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So much talk about a meaningless trade
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE AJ TRADE
By Mike Fisher -- DB.com
Want the truth about the dumping of Anthony Johnson? You get it here, first and exclusively:
No, it's not about "faith in JJB.'' No, it's not about an unwillingness to pay Johnson $9 mil over two years. No, it's not because Johnson's accidental elbow broke Greg Buckner's nose in practice. No, it's not because the Mavs wanting to open up a roster spot for Keith Van Horn.
Anthony Johnson had been traded to Atlanta for a second-round pick because the Mavs didn't like his sluggish game, didn't like his at ude and didn't like the fact that he was 20 pounds overweight and couldn't or wouldn't lose it.
Period.
Leave it to classy coach Avery Johnson to explain the deadline deal by saying it was motivated by a renewed faith in Devin Harris. ("Let's just say we feel really, really strong about Devin," AJ said.) Leave it to the classy coach to make it sound as if a second-round pick is a heckuva commodity. (That's like a late first-round pick!'' AJ said.)
Leave it to me, though, to give it to you straight: Avery, initially a fan of Anthony because of his toughness and experience, grew more and more disappointed in Anthony's weight issue. Dallas shouldn't have been surprised; there are old-time NBA'ers who will always argue that a thick-bodied small guard, once he gets into his 30's, is in constant danger of "losing it.''
And Anthony Johnson -- thick-bodied and thick-legged by nature, carrying 20 needless extra pounds, and in his 30's -- lost it.
The staff was also disappointed in some occasional behavior things -- "little b.s. things,'' one staffer said -- difficult for outsiders to detect because Anthony had a knack for saying the right thing to both the media and to coaches. But, a source said, his actions did not match his words. And his performance was even poorer than his actions.
Johnson came here this year from the Pacers in the Darrell Armstrong trade. He averaged 2.8 points, two assists and 14.1 minutes in 40 games -- numbers that cause me to long for D.A.
Make no mistake, the Mavs are clearly Avery's team. Because of the respect he's earned from Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson, he is able to win debates on these sort of issues. The owner might argue that the investment should be seen through. The GM might argue that an insurance policy third PG is important.
But Avery didn't like Anthony. So Anthony is gone.
It might be logical to wonder if it wasn't about the money, but it wasn't. It might be logical to think there is an ensuing move on the way. But while it might be nice to fall into a third-string center at some point, that's not the plan, and it's certainly not a plan that includes Keith Van Horn, who I'm told is not an Avery fave, either. How much of it is about getting a pick from the lousy Hawks? In this summer's talent-thick NBA Draft, a top-40-or-so pick would be OK, I guess. How much of it is about Devin? Heck, he's already a part-time starter at the point; what does Anthony Johnson have to do with him? And how much of it is about JJ Barea?
I was told before the game that Barea might be able to play four or five minutes in a big game, but only in the unlikely event that Dallas loses both Jason Terry and Harris. And really, that even in that case, Dallas would be able to rely on other, better players (Howard, Buckner) to bring the ball up and then, according to one coach, "Just pass the ball to Dirk.'' (Barea's work in mop-up time Thursday was less than impressive.)
Naturally, I wondered all day how comfortable the Mavs would really be in any third-string PG scenario.
And now we know: Avery Johnson would be more comfortable doing most anything than he would be keeping Anthony Johnson around.
So much talk about a meaningless trade
I always thought he looked kinda fat...
Yep Anthony Johnson was a disappointment for Dallas. He could've been different but he just won't change (get in shape) so now he faces the consequences. Getting traded to the Hawks.
the worst punishment an NBA player can faceYep Anthony Johnson was a disappointment for Dallas. He could've been different but he just won't change (get in shape) so now he faces the consequences. Getting traded to the Hawks.
"one staffer said"
"there are old-time NBA'ers who will always argue that a thick-bodied small guard, once he gets into his 30's, is in constant danger of "losing it.""
"The staff was also disappointed in some occasional behavior things"
"But, a source said, his actions did not match his words"
"I was told before the game"
"according to one coach"
"who I'm told is not an Avery fave, either"
"Because of the respect he's earned from Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson, he is able to win debates on these sort of issues."
My sources, who shall remain unnamed but are close to the source and may just as easily not exist at all tell me this guy is so full of himself that his site should be BS.com. Prove to me that there is one shred of thruth in all this crap. You can't. This guy just wants to hear himself talk.
He's actually pretty in the know, CaptMike.
Source??
Are you the unnamed "assitant coach"?
"In the know" my ass
So what exactly do YOU know about Mike Fisher???
Who's AJ? What has he done?
Whatever he's done, he's great enough to be called "classy" twice.
Example:
"The classy coach uses terms like 'bear-hug' in press conferences..."
Did you know that Anthony Johnson's initials are also AJ? Maybe you figure that out before you go off on a rant about Avery Johnson, and a pretty poor rant at that. wah wah wah. he said bear hug. Holy crap. He didn't bite anyone, did he?
Fish is around the team more than any other beat writer in Dallas. He talks to a lot of guys and has access to the coaches/players.
For what it's worth, I've heard this story seconded from another media member this afternoon. Now you can question my credibility if you want.
CaptMike = OWNED
RonMexico = OWNED
I think it's more about the fact that they are more comfortable using Howard or Bucker to bring the ball up the court and start the offense (if JET and Harris got in foul trouble or injured) over Johnson than it is about his at ude and weight. Those might have made the decision easier. Along with the $9+million that they are saving (and getting decent draft pick).
Bottom line...Johnson ended up not being a good fit in their offensive scheme. He's just too slow.
Anthony Johnson bit someone? Who is your source?
Your ridiculous anti-Mav bias is really getting old.
No one wants Bucker with the ball in his hands...HE IS AWFUL!!
Stop right there. Your city's ridiculous anti-Wade bias got old months ago and has reached epic proportions this week.
Mavs fans are second only to LSU fans in their hatred of everything not from their hometown team.
Sorry, not stopping. You've ripped everything to do with the Mavs all year long. From Cuban (deservedly), to Avery, especially to Dirk, to every other player. And now you want to trash a local hack. You have no credibility whatsoever.
As far as Wade, in case you havn't noticed, people all over the country are talking about the ridiculous preferential treatment he gets and his dramatic theatrics.
In case you haven't noticed, most everyone sided with D-Wade when he said Dirk choked last year in the Finals and didn't step up.
don't hacks exist to be trashed?
That's what I thought... thankfully I'm not missing something here and it's just another Mavs fan with a stick up his ass.
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