duncan228
05-02-2008, 11:06 AM
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/columnists/randy_galloway/story/618693.html
Who's next Mavericks' coach? Avery's replacement is up to Dirk
By RANDY GALLOWAY
Much speculation swirls on the next head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, and while admitting you won't be reading that name here today, I know where to eventually find out.
Tell me who Dirk wants, and then I will break the news.
OK, Mr. Nowitzki won't exactly be leaking this info to me, but Dirk is the power broker in all this, as he was in the two major Mavericks' moves of 2008.
Jason Kidd is here because Dirk wanted him here, and Mark Cuban, who interestingly enough handled all those trade negotiations, waded though hell, high water and even some leaguewide humiliation to get that done.
As of this week, Avery Johnson is gone as head coach because Dirk wanted him gone.
Look, there is no intention to paint Dirk as some kind of power-crazed assassin. The Big German is good people. He plays hard, plays hurt and believes in a team concept.
Speaking of power-crazed, you can have a Cuban as owner, and you can have a hammer as a head coach, which Avery was, but in a team concept in any sport, your star player had better be happy.
All this current local media garbage about "Avery lost the team" comes down to one thing:
Avery lost Dirk. Nobody else really matters. Avery didn't develop that fine line a coach must have with his star player.
To quote the late, great Gordon Wood of Texas high school coaching fame, "I never had many team rules because my best player might have broken one."
The rules are different when it's a Dirk. In private quarters, Avery was as hard on Dirk as he was, say, on Jason Terry. Maybe you can say he didn't play favorites. But in doing it this way, what had to develop was a partnership between the star and the coach.
Avery might have thought Dirk understood the partnership concept, but it wasn't the case. Word of Dirk's displeasure with Avery went back to almost midseason.
What Avery needed to happen was something like this:
A story out of San Antonio a couple of weeks ago was about the Spurs' final road game of this season in Sacramento. The team was struggling a bit to close the regular season, although there was a win that night.
Coach Pop was displeased, however, with what he had seen. So on the way out of town, Pop told the bus driver to stop. Then he proceeded to unleash a verbal tirade at the team, but a majority of it was aimed right at Tim Duncan.
With most clubs, that would be an extremely risky coaching move. But after immense success and championships, Pop and Tim are partners. Duncan didn't take the tongue-torture in a personal way. And in the first round of the playoffs against the Suns, the Spurs looked like their usual postseason selves.
Because of the collection of rings, maybe comparing San Antonio to the Mavs is a far stretch. Maybe comparing Dirk's personality to Duncan's is also a stretch. But Pop is Avery's mentor and hero. And while Avery's hard-butt ways here came naturally, there is also a lot of Pop mixed in. Pop is a hammer. A hammer with banners hanging from the rafters.
Until, of course, the Mavericks win titles (not you, but your grandchildren may see it), then the star player will have more power here than the head coach. Dirk has that. He used that. And he will be using it again on the hiring of the next head coach.
Suddenly, meaning yesterday, Donnie Nelson's name surfaced. Not a surprise at all, and you can bet he's Dirk's No. 1 choice.
Six weeks ago, after that well-chronicled postgame blowup between Avery and Cuban, I was told Donnie would be the next head coach, moving from the general manager's chair to the bench. Two weeks later, I was told Donnie did NOT want the job.
Very smart man, I'd say.
There are those who rant that Donnie has been given a free GM ride by the media, but my answer is he was not involved personally in the Kidd deal, and that deal is currently the hanging curveball for this franchise.
I talked to Donnie on Thursday. He again emphasized he did not want to be a coaching candidate. "I'm the last guy on the list [of coaching candidates], and let's hope it doesn't get all the way down to that," Little Nellie said.
"I could not be happier sitting in this chair. I had the coaching itch at one time, but that has long since passed. The emphasis now is hiring the right man for the job. That's not me."
But...
If Dirk insists? If Cuban insists? I still don't think Donnie will take it, and if he doesn't, I sure wish Dirk would leak to me the name of his second choice.
Who's next Mavericks' coach? Avery's replacement is up to Dirk
By RANDY GALLOWAY
Much speculation swirls on the next head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, and while admitting you won't be reading that name here today, I know where to eventually find out.
Tell me who Dirk wants, and then I will break the news.
OK, Mr. Nowitzki won't exactly be leaking this info to me, but Dirk is the power broker in all this, as he was in the two major Mavericks' moves of 2008.
Jason Kidd is here because Dirk wanted him here, and Mark Cuban, who interestingly enough handled all those trade negotiations, waded though hell, high water and even some leaguewide humiliation to get that done.
As of this week, Avery Johnson is gone as head coach because Dirk wanted him gone.
Look, there is no intention to paint Dirk as some kind of power-crazed assassin. The Big German is good people. He plays hard, plays hurt and believes in a team concept.
Speaking of power-crazed, you can have a Cuban as owner, and you can have a hammer as a head coach, which Avery was, but in a team concept in any sport, your star player had better be happy.
All this current local media garbage about "Avery lost the team" comes down to one thing:
Avery lost Dirk. Nobody else really matters. Avery didn't develop that fine line a coach must have with his star player.
To quote the late, great Gordon Wood of Texas high school coaching fame, "I never had many team rules because my best player might have broken one."
The rules are different when it's a Dirk. In private quarters, Avery was as hard on Dirk as he was, say, on Jason Terry. Maybe you can say he didn't play favorites. But in doing it this way, what had to develop was a partnership between the star and the coach.
Avery might have thought Dirk understood the partnership concept, but it wasn't the case. Word of Dirk's displeasure with Avery went back to almost midseason.
What Avery needed to happen was something like this:
A story out of San Antonio a couple of weeks ago was about the Spurs' final road game of this season in Sacramento. The team was struggling a bit to close the regular season, although there was a win that night.
Coach Pop was displeased, however, with what he had seen. So on the way out of town, Pop told the bus driver to stop. Then he proceeded to unleash a verbal tirade at the team, but a majority of it was aimed right at Tim Duncan.
With most clubs, that would be an extremely risky coaching move. But after immense success and championships, Pop and Tim are partners. Duncan didn't take the tongue-torture in a personal way. And in the first round of the playoffs against the Suns, the Spurs looked like their usual postseason selves.
Because of the collection of rings, maybe comparing San Antonio to the Mavs is a far stretch. Maybe comparing Dirk's personality to Duncan's is also a stretch. But Pop is Avery's mentor and hero. And while Avery's hard-butt ways here came naturally, there is also a lot of Pop mixed in. Pop is a hammer. A hammer with banners hanging from the rafters.
Until, of course, the Mavericks win titles (not you, but your grandchildren may see it), then the star player will have more power here than the head coach. Dirk has that. He used that. And he will be using it again on the hiring of the next head coach.
Suddenly, meaning yesterday, Donnie Nelson's name surfaced. Not a surprise at all, and you can bet he's Dirk's No. 1 choice.
Six weeks ago, after that well-chronicled postgame blowup between Avery and Cuban, I was told Donnie would be the next head coach, moving from the general manager's chair to the bench. Two weeks later, I was told Donnie did NOT want the job.
Very smart man, I'd say.
There are those who rant that Donnie has been given a free GM ride by the media, but my answer is he was not involved personally in the Kidd deal, and that deal is currently the hanging curveball for this franchise.
I talked to Donnie on Thursday. He again emphasized he did not want to be a coaching candidate. "I'm the last guy on the list [of coaching candidates], and let's hope it doesn't get all the way down to that," Little Nellie said.
"I could not be happier sitting in this chair. I had the coaching itch at one time, but that has long since passed. The emphasis now is hiring the right man for the job. That's not me."
But...
If Dirk insists? If Cuban insists? I still don't think Donnie will take it, and if he doesn't, I sure wish Dirk would leak to me the name of his second choice.