Avery on this year鈥檚 team: 鈥淭his year鈥檚 team? It was a miracle we made the playoffs.鈥欌€?br>
And there鈥檚 the money shot of the day: Avery Johnson is. 鈥?鈥淭he Miracle Worker.鈥欌€?br>
Avery on the 67-win team: 鈥淲hen we won 67 games, that team significantly, significantly overachieved.鈥欌€?br>
More miracles. Are you sensing a theme here?
Avery on bad decisions: 鈥淲e can get up every morning and look ourselves in the mirror, every player that played, coach, and also myself. We can look ourselves in the mirror and really be proud of what we took over when we took over this team and the direction we went in. We can feel very proud of what we did, each and every day. Every decision that I had a chance to be a part of, I can really feel good about it.鈥欌€?br>
Proud of every decision he was part of. (And, of course, not so proud of the ones he wasn鈥檛 a part of.)
Every. Single. Decision.
That鈥檚 one proud son of a gun.
Avery on his organizational know-how: 鈥淚 think in terms of what I came from a blueprint of what I knew how an organization should be run from top to bottom; I knew what type of players should be drafted, free-agent signings, how the coach should function. I had a really good blueprint with all my successful years down south (as a player with the Spurs). And we were able to come here and really make some headway. We were able to change the culture and attitude. 鈥樷€?br>
Avery on this being a 鈥渞esults-driven business鈥欌€? We got the results that we wanted in terms of when we made it to the Finals. Now once you make it to the Finals, one of two teams are going to win, but this organization had never made it there before, so that was a pretty good result.鈥欌€?br>
Avery on whether this year he had everything in place to succeed: 鈥淣o, not this year. This is a different team. Before we made the trade, we had the best record against the Western Conference and one of the things that I talked to Mark and Donnie about, I said: 鈥楬ey, I鈥檝e got to get a point guard.鈥?That鈥檚 why I wanted to develop Devin Harris.鈥?I said 鈥業鈥檝e got to get this boy to a point where he can be a scorer first and pass some. We got him to a point, like I told you guys before, we were knocking on the door with this young man making the All-Star team. He was going to be an 18-and-8 player. I invested a significant amount of time with him and, again, he was injured and a lot of things were happening around the NBA, and like I said, if we can just hold on a little while, we鈥檝e got the best record against the West. I think we were second or third in the Western Conference at that point and we were going to play the Western Conference quite a bit after the All-Star break. The team was changed and we never really got back on track.鈥欌€?br>
Seems pretty clear. Avery is claiming he was 100-percent against acquiring Kidd, 100-percent for handing the reins to Devin. And that the Kidd deal ruined Avery鈥檚 blueprint.
Wow. He's lying. The Triangle of Authority made it "unanimous,'' says Donnie, who wasn't trying to be argumentative but rather was simply answering a Randy Galloway question. Truth is, to my knowledge, the other two points on the triangle NEVER forced on the coach a player he did not want. NEVER.
Avery, when asked if he鈥檇 like to clarify: 鈥淲e not here for slamming anybody鈥檚 name through the mud. 鈥?Whatever happened, I think my name is on record with the organization as what I wanted to do.鈥欌€?br>
As a matter of fact, Avery鈥檚 in-house position is very clear to those in the know. Although the record might have gotten stained after having been 鈥渟lammed through the mud.鈥欌€?
I will add, as a sidebar: When Avery鈥檚 potential future employers are digging around. 鈥?and they call Donnie, or Keith Grant, or Dirk. 鈥?and they ask them whether Avery is telling the truth about his supposed don鈥檛-trade-for-Kidd views. 鈥?I wonder what they鈥檒l say? And I wonder what the prospective employer will think?
鈥淭he Miracle Worker鈥欌€?with more offerings on this year鈥檚 club: 鈥淚 feel proud about what we鈥檝e done here, contrary to popular belief. We were a seventh-seed this year that was anywhere from a seventh to a ninth seed, could have been a 10th seed with this particular team. We weren鈥檛 quick. We just didn鈥檛 have what it takes to compete against some of the teams in the Western Conference. It is what it is.鈥欌€?br>
Only a bit confusing. Avery鈥檚 鈥渟even-seed鈥欌€?should have been a 10th seed. 鈥?but at the same time, 鈥淚t is what it is鈥欌€?
And more, on whether Avery got all he could from this year鈥檚 team: 鈥淥h, yes. Absolutely. And more. Yes. Yes. Yes.鈥欌€?br>
Avery on whether the team tuned him out: 鈥淎bsolutely. Yeah, absolutely. When that happens, then sometimes you need a new voice. It's not that I'm cool with it or I'm not resilient or I'm not disappointed. But this is a part of coaching. Because of that, I've said it all the time. Coaches, we're going to resign or we're going to get fired. Now, whatever words we try to use, that's what happens.鈥欌€?br>
I feel absolved. More immediately important to the Mavs in the last two months than Avery鈥檚 assorted flaws is this issue, which has little to do with his personality or his strategies: Players eventually tune out coaches. It鈥檚 not a coaching crime. It鈥檚 cyclical. I鈥檝e tried to explain that my view on this subject is not an attack on Coach, but rather a fact I鈥檝e seen up-close in 28 years of study. Avery said it better than I have.
More on the cycle, and how it has nothing to do with ownership: 鈥淚'm proud of my working relationship with Mark. I'm proud of it. We've had moments behind the scenes where we've talked about management styles, vision and I've learned a whole heck of a lot from Mark. I don鈥檛 have anything but great things to say (about Cuban). There were 29 other owners in the NBA and nobody else gave me my first shot but him. Did we have some rough periods? Absolutely. Am I proud that we were able to get through those rough periods? Yes, I am.
鈥?Coaching changes are) going to happen at some point, whether it was five years down the line or yesterday. 鈥?All coaches either get fired or resign.鈥欌€?br>
Avery on whether he鈥檚 already fielded calls from interested teams: 鈥淵es!鈥欌€?br>
That鈥檚 grand, and I believe as with most guys, they will be better on their second go-round. 鈥淚 won鈥檛 try to do 200 different things on the first day of training camp,鈥欌€?Avery said, in a rare moment of genuine self-reflection.
A cautionary note: The buzz suggests that Avery is a candidate for openings with the Bulls and Knicks. (And if Avery is telling the truth about getting multiple calls, he鈥檚 almost certainly talking about those positions.) I wrote on Wednesday that if Avery thinks the DFW media represents 鈥淧oisonous Journalism,鈥欌€?he ain鈥檛 seen nothin鈥?鈥榯il he loses three straight games in Chicago and New York.
I just realized this, for people (maybe Avery included) who think Cuban was a demanding, involved boss? In addition to the fact that I APPLAUD Cuban鈥檚 passionate involvement. 鈥?
Chicago鈥檚 owner is Jerry Reinsdorf. New York鈥檚 owner is James Dolan.
I鈥檓 telling you, Avery鈥檚 existence in Dallas was more 鈥渟uite鈥欌€?than he knows.
Avery on the times when the team did listen to him: 鈥淲hatever strategies we tried, they really bought into them -- even if they were bad strategies. Because I've had one (bad strategy) in four years.鈥欌€?br>
There were a lot of folks assembled at the press conference. The media came out in full force; when the Ritz-Carlton staff saw most of us unkempt hacks slogging in, they surely assumed we should be entering through the service door, or were maybe begging for dumpster-stored kitchen scraps.
There were also a handful of emotional staffers who came three blocks up from the gym to say their goodbyes, including assistant Popeye Jones, broadcaster Laura (Mrs. Joe Prunty) Green, equipment man Al Whitley, trainer Casey Smith and the hard-working PR people. (I thought a number of The Lil鈥?General鈥檚 admiring enlisted men were conspicuous in their absence, but I鈥檓 cynical that way. I might even kid that if they had shown up and said anything to Avery, it鈥檇 be the first time all year he let most of them speak).
And when Coach drawled out the 鈥渙ne bad strategy鈥欌€?line, we all chuckled. Avery 鈥?in so many ways the most successful coach the Dallas Mavericks have ever employed-- had made a funny.
A self-effacing joke.
At least I think it was a joke. I didn't right this, I got this from db.com as I stated. And my bad coz it is a little long Uh you typed a bit too much Avery and the Mavs did it together and it is time for them to go their separate ways. I thought the team holding a player's only practice said it all. It was time for him to go. wtf. I read about a paragraph then gave up. I already read the newspaper this morning. I don't need to do it again. I don't feel reading a research paper right now I'll just take the 2 points. avery is on my nuts how long did that take to type? |
