DAL's problem.............it's Avery

[ducks]

Basically, and that falls on Avery. He's way too uptight and that is passing onto the players. Yesterday's game was a prime exactly. They were up 4 points with about 2 minutes left and seemingly had the momentum, then their offense went out the window. Howard passed on an open shot, Stackhouse passed on an open shot, Dirk passed, then they were forced to go back to Dirk and he had to make a contested jumpshot falling back.

That team is way too talented to be a 7th seed in the West and struggling like this. While part of the blame has to go on the players as they're the ones that actually play, It has to fall on Avery the most, his lineup changes, his calling out the offense and plays almost every time down the court, his obvious lack of trust in Kidd and what he can do, his refusal to be flexable, and his underutilization of young bench players are all a factor.

He's like JVG in the sense that he's a great defensive coach, but when it comes to offense, he's lacking.

is it aj fault they have a new point guard now not familiar with their plays and system?

[1Parker1]

Kidd also has had to get acclimated to Johnson directing the offense from the sideline.

“I try to execute what he calls, but my instinct is to try to get an easy basket,” Kidd said. “It’s just getting comfortable with these guys and understanding how easy the game can be if we can get out and run and get easy baskets.”

Exactly what AJ doesn't understand. He can't be micromanaging and calling out every single play in the game. He's not the one on the court, sometimes he can't see what the PG can see with the offense.

[Indazone]

Good luck getting out of the first round.

and this coming from the 7th seed

[Indazone]

I hear Jeff Van Gundy is available. Why don't you guys hire Van Stumpy?

[Findog]

and this coming from the 7th seed

Dirk: 8 series wins and a Finals appearance.

TMac and Yellow Bill Walton: 3 first-round chokes combined.

Now shut the up please.

[Findog]

I hear Jeff Van Gundy is available. Why don't you guys hire Van Stumpy?

I'd take him in a heartbeat over Avery. If you think he's the reason you couldn't get out of the first round, boy you're in for another surprise this May. JVG took an 8 seed to a Finals. Shows what Rocket fan knows to throw him under the bus.

[DaDakota]

Good luck getting out of the first round.

Hey you too...

I'd take him in a heartbeat over Avery. If you think he's the reason you couldn't get out of the first round, boy you're in for another surprise this May. JVG took an 8 seed to a Finals. Shows what Rocket fan knows to throw him under the bus.

Avery outcoached JVG 3 years ago, JVG is great on D, but awful on O...

DD

[Findog]

Hey you too...

I will be busy admiring our two trophies already...how many do the Mavs have again?

DD

So you're a historian, then? I wonder if there are a lot of Sixers fans masturbating to Moses Malone and the 83 squad, since we're on the topic of ancient history and all...

[Findog]

Avery outcoached JVG 3 years ago, JVG is great on D, but awful on O...

DD

No he didn't. That Dallas team should've beaten Houston in 5 games. That defense that Riley and Nellie implemented against Dirk? JVG was the first one to devise it. Dirk had a worse series against the Rockets than he did against Miami and Golden State, nobody remembers it though because the Mavs eventually prevailed against a much inferior Houston team in 7 games. Avery couldn't do anything to counter the Dirk defense Van Gundy devised. And three years later and losses to Miami and Golden State, he still hasn't.

Firing Avery doesn't solve all or even most of the Mavs problems, but it's a big step in the right direction.

[ducks]

[B]This is what happens when you import an aging point guard to guide your team through the season’s treacherous stretch run. After the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Pau Gasol and the Phoenix Suns brought in Shaquille O’Neal, the Mavericks felt they needed to make their own blockbuster splash. The difference: Neither Gasol nor O’Neal is being asked to direct their respective team’s offense.

“Point guard is the toughest change,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “That changes everything for you offensively. Even if it’s the same type of player, he still doesn’t know your stuff. I’ve always thought that position changes everything: timing, when certain players get the ball.”

[Findog]

Van Gundy is a great X's and O's coach..he would be perfect for Dallas. His teams play defense and he would utilize players strength! And he doesn't Micro Manage either, which is Mavs biggest problem. If anyone doesn't think that Van Gundy can coach they are crazy!

Dude took an 8 seed to a Finals. I would cream my jeans if JVG was hired as coach. Don't know how he feels about Cuban. The great thing about having Cuban as an owner is that he's as passionate and committed as any die-hard fan and will spend money and not worry too much about the luxury tax. Doesn't mean he wants to pay it, but he'll spend money if he thinks that it will make his team better.

The downside to having Cuban as an owner is that he's made plenty of enemies and burned a lot of bridges. I wonder how JVG feels about him. I'm sure there's a lot of people who don't want to have anything to do with the Mavericks franchise because of personal animus towards Mark Cuban.

[Jack Sommersset]

Be real. Its not just this season people are judging him on. Expectations were high and he failed. I'm not repeating what I wrote earlier. Huge upsets. The guy has to go period.

[jacobdrj]

I VERY much like Avery as a coach. However, I think his inexperience is killing him. He needs another chance in another place. Hopefully he learns from his mistakes. Otherwise, he looses all credibility and shouldn't be hired a 3rd time.

[mavsfan1000]

I VERY much like Avery as a coach. However, I think his inexperience is killing him. He needs another chance in another place. Hopefully he learns from his mistakes. Otherwise, he looses all credibility and shouldn't be hired a 3rd time.

I think Avery is in the same category as Isiah Thomas as far as coaching goes. Maybe a leader as a player but not a smart decision maker as a coach when it comes to identifying talent and what this team needs.

[Gino]

I'm not even mad about tonight's game. Nobody is beating the Celtics if they play at this high of a level. I can handle any other team winning except Phoenix. With apologies to JMark, Xylus and ODM, THE SUNS. You're not getting a ring either.

What do you have against Phoenix?

Is it the Nash/Cuban thing?

In fact, it seems the Suns are the most hated team by Lakers, Spurs and Mavs fans on this board.

[Findog]

What do you have against Phoenix?

Is it the Nash/Cuban thing?

In fact, it seems the Suns are the most hated team by Lakers, Spurs and Mavs fans on this board.

With the exception of a few posters on this board, most of their fans are s and I can't stand Amare, Shaq and D'Antoni. Nash was and is one of my favorite players, he's a stand-up dude, but if he wants a ring so bad, he can go be a 6th man for a contender when his contract is up. Plus, there's the whole misery loves company angle. If we're suffering, it takes the sting out a little bit if they are as well.

[Findog]

How to fix the Mavs

* Fire Avery Johnson - Firing the coach is not a magical elixir. It won't solve all or even most of their problems, but it has become necessary. His faults and missteps as the coach have been well do ented and I won't rehash them here. The average shelf life for a coach in this league is about 3 years, which is how long Avery has been in Dallas, and on top of that, he's a grinding micro manager. This isn't a diss at him personally. I think he's got a bright future as a coach in this league, he's smart and he knows his stuff, but he's no longer the right coach for this team. He has to go. The Mavericks are too good to be in the position of fighting for their playoff lives, only to go out early in the first round. There was a time when he was absolutely what this team needed as a different approach from the predecessor who quit on the team, but now they need to go in a different direction.


* Get a low-post scorer - This team just can't get enough easy baskets when the game grinds down late in playoff games. It would have the added benefit of making Dirk an even deadlier matchup problem for opposing teams because it would put too much pressure on defenses. I part with Josh Howard if that's what it takes. I love Howard's game, but athletic swingmen that do what he does are easier to find and replace than low-post scorers. Elton Brand and his opt-out rights are probably a pipe dream due to the salary cap ramifications, but this is something that Dallas desperately needs to address, even though those kinds of players don't grow on trees.


* Get younger and more athletic - In order to get the full advantage of having a quarterback like Jason Kidd, you need athletes that can run the floor with him. Dallas doesn't need any dinosaurs like Eddie Jones or Juwan Howard.


* Try to shed bad contracts - Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier all fit the bill here. They're still useful players, but I move them in order to get cap flexibility if at all possible. This may be wishful thinking, since it's hard to imagine what you can get back for them that will help you win or under what cir stances teams would take those contracts. You may have to pair them with players like Josh Howard and Brandon Bass in order to get back players that can help you win.


* Take full advantage of Kidd's appeal - Guys like playing with Nash, Paul and Kidd because they make the game easier for their teammates. There will surely be veterans willing to take the MLE or LLE in order to play with other elite players on a contender.

[DaDakota]

How to fix the Mavs

* Fire Avery Johnson - Firing the coach is not a magical elixir. It won't solve all or even most of their problems, but it has become necessary. His faults and missteps as the coach have been well do ented and I won't rehash them here. The average shelf life for a coach in this league is about 3 years, which is how long Avery has been in Dallas, and on top of that, he's a grinding micro manager. This isn't a diss at him personally. I think he's got a bright future as a coach in this league, he's smart and he knows his stuff, but he's no longer the right coach for this team. He has to go. The Mavericks are too good to be in the position of fighting for their playoff lives, only to go out early in the first round. There was a time when he was absolutely what this team needed as a different approach from the predecessor who quit on the team, but now they need to go in a different direction.


* Get a low-post scorer - This team just can't get enough easy baskets when the game grinds down late in playoff games. It would have the added benefit of making Dirk an even deadlier matchup problem for opposing teams because it would put too much pressure on defenses. I part with Josh Howard if that's what it takes. I love Howard's game, but athletic swingmen that do what he does are easier to find and replace than low-post scorers. Elton Brand and his opt-out rights are probably a pipe dream due to the salary cap ramifications, but this is something that Dallas desperately needs to address, even though those kinds of players don't grow on trees.


* Get younger and more athletic - In order to get the full advantage of having a quarterback like Jason Kidd, you need athletes that can run the floor with him. Dallas doesn't need any dinosaurs like Eddie Jones or Juwan Howard.


* Try to shed bad contracts - Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier all fit the bill here. They're still useful players, but I move them in order to get cap flexibility if at all possible. This may be wishful thinking, since it's hard to imagine what you can get back for them that will help you win or under what cir stances teams would take those contracts. You may have to pair them with players like Josh Howard and Brandon Bass in order to get back players that can help you win.


* Take full advantage of Kidd's appeal - Guys like playing with Nash, Paul and Kidd because they make the game easier for their teammates. There will surely be veterans willing to take the MLE or LLE in order to play with other elite players on a contender.

Fin,

I agree with all of those except the firing Avery part.

Dallas needs someone to be able to score down low, it doesn't have to be a center, it could be a power guard or SF, or a PF even....but that is what you guys have been lacking.

The ability to play inside out occassionally......

DD

[Indazone]

I hope the Mav's keep Avery for many years !

[mavsfan1000]

Fin,

I agree with all of those except the firing Avery part.

Dallas needs someone to be able to score down low, it doesn't have to be a center, it could be a power guard or SF, or a PF even....but that is what you guys have been lacking.

The ability to play inside out occassionally......

DD

Dallas needs more athletes. An athletic backup center and an athletic SG. Stackhouse is just too slow for a shooting guard imo. He is on his way out. To be able to run you got to have the horses.

[Gino]

How to fix the Mavs

* Get a low-post scorer - This team just can't get enough easy baskets when the game grinds down late in playoff games. It would have the added benefit of making Dirk an even deadlier matchup problem for opposing teams because it would put too much pressure on defenses. I part with Josh Howard if that's what it takes. I love Howard's game, but athletic swingmen that do what he does are easier to find and replace than low-post scorers. Elton Brand and his opt-out rights are probably a pipe dream due to the salary cap ramifications, but this is something that Dallas desperately needs to address, even though those kinds of players don't grow on trees.

I wish I had a dime for every time a fan said all his team needed was a low-post scorer.

This might be true, but good low-post scorers are hard to come-by in the age of the NBA.

Don't you sacrifice having a low post scorer when you have a PF like Dirk? I guess you can have a dominant low post center, but then it sounds like we're contructing a dream team.

[Findog]

I wish I had a dime for every time a fan said all his team needed was a low-post scorer.

This might be true, but good low-post scorers are hard to come-by in the age of the NBA.

Don't you sacrifice having a low post scorer when you have a PF like Dirk? I guess you can have a dominant low post center, but then it sounds like we're contructing a dream team.

No. The Mavs don't need a Rolls Royce like Dwight Howard or Chris Bosh, although those pipe dreams would be nice. A Honda Accord like Zydrunas Ilgauskus or somebody of that caliber is what they need. Doesn't even have to be a center, they had Antawn Jamison one year and he scores most of his points down low. They simply need to get more points in the paint.

[The Nba Is Rigged]

Why is Jason Kidd such a bad shooter?!, watching this dude chuck up bricks vs the celtics made me very angry we traded for this dude. I miss devin at this point, people said kidd would make life easier for Dirk but because Kidd can't shoot the defenses can pay more attention to Dirk. All the people who were screaming for us to trade for Kidd I hope your all happy now...