• Events
• Photo Sales
• Posters and Reprints
• Press Pass Card
• Reader Rewards e-Newsletter
• Newspaper in Education
• MyDFWstore.com

Posted on Thu, May. 01, 2008

Avery goes out like a true winner

By RANDY GALLOWAY

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Here's what I love about Avery Johnson:

Even to the bitter end, knowing his job was on the line, he took no spit from any owner or any player, particularly a stupid weasel like Josh Howard.

Excuse me, but the Averys of the world can inhabit my planet anytime.

Sure, that coach-called-off-practice-but-the- players practiced-anyway scene from earlier this week was totally mis-reported (I'm still intrigued by Roger Clemens' infamous "mis-remembered"), and the local media -- count me as guilty -- looked like fools once the real story broke.

Regardless, Avery turned out to be right.

And speaking of right, so was his firing, or contractual settlement, or both, on Wednesday. Immediate splitsville between Avery and Mark Cuban was the quick, easy and ultimate solution.

Gentlemen, thanks to both of you for making it so simple.

Avery had to go, if nothing else, for his own good, and his own career.

Cuban, for his ego, needed a change. The man, until Wednesday, had never hired or fired a head coach (Don Nelson named Avery as his successor) and Mark, like Jerry Jones, wanted someone willing to provide an ear for his X's and O's ideas.

Big Nellie didn't want to hear him on that subject. Neither did Avery. Much hate happened.

Since Cuban bought the team on Jan. 4, 2000, the Cowboys have had four head coaches and the Rangers four managers. It's easy to see Cuban wanting his own guy as head coach, therefore allowing the owner to put his stamp on all things Maverick, including in-game decisions.

Avery was criticized for being a control freak. It's true. But Cuban is a carbon copy in this area. Actually, there is no bigger control freak than Mark. A personality clash was bound to happen, and did.

Whatever the means of Avery's departure -- fired or a settlement -- he had no gripe coming, and in an interview on local ESPN radio Wednesday, Johnson obviously agreed.

He praised Cuban. With a guaranteed amount of something around $14 million in Avery's hip pocket (for the final three years of the contract), why the heck not?

Johnson's teams won a lot of games here, but they also lost at the wrong time. Lost in the playoffs. Losing at the wrong time on a consistent basis is always a legitimate reason to make a coaching change.

In this case, however, I would change the players, not the coach, but it doesn't work that way, of course. Never has, never will.

Avery is a good head coach, with a chance to be great. He will learn from this experience, learn from his stubborn, hard-butt ways. The first time around for any head coach is always an educational process, and he will be better the second time, which will come by next season, if Johnson decides to jump right back in with a new team.

That's the real prize for Avery. His respect factor in the NBA remains strong, so he can pick and choose his next job, which is interesting, particularly if you read local opinion that Avery was "out-coached" in playoff losses to Pat Riley, Big Nellie and now Byron Scott.

Was he? Or was he "out-playered?"

The perception that Avery has been blessed with great talent is laughable, including the Finals club two years ago. Ask Big Nellie, who left him most of this talent. Outside of Dirk, you will hear a hoot from Nelson, who timed his brilliant exit as soon as possible after Steve Nash jumped to Phoenix.

But the answer on talent will come from Cuban's next head coach. Let's see what the newcomer does with the "talent" on hand.

Speaking of a hoot, the same people who wanted Nellie run out of town, and welcomed Avery's defensive emphasis, are now screaming for an offensive-minded coach to take over.

Josh Howard, the so-called second-best player on the team, is prime evidence No. 1 about the talent level.

His stupidity during the Hornets series makes you wonder if the guy is high on something. Oh, I forgot. Josh only smokes the weed in the off-season. And if you believe that...

Avery was hammered in the media for suddenly calling off practice on Monday, the day before Game 5 in New Orleans. And his players were praised for ignoring him and holding a players-only practice.

Then the truth surfaced. Johnson discovered before Monday's practice that Josh had defied the coach's "no partying in the playoffs" order. On Sunday, before and after an awful performance in Game 4, Howard was promoting with teammates a Sunday postgame birthday bash at a Dallas club.

As many as three teammates attended, but to their credit, most of the players didn't.

A livid Johnson called off practice, using choice language in questioning the commitment of some of his players.

Out of embarrassment for Howard's action, the players practiced anyway. And the local media ripped Avery as if almost a mutiny had taken place.

This we now know:

Howard is a huge loser. Johnson deserves an apology from the media, but even better, he also got the quick hook, job-wise, opening up a whole new NBA world.

His departure will leave Coach Cuban, Dirk and the other players who wanted Avery gone, the opportunity to prove in the future all this collection of talent really needed was a different leader.

Randy Galloway can be heard on Galloway & Co. weekdays from 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.