Monroe: Instant Analysis (Avery's Firing)

[duncan228]

I put this here because it's Monroe and because of the Avery connection. Please move if it belongs in the NBA Forum.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA.050108.SPORTs_BKNinstantanalysis.EN.3b66446.h tml

Pro basketball: Instant Analysis
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer

Express-News NBA writer Mike Monroe takes a look at what's next, now that the Mavericks have fired Avery Johnson as head coach:

This seems like a no-brainer: When Suns owner Robert Sarver and general manager Steve Kerr shove Mike D'Antoni out the door of the head coach's office at US Airways Center — this is a matter of when and how, not if — they should have Avery Johnson waiting in the wings to replace him.

If Sarver and Kerr want more defense and discipline than they believe D'Antoni demanded, there is no better candidate than the Little General. And Kerr's former Spurs teammate is suddenly very available.

Johnson was fired Wednesday because Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believed he failed to adapt his system to accommodate a player Cuban went out on a limb to acquire.

Jason Kidd didn't get to orchestrate a free-flowing attack in Dallas. He got stuck on the weak side of Johnson's isolation offense, mostly a spot-up shooter.

There was an element of scapegoating in the firing. If trading Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop and draft picks for Kidd was foolish, isn't it easier for Cuban to blame Johnson for failing to properly use him?

Cuban hired Johnson because he wanted his own version of Gregg Popovich, a defensive-minded disciplinarian who would demand accountability from everyone in the basketball operation.

Johnson succeeded, beyond even Cuban's expectations. He changed the competitive culture in Dallas in less than half a season.

If not for some questionable calls in Miami in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2006 Finals, Johnson would have given Cuban his very own Larry O'Brien Trophy.

But the seeds of Johnson's dismissal were sown in the aftermath of that crushing loss. The coach overreacted and moved his team from South Beach to Fort Lauderdale and made the players share rooms. If the Little General ultimately lost a large share of support from his troops, that was the first straw.

This, too, is a no-brainer: There never has been clearer proof that every coach is hired to be fired than what happened to Johnson and what soon will happen to D'Antoni. Combined, they won 74.3 percent of their regular-season games in full seasons on the bench.

That wasn't good enough, and that's a shame.

Now, if Cuban wants Kidd in a free-flowing offense, the league's No. 1 advocate of fast pace is about to be available.

[T Park]

Bleeping Monroe

STFU!!!

[m33p0]

its a merry-go-round.

Cuban: Swap you my defensive-minded coach for your offensive-minded coach.
Kerr: Deal!

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I don't think it's the no-brainer Monroe makes it seem for them to swap places. Would Dallas really want a return to the zero D, Nellie ball days that got them nowhere in the postseason?

As for AJ in Phoenix, he would bring defensive mindedness. He's also bring in a control freak mentality. Would a two time MVP really want to listen to overbearing mentoring from AJ? And just how accountable can he make Shaq when teams throw 20 pick and rolls at Shaq every game and O'Neal does what he's done for years now (namely, nothing)? For a guy who goes to the media as quick as Shaq does it could get real ugly real quick. It'd be a high risk move but Kerr seems to being taking those these days.

[urunobili]

shit.... timvp saw it coming... :depressed

[Twisted_Dawg]

Maybe Monroe needs to read this insightful article about Avery. Avery's firing ran way deeper than just the use of Jason Kidd.

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=424

[Supergirl]

"If not for some questionable calls in Miami in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2006 Finals, Johnson would have given Cuban his very own Larry O'Brien Trophy. "

God in heaven. Who pays these idiots to write articles?

Last time I checked, the NBA Finals were seven games, not 1, or 3. Mavs may have lost Game 3 because of some questionable calls, but what about Games 4,5, and 6?

And as we have said over and over again in this forum - the better team finds a way to ride out whatever the refs do. The Spurs withstood terrible calls by the refs throughout the Suns series and still won. Get over it already.

[Rummpd]

Johnson's biggest strength is his ego which is also his biggest weakness = that being said he is a good HC who could become great oneday as he does believe in defense but just did not have the committment from this group of players to do so.

[hsxvvd]

Shaq would have to retire for the Suns to even consider AJ as their coach. Shaq has NO respect for AJ going way back to his playing days.

I see now even PJ is in trouble in Seattle, maybe Presti has his eye on AJ for Seattle... which would be a much better fit.

[SPARKY]

Maybe Monroe needs to read this insightful article about Avery. Avery's firing ran way deeper than just the use of Jason Kidd.

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=424

The Mavs are finished.

[smeagol]

The Mavs are finished.

So after all that was written in that article abvout AJ (pretty damming comments), you want the guy back in Sa as an assitant coach?

[team-work]

There was an element of scapegoating in the firing. If trading Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop and draft picks for Kidd was foolish, isn't it easier for Cuban to blame Johnson for failing to properly use him?