegram staff writer
Six weeks later, six weeks after Golden State totally tarnished and tarred the Mavericks' golden season, Avery Johnson was sounding upbeat and positive on Friday.
I wasn't sure exactly why, particularly when recalling a July-a-year-ago visit with Avery, which was a month and a half after his team's other historic collapse, the Miami meltdown.
At that time, Avery still looked and sounded like a guy who shouldn't be allowed to handle any sharp objects.
So what's the difference between that horrific ending and this one?
"Enlightenment and confirmation, plus certainly a continuing educational process for the coach," Avery said.
And with the San Antonio Spurs having won another NBA title the night before, Avery did Friday what he always does -- he also verbally dug up his Bexar County basketball roots. His Coach Pop roots.
Admittedly, what happened to the Mavs a year ago in the NBA Finals caught Johnson by surprise. And not that he didn't expect to beat Nellie's Renegades in the first round this time, but...
"What happened confirmed a lot of worries I had about our team going back to early March," Avery said. "I know the media, and maybe a lot of fans, heard me talk about those concerns, and thought I was blowing coaching smoke.
"But it was happening. We, as a coaching staff, could see it happening. See the slippage in mentality, and see it showing up on the floor. I take full blame for that. I don't put it on the players."
Why?
"Because I couldn't find a way to snap us out of it. Finding a way is my responsibility. The coach discovered again that he still has things to learn about this business."
That learning process for Johnson usually always involves Gregg Popovich, the man he once played for in San Antonio, and the man he now has to beat if the West is to be won again.
"The Spurs, unless we can get Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and some of those other players out of there, are always the team to beat," said Johnson, laughing. "I told everyone that in March, when we were being called the favorite.
"When you've done it as many times as they've done it, it's because they know how to win a championship, and keep winning championships. In this business, that's always the team to fear. The team that knows how, and has the right combination of people, is always the favorite."
With a 67-win regular-season club that went home early, Avery talked like, but didn't necessarily confirm, that he might be altering his hard-driving coaching ways. Because that's not the Pop way.
"Pop's team has a knack for kicking it in about March 15 every year," he said. "Forget what you saw in January, always watch the Spurs around mid-March.
"When I was his point guard, Pop used to drive me crazy because he didn't seem to be concerned we weren't playing well in December or January. I'd get angry with him because he wasn't angry enough.
"I even told him once that our training camps weren't tough enough. But Pop knows how to peak a good team. The regular-season record is not a priority with him. He just pushes the right buttons month by month."
Whatever changes Avery makes for next season in coaching style (and Pop is his role model), he quickly downplayed Friday the talk of major personnel moves for the team.
Six weeks ago, maybe his mentality was different. Those were tough times immediately after the Golden State embarrassment. Even for those of us who still think the Mavericks need a major trade jolt, Avery's answer now is, "Think about it. Think about what makes sense in terms of what we can actually do."
"We have a good club, but we've got to tweak it, we've got to mix in some different components," he said. "I know we must have talent because I'm answering the phone every day with calls from other teams inquiring about trades."
Point guards, I would imagine, are being offered, but Avery didn't sound like he was interested. Instead, he praised, yes, Devin Harris.
"Devin makes the most sense at the position," he said. "He gives us our best chance. I think he's ready, and it's our job to make him ready."
Connecting the dots, you would think, if Avery is actually going with Harris full time at the point, then Jason Terry is on the trading block, which wouldn't be a surprise. But Harris had a tendency to look over his shoulder last season after a mistake, waiting to see if Terry would be taking over at the point.
Also flash back to the Spurs again, and recall that Pop once nearly gave up on a seemingly timid Tony Parker, and that was just four years ago.
Harris, with quickness like Parker, has no consistent perimeter shot, which was once the knock on Tony. But Pop force-fed Parker, and now...
In the recovery process from the Golden State disgrace, Avery seems to be digging up some strong roots from down south. And that's not exactly a bad place to dig.
Randy Galloway's Galloway & Co. can be heard weekdays 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/story/140077.html
Star-Telegram staff writer
Six weeks later, six weeks after Golden State totally tarnished and tarred the Mavericks' golden season, Avery Johnson was sounding upbeat and positive on Friday.
I wasn't sure exactly why, particularly when recalling a July-a-year-ago visit with Avery, which was a month and a half after his team's other historic collapse, the Miami meltdown.
At that time, Avery still looked and sounded like a guy who shouldn't be allowed to handle any sharp objects.
So what's the difference between that horrific ending and this one?
"Enlightenment and confirmation, plus certainly a continuing educational process for the coach," Avery said.
And with the San Antonio Spurs having won another NBA title the night before, Avery did Friday what he always does -- he also verbally dug up his Bexar County basketball roots. His Coach Pop roots.
Admittedly, what happened to the Mavs a year ago in the NBA Finals caught Johnson by surprise. And not that he didn't expect to beat Nellie's Renegades in the first round this time, but...
"What happened confirmed a lot of worries I had about our team going back to early March," Avery said. "I know the media, and maybe a lot of fans, heard me talk about those concerns, and thought I was blowing coaching smoke.
"But it was happening. We, as a coaching staff, could see it happening. See the slippage in mentality, and see it showing up on the floor. I take full blame for that. I don't put it on the players."
Why?
"Because I couldn't find a way to snap us out of it. Finding a way is my responsibility. The coach discovered again that he still has things to learn about this business."
That learning process for Johnson usually always involves Gregg Popovich, the man he once played for in San Antonio, and the man he now has to beat if the West is to be won again.
"The Spurs, unless we can get Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and some of those other players out of there, are always the team to beat," said Johnson, laughing. "I told everyone that in March, when we were being called the favorite.
"When you've done it as many times as they've done it, it's because they know how to win a championship, and keep winning championships. In this business, that's always the team to fear. The team that knows how, and has the right combination of people, is always the favorite."
With a 67-win regular-season club that went home early, Avery talked like, but didn't necessarily confirm, that he might be altering his hard-driving coaching ways. Because that's not the Pop way.
"Pop's team has a knack for kicking it in about March 15 every year," he said. "Forget what you saw in January, always watch the Spurs around mid-March.
"When I was his point guard, Pop used to drive me crazy because he didn't seem to be concerned we weren't playing well in December or January. I'd get angry with him because he wasn't angry enough.
"I even told him once that our training camps weren't tough enough. But Pop knows how to peak a good team. The regular-season record is not a priority with him. He just pushes the right buttons month by month."
Whatever changes Avery makes for next season in coaching style (and Pop is his role model), he quickly downplayed Friday the talk of major personnel moves for the team.
Six weeks ago, maybe his mentality was different. Those were tough times immediately after the Golden State embarrassment. Even for those of us who still think the Mavericks need a major trade jolt, Avery's answer now is, "Think about it. Think about what makes sense in terms of what we can actually do."
"We have a good club, but we've got to tweak it, we've got to mix in some different components," he said. "I know we must have talent because I'm answering the phone every day with calls from other teams inquiring about trades."
Point guards, I would imagine, are being offered, but Avery didn't sound like he was interested. Instead, he praised, yes, Devin Harris.
"Devin makes the most sense at the position," he said. "He gives us our best chance. I think he's ready, and it's our job to make him ready."
Connecting the dots, you would think, if Avery is actually going with Harris full time at the point, then Jason Terry is on the trading block, which wouldn't be a surprise. But Harris had a tendency to look over his shoulder last season after a mistake, waiting to see if Terry would be taking over at the point.
Also flash back to the Spurs again, and recall that Pop once nearly gave up on a seemingly timid Tony Parker, and that was just four years ago.
Harris, with quickness like Parker, has no consistent perimeter shot, which was once the knock on Tony. But Pop force-fed Parker, and now...
In the recovery process from the Golden State disgrace, Avery seems to be digging up some strong roots from down south. And that's not exactly a bad place to dig.
Randy Galloway's Galloway & Co. can be heard weekdays 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/story/140077.html