AVERY: If Dallas missed the PO, out of a job?

[smeagol]

And if bringing AJ in will piss off the CoM, so much the better.

You have developed an interesting hate against the CoM.

Bringing AJ would piss off some old time Spurs Fans. The Argie portion of the CoM could care less.

[tav1]

Yeah, that's annoyingly inevitable. Maybe the Knicks will hire him.

He's not a bad hire for the Knicks. The Avery hate seems overboard to me. He's a better coach than 75% of his peers. If I'm Donnie Walsh, I prefer Avery to many of the candidates that are connected to the Knicks. Is Rick Carlisle a better coach than Avery Johnson--I'm not sure.

I'd take him as an assistant, except it seems a little redundant. Honestly, I'd rather have an offensive mind like Iavaroni. Pop and Avery is a little too much preaching to the choir and the choir preaching back.


More than anything, though, Avery needs to temper himself and relinquish some control. Still, if not in Dallas, he's someone's head coach next season.

[SenorSpur]

Now that he's gotten a taste of being a head coach, would he really want to settle for being an assistant again? Somehow, I can't see his ego allowing him to go that route - unless, of course, there were no other head coaching options available.

[41times]

Hey do you Spurs fans want to play the Mavs in the 1st round of the playoffs?

We will likely be the 8th seed because Denver has the tie break over us and we have the tie break over the Warriors.

Hopefully the Spurs will finish as the 1 seed and the Mavs as the 8th seed. At least i would get to see 1 great playoff series!

[Jimcs50]

It is my understanding that it was Cuban that wanted to make this trade for Kidd, so how can he blame AJ for this mistake? Also losing Dirk puts Dallas behind the 8 ball in the race for the playoffs. I think AJ will be back for sure.

.

[tav1]

Hey do you Spurs fans want to play the Mavs in the 1st round of the playoffs?

We will likely be the 8th seed because Denver has the tie break over us and we have the tie break over the Warriors.

Hopefully the Spurs will finish as the 1 seed and the Mavs as the 8th seed. At least i would get to see 1 great playoff series!

Most Spurs fans are hoping for either the Mavs or the Rockets in the first round. The Mavs simply gave it away by trading Diop and Harris for Kidd. The Spurs can take their current roster in 5 games, and without much problem.

[Dave McNulla]

It is my understanding that it was Cuban that wanted to make this trade for Kidd, so how can he blame AJ for this mistake? Also losing Dirk puts Dallas behind the 8 ball in the race for the playoffs. I think AJ will be back for sure.

.

if you thought you knew everything and you made the trade but your coach could not make the team play well together, who would you blame? yourself?

[Dave McNulla]

Most Spurs fans are hoping for either the Mavs or the Rockets in the first round. The Mavs simply gave it away by trading Diop and Harris for Kidd. The Spurs can take their current roster in 5 games, and without much problem.

you think the mavs would win a game?

[Jimcs50]

if you thought you knew everything and you made the trade but your coach could not make the team play well together, who would you blame? yourself?

Good point...AJ is toast.

[urunobili]

I also think if he doesn't get another head coaching job immediately, he'll end up in the Spurs organization as an assistant.

Kori do you think Pop will welcome his "unique" energy on what now is the Big Three lockeroom? i am not so sure.. if it was a team with youngsters all around it actually makes sense... discipline etc etc... but on this team? i doubt he could be beneficial

[bigfan]

AJ isnt getting fired by Cuban regardless of the playoffs. He's a pretty good coach, under contract and besides, he's probably better than any other available coach.

[boutons_]

If Mavs miss the playoffs, Dirk's absence protects Avery, in the way PJ is protected by Oden's absence. The pressure to win returns with a franchise player returns.

[daslicer]

AJ will never be an assistant with this team as long as Duncan is on it. I just don't see it happening. AJ is too controlling and that is why he didn't get along with Duncan in the first place. I just don't see Duncan putting up with him again espescially now that he was won 3 more les without his presence.

[Mark in Austin]

Ya, how could a guy like Avery ever fit in with the Spurs...He doesnt know the first thing about how the Spurs run their business.

It's one thing to know how the Spurs run their business. It's another entirely to be able to put that into practice.

AJ was able to "get over himself" (Pop's phrase, not mine) enough to help get the most out of Big Dave and help the Spurs win a championship. He hasn't proven he can do the same as a coach. I don't want to risk the chemistry disruption during Duncan's remaining years that this might cause:

-Tim's apparent ambivalence to Avery's departure
-Avery's disrespect of Parker
-Avery's behavior during the '06 semis
-The fact that Avery is a control freak and Manu is at his best in a system that allows him to improvise.
-Would Parker be more likely to leave SA after his current contract if AJ is on the staff and heir apparent to Pop?

These are ligit concerns about how adding his personality to this mix of players would work. (This isn't blind AJ hate. Although I woudn't have chosen to retire his jersey, I get why it was done and really don't have a problem with it.)

Probably makes no sense to worry about it one way or the other now. He's Dallas' coach until Cuban fires him or he resigns.

[MoSpur]

I hate to say it, but he brought it too himself.

[SenorSpur]

It is my understanding that it was Cuban that wanted to make this trade for Kidd, so how can he blame AJ for this mistake? Also losing Dirk puts Dallas behind the 8 ball in the race for the playoffs. I think AJ will be back for sure.

.

I read the same thing. In fact, I read somewhere that Cuban actually initiated the talks with Nets GM Rod Thorn and brokered the components of the trade. Which would lead one to ask, where was his GM during all this?

There's no doubt that Cuban is as culpable as anyone for the state of the Mavs, as currently constructed. The Kidd trade was just the latest mistake made by that organization.

However keep in mind that, as the owner, Cuban is not going to fire himself. He will find a fall guy. Under that scenario, it's not hard to believe that AJ could get fired - especially if Cuban and he are at odds.

[Allanon]

Avery's the perfect fall guy for Cuban's mistakes. I don't think he'll get fired in the offseason but rather he'll get it during some slump during next year.

I don't see Avery seeing next year's playoffs as the Mavericks coach.

[SenorSpur]

I hate to say it, but he brought it too himself.

Very true. He could be earmarked for the Popovich Rehab program - of which Kelvin Sampson is a current patient.

[ancestron]

TNT NBA Thursday with Marv Albert and Avery Johnson.

[easjer]

I do think AJ gets fired. I hope to everything holy he doesn't come here as a coach. I have lost a lot of respect for him as a coach in the last couple of years. He coaches too emotionally, he reacts like a player. He's too controlling, and he overthinks things. No, no, no, no to his coaching the Spurs. I think his ego is too big to allow him to take a supporting role and coaching conflict isn't a good thing.

Just, no, dear Lord, no.

I will say though that though Cuban is low on my list of people I like, I do admire his appearance of standing behind Avery and trying to discourage this kind of talk right now. Even if he fires him twelve hours after their season ends, it is the right move to try and end the distraction that this sort of talk must be to the team.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Yeah, that's annoyingly inevitable. Maybe the Knicks will hire him.

Maybe GS needs an assistant coach.

[ploto]

AJ will not last long anywhere as a head coach with the personality he has. Even PJ has learned to tone it down a little to be the head coach in Seattle. Avery is someone who simply wears on people after a while. I also see no way in which he comes to work for this Spurs team.

[Kori Ellis]

kori how can you suggest that AJ would come here as an assistant coach? Wouldn't it be a slap in the face of Tony and Manu? AJ disrespected both of them as a Spur plus as the Mavs coach he openly preaches dirty play.

Because I know Pop. And I know if AJ didn't get a head coaching job elsewhere, Pop would add him to the staff. Whatever AJ has done outside of the Spurs, the organization views him as a Spur and I know that they'd bring him back into the family.

But, I don't think it will actually happen because I think he will get other head coaching opportunities.

[41times]

you think the mavs would win a game?

If the Mavs are healthy you might just see a repeat of last years 8 seed over the 1 seed.

This match up edge is Razor thin. Home court means very little to either team per the last 3 years.

2 weeks ago Spurs win by 2 or 3 points with Avery and Terry getting stupid Technicals and the Mavs still have a shot at the end. Spurs win last week by 7 and No Dirk for the last 20 minutes of the game.

I'm telling you, these 2 teams are as even as it gets regardless of seeding and regardless or records.

Spurs would kill the Rockets for sure. But not the Mavs. Of course the Mavs might not make it so you you might have to play Denver or Golden St. and that's not much easier.

[wildbill2u]

Cuban is not known for good basketball decisions. He will find a scapegoat and Avery looks like the only one in sight. He doesn't need to justify himself because he's too rich to worry about criticism.

There have been some rumors that Avery's personality and controlling mannerisms were beginning to wear on some Mavs players. It happened here too. In that respect, Avery may be compared to George Karl in the future as his career progresses.