Avery, Cuban clash on contract

[ducks]

Avery, Cuban clash on contract


By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Are the Mavericks and Avery Johnson headed for a quickie divorce because of a contract dispute? Don't count on it.

But some doubt has crept into the equation.

One month after the grandest season in Mavs history ended in the NBA Finals, talks to extend and/or enhance the contract of the league's most successful young coach have been shelved in what is becoming an increasingly tense clash between Mark Cuban and Johnson's representatives.

According to sources, at issue is Johnson's current contract, which has three years remaining at approximately $2.5 million per season. The deal ranks in the bottom third of the NBA's 30 coaches.

Each of the other seven coaches who took teams to the Western Conference playoffs last season was paid more than Johnson.

Johnson's inexperience -- he served less than one year as an assistant before his promotion late in the 2004-05 season -- explains his current salary. His rapid success, however, would make Johnson a hot commodity able to command big money on the open market.

But he's not on the open market.

It's not uncommon for coaches coming off successful seasons to have their contracts restructured in "good faith" gestures from the club. Mike Brown (Cavaliers), Eddie Jordan (Wizards) and Byron Scott (Hornets) each signed new deals recently.

Jordan is reportedly earning $4 million per season even though he's 53 games under .500 for his career. Former Mavs coach Don Nelson was paid in the neighborhood of $5 million last season in what would have been the last year of his contract.

Johnson, 41, led the Mavs to a 60-22 record in his first full season, tying the best mark in team history, and earned Coach of the Year honors. The Mavs reached the Finals for the first time, falling in six games to the Miami Heat.

Leading the Mavs to within two wins of the franchise's first championship figured to land Johnson a significant raise instead of just guaranteeing the fourth year of his contract.

So far, communication between Cuban and Johnson has been scarce, according to the sources. Cuban and Johnson both declined comment.

The sources also said Johnson would be agreeable to an extension with a significant bonus that would up his average salary in line with other top coaches in the $5 million range, but Cuban has kept a hard-line stance by refusing to renegotiate.

Negotiations on a new contract between Cuban and the agent for assistant coach Del Harris also have stalled.

Even without a new agreement, Johnson isn't considering resigning. He's repeatedly said he's looking forward to next season and has played an active role in the team's off-season moves.

Tensions between Cuban and his coach are nothing new in Mavs land. The battle of wills and dollars defined the frosty relationship between Cuban and Nelson.

At the base of the Cuban-Nelson conflict were serious personality and communication issues. It isn't supposed to be that way between Cuban and Johnson.

Initially labeled as Nelson's hand-picked successor, Johnson won Cuban over with the coaching job he did filling in for Nelson during parts of the 2004-05 season.

The fiery coach and the billionaire have continually emphasized their close personal bond. Johnson stressed before the start of the Finals that his success -- and the team's -- wouldn't have been possible without Cuban's support.

Despite the criticism Cuban took locally and nationally during the playoffs for his conduct and dealings with the league -- star Dirk Nowitzki recently condemned the owner's behavior -- Johnson continued to publicly back Cuban.

Behind the scenes, though, uneasiness seems to be mounting




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[Kori Ellis]

It's in the NBA forum.