Intrepid ESPN.com scribe/Dallas resident Marc Stein has the inevitable scoop: Avery Johnson has been canned by Mark Cuban today. Stein also reports (as he did early this morning) that Cuban considered firing Avery before the playoffs started, which sounds so insane it might actually be true.Fear not, Johnson Family. Donnie Walsh (of the Knicks) and John Paxson (of the Bulls) would be suckers not to be on Avery's tail immediately. The Knickerbockers desperately need a firm hand to transition the franchise back from Hell; the Bulls have all the defensive talent to combine with The Little General in order to form the league's top defense for the next decade. Hell, the Sonics should fire P.J. Carlesimo, MJ should backtrack on the Larry Brown hire, and any of a half-dozen other squads should make room on the bench, if Johnson will have them.
Understand this: Avery Johnson is one of the league's best coaches, period. And he's 43 years old. You want the next Sloan, the next Popovich ... a guy who can lead your franchise for decades of wins? Then you try to hire Johnson. (Meanwhile, for Dallas ... does it matter who the Mavericks hire? No one is ever going to last more than a few seasons while Cuban owns the team. What top candidate -- like Mike D'Antoni or potentially Flip Saunders -- wants to work for Cuban?)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-30-2008 @ 3:22PM
Ryne Nelson said...
Concurred, Tom. I think Chicago would be a great fit for the Little General.
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4-30-2008 @ 3:34PM
LB said...
Chicago would be a bad fit. They don't need another little general type with no offensive imagination. They had Skiles who was exactly the same.
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4-30-2008 @ 4:05PM
frank said...
The Napoleonic complex;
Avery needs therapy that is for sure;
This guy sees himself sorrounded by bigger guys but he has the last word ?? ALWAYS !
The little captain in the land of Giants!
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4-30-2008 @ 4:34PM
Jazz Fresh said...
Why would a top candidate not want to work for Cuban? I wonder who wants to work for a team owner that spends on his team, pays top Dollar, Is willing to go to bat for you?
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4-30-2008 @ 10:17PM
Dillon said...
Avery this is dillon im fifteen and i turn sixteen monday i was sending u a meesage to tell u that you r my hero i do not no why they fired you if that was me i would have slaped my self i think your the best coach in nba history if u dont message me back i understand but i just had to let u no and if i was as good as the pros i would play for your team any day i wouldnt play for nobody else but you. well i just wanted to tell you that.
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5-01-2008 @ 6:22AM
Donald said...
I've always thought people were a little bit harsh with Mark Cuban. I still think so.
Look it, this man is running a businesses. The suggestion that he's a trigger-happy coach firer is a bit absurd. He's only ever fired one coach!!!!! One coach who embarrassed the franchise, frustrated fans, and who has never been able to differentiate between being a coach and a player.
Avery Johnson is too close to the NBA, its players, to be an effective coach when everything is on the line. He is a great motivator, he is not a Zen Master like Jackson or a Machiavellian Mastermind like Poppovich or a fearless unbreakable rock like Don Nelson.
What I saw was a man who is able to inspire and lead players to victory, but unable to equip them with the KNOWLEDGE they require to get the job done when everything is on the line. I just don't think Avery is a smart enough man THIS EARLY in his career to be a coach. He's a cheerleader. And he is a phenomenal one.
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