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Mavs Maniac · 03-14-2006, 09:20 PM

Happy anniversary, Mavs

04:34 PM CST on Tuesday, March 14, 2006

By DAVID MOORE / Staff Writer

We’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of the day that changed the Mavericks.

Don’t expect Mark Cuban and Don Nelson to exchange cards.

Sunday will mark the anniversary of the day Nelson walked away from the Mavericks and turned the job over to Avery Johnson. It was a seamless transition, one that worked out great for the three principals and, more important, the team.

Cuban has a coach he’s comfortable working with, a relationship he hasn’t enjoyed since his early days with Nelson. Johnson has a team that has given him more wins through 82 games than any coach in league history. There is less tension in the front office and the locker room because the two top figures in the organization get along.

And Nelson? He’s been to Maui, New Zealand and scored tickets to the Oscars from his friend Owen Wilson. He has a role in a series that’s likely to be picked up by HBO and will open a bar on the edge of downtown Dallas in the next few days. Nelson calls it the most enjoyable year of his life.

The relationship between Cuban and Nelson was strained at the end, but both deserve credit for identifying Johnson as the next head coach and putting aside their differences to make it happen. The fact all three are happier and better off today than they were one year ago validates the breakup and move forward.

“My thing is, I try to talk less and less about that time and about that year,’’ Johnson said. “I’m not a superhero and Nellie is not a bad guy. Nellie laid a great foundation here. Now, why don’t we let him ride off into the sunset and remember that?

“Everyone got what they wanted. What a great position to be in. In reality, that doesn’t happen a lot.’’

Link

There's a great Q&A at the end of the article, I recommend you reading it.

What a great acquisiton it was hiring Avery Johnson, he has the best 82 game start (along with 50 and I'm sure a few others) in coaching history. He's pulled himself out as one of the best coaches in the leagues, lighting a fire under DDallas and getting them to play defense.

What do you think he needs to work on?

Dragnsmke1 · 03-18-2006, 08:25 AM

New appreciation: Johnson is approaching his one-year anniversary as Mavericks coach, and he said he's learned one key thing since taking over for Don Nelson.

"I have a lot more respect now for those other 29 coaches," he said. "When you're trying to play chess with those guys, they're really good. There's been times in the past [as a player] when I've been critical of a coach. But never anymore."

**StackAttack** · 03-18-2006, 12:49 PM

I was at his first game as head coach...against the Bobcats...I remember thinking about what a poor choice Don Nelson made, despite the win that night...haha, boy was I wrong...

miles · 03-18-2006, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1337

I was at his first game as head coach...against the Bobcats...I remember thinking about what a poor choice Don Nelson made, despite the win that night...haha, boy was I wrong...

I was also at that game, I didnt even know that he retired untill they announced it, I was so surprised. Then Avery benching Dirk because he wasnt playing defense...

**USSKittyHawk** · 03-18-2006, 08:12 PM

Avery Johnson aka Little General= My Choice for Coach of The Year. He has done an exceptional good job with this team, and has these kids playing defense.

Mavs Maniac · 03-18-2006, 11:05 PM

Quote:

By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News

Don Nelson settles his big, bear of a frame into the couch. He sips a latte and wears a relaxed smile, the kind never seen on a coach's face at this time of year.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Nelson's decision to walk away from the Mavericks bench. He retains a passionate interest in the team, having attended or watched every game, but is no longer burdened by the decisions and responsibilities that go with coaching.

The transition has been seamless. Owner Mark Cuban has a vibrant franchise and a coach he enjoys being around, a relationship he hasn't experienced since first purchasing the club. Avery Johnson is blessed with a talented group that has given him more victories in 82 games than any other coach in NBA history. There is less tension in the front office and no sniping behind the scenes now that the top figures in the organization get along.

Nelson has been to Maui, New Zealand and the Oscars, scoring tickets over beers and shuffleboard with actor Owen Wilson. He has a role in a series likely to be picked up by HBO and will open a bar on the edge of downtown Dallas in the next few days.

[an error occurred while processing this directive] Is there any need to ask how he's doing?

"I don't know how it can be any better," Nelson said.

Life is certainly better than it was in his final two years as coach when Cuban openly questioned Nelson's commitment and practices. The two men locked horns on a series of issues that left their relationship in shambles and opened the door for Johnson.

It's easy to forget that Cuban and Nelson started off on good terms.

Donnie Nelson, the club's president of basketball operations, was an assistant coach when Cuban purchased the franchise in January 2000. Donnie Nelson said Cuban helped energize his father and the whole organization after spending what he called two years in the desert.

Cuban respects Don Nelson's offensive creativity. But both men, in the view of Donnie Nelson, possess "a drive that is abnormal," and that led to conflict.

Cuban believes that commitment, focus and passion are essential to success. The irony is the more success the Mavericks achieved, the more his reservations grew about those qualities in Nelson.

Mounting tension

The Mavericks hit a bit of a lull shortly after opening the 2002-03 season with 14 consecutive wins. Cuban expressed his concerns to Nelson, who took it as an attack of his philosophy and practice habits. The coach assembled his staff and a few key players in a room and told them their boss had something to say.

"Guys, we need a sense of urgency," Cuban remembers saying. "We have got something to prove. If he [Nelson] doesn't want to say it, I will.

"That was it. I didn't like being put on the spot like that, but that was the extent of it, and it was never brought up again."

Nelson doesn't know if he handled the issue correctly. But he does know he offended Cuban and said their relationship was never the same afterward. The rift widened later that season during the Western Conference Finals.

Forward Dirk Nowitzki sprained his left knee in Game 3 of the team's series against San Antonio. He missed the next two games as the Mavericks went down, 3-2.

Doctors cleared Nowitzki for the crucial Game 6. Nowitzki said he wanted to play. But Nelson suffered a similar injury during his playing career and believed his young star was unrealistic. His refusal to play Nowitzki led to a heated exchange with Cuban in which Nelson told his owner the only way the forward would take the court was if he was fired on the spot.

"He actually thought about it," Nelson said. "I could tell."

Cuban said he didn't consider firing Nelson. But he asked why the club employed doctors if they weren't going to trust their opinion. He couldn't understand why Nelson refused to dress Nowitzki and let him try.

"It was there I realized what I had suspected before, that Nellie really preferred to be the underdog," Cuban said. "Even with the possibility of a championship at stake."

The accusation that he used Nowitzki's injury as an excuse to fail infuriated Nelson, who maintains what was said in that meeting "helped destroy our relationship."

The Mavericks lost the game, and the Spurs advanced to win the championship. What is Nowitzki's take on that whole episode today?

"It was the right decision," he said. "I remember going down to shoot before the game. I was going on adrenaline because I wanted to play.

"But I remember when I was standing in a timeout, my leg was real tired. So I don't think I could have played."

There were other incidents. Those close to Cuban and Nelson say the harsh feelings and mistrust escalated during Nelson's contract negotiations in the summer of 2003. Cuban grew skeptical of Nelson's personnel judgment, wondering why he assumed big contracts for players his coach failed to play.

At the half of a road game in Memphis during the 2003-04 season, Cuban offered advice during the coaches meeting. Nelson tried to throw the owner out, but Cuban said, "If we work together, we work together. So I'm staying."

Nelson turned and left.

There was something else at work here, something Donnie Nelson labels a generational divide. Nelson is 65, making him 18 years older than Cuban. One of the few things the two agreed on at the end was that Johnson should be the team's next coach.

"The difference was, I was so much his senior," Nelson said. "I was almost like his father. As he grew in stature, there was a conflict there.

"I'm set in my ways. I want to do it a certain way. When I say something, I always expected it to be done. It was the final word. When it wasn't the final word anymore, he was the final word, there was a conflict.

"With Avery, they're closer to the same age. It's more like brothers now. That's working real well, at least it seems."

Smooth sailing

Cuban and Nelson rarely talked at the end. That's why assistant coach Del Harris served as the intermediary who brokered the deal that led to Nelson leaving with 18 games left in the regular season.

Cuban and Johnson talk all the time. If the owner misses a game, Johnson will e-mail or phone. Cuban calls the relationship a beautiful thing.

"For me, one of the healthiest things about the organization is our relationship," Johnson said. "That's one of the great things about where we are now. We communicate.

"Nellie would always complain about Mark being around the huddles. Mark being around the huddles gave him a chance to see what I do strategically, see how I communicate, hear how I handle adversity, hear how I discipline, see what plays I draw up in the last seconds of a game.

"Had he not been around, I don't know if his comfort level would have been as high to hire me as coach."

That's another difference. Johnson is at the stage of his coaching career where he needs to earn Cuban's trust and confidence. He doesn't view it as an intrusion.

Nelson viewed it as usurping his authority.

Not that Johnson is a yes man. He listens to Cuban's ideas but isn't afraid to tell the owner when he thinks he's off base. Both men treat each other with the respect that was missing at the end of the relationship between Cuban and Nelson.

"Even though we may be on the same street, we have different addresses," Johnson said. "That's OK. The way he [Cuban] shows his passion may not be the way I show my passion.

"Instead of always being dissatisfied with each others differences, celebrate them."

Johnson is clearly uncomfortable talking about what went wrong with Cuban and Nelson. He's adamant that he shouldn't be portrayed as a superhero while Nelson comes across as a bad guy. Johnson wonders why people don't talk about all the good Nelson did for the franchise and allow him to ride off into the sunset.

One never knows where the sun will set on Nelson these days. It could be Los Angeles, where the former coach is scheduled to be two days a week for 14 weeks if HBO picks up that series.

Nelson said he has never had a better year in his life but refuses to rule out a return. His close ties with Sacramento owners Joe and Gavin Maloof – who set up his role on the proposed series and invited Nelson and his wife, Joy, to a party after the Academy Awards – has led to speculation he will wind up with the Kings.

For now, Nelson simply enjoys life and feels a tremendous sense of pride for what Johnson has accomplished. He and Cuban have communicated only once in the past year, by e-mail. Nelson said it's too soon for the two to renew their friendship but believes one day they will. Cuban said no business relationship is perfect but still "thinks the world of Nellie."

All three know the decisions made one year ago were best for them and the franchise.

"Absolutely," Nelson said. "It couldn't be better. All sides are happy. It's the only time I've ever seen it in this business.

"There are no negatives at all."

AWESOME ARTICLE by David Moore

shookem · 03-19-2006, 03:50 PM

That was a really good article.

Avery's a great coach too. But can he out smart Big Poppa in the playoffs?

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