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kriD · 04-26-2006, 05:44 AM

Leading man

'Little General' is first Mav to win Coach of the Year award

By ART GARCIA
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS - The sight of Avery Johnson and Gregg Popovich sharing a hug stuck in the mind of Joe Prunty.

It's still a vivid image, though nearly 10 years old. Something about it just felt, well, historic.

"It was one of those moments that for whatever reason stayed with me," said Prunty, a first-year assistant with the Mavericks who spent the nine previous years in the San Antonio Spurs organization.

"It was Pop's very first win and I just remember thinking I was looking at something special. I didn't know what it was then. Looking back on it now, I was looking at two future Coach of the Year guys."

The future became the present Tuesday, as Johnson joined his former coach in San Antonio, his predecessor with the Mavs and a host of other distinguished names in an elite fraternity.

Johnson is the 2005-06 NBA Coach of the Year. He's the first Mavs coach in the 26-year history of the franchise to claim the award.

"I'm humbled by this because it's not really about me," Johnson said, seated behind the Red Auerbach Trophy at an afternoon news conference inside American Airlines Center. "It's about those 15 men that I work with on a daily basis, our players that really make all of this happen.

"Obviously, I'm not the happiest guy to work with every day, but they tolerate me. They know that I'm trying to get the best out of them. We have a lot of fun times together, too."

Johnson playfully chastised the media for not reporting enough of the "fun times." They didn't miss the job done on the court by the "Little General," who won the award in a landslide.

Johnson, 41, earned 63 first-place votes from a league-wide panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters, and was listed among the top three on 109 ballots.

Runner-up Mike D'Antoni of Phoenix, last season's Coach of the Year, had the second-most first-place votes (27), and Detroit's Flip Saunders appeared on the second-most ballots (79 ).

Johnson's résumé built a strong case - three coach of the month awards beginning with last season, the Western Conference coach in the All-Star Game, a 60-22 record his first complete year on the job, fastest coach to 50 wins, et al.

Those reasons added up to a Coach of the Year award. They don't explain Johnson's success.

Johnson has always been a coach-in-training. From his days at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans to Southern University to a 16-year NBA career, he prepared.

"This is what I'm here for," Johnson said. "I felt like I was a coach when I was a player, and even though this is only my second year, I feel like I've been doing this for a long time."

Undersized but undaunted, Johnson quarterbacked San Antonio to a championship in 1999 and became only one of two players under 6-foot in league history to play at least 1,000 games (Calvin Murphy).

"He's put in the work, he has the desire, and he also has the persistence and mental toughness to drag a team his way, to have it do what is necessary," Popovich said. "He won't give up."

Johnson expects the same from his team.

"He's demanding, but he was demanding as a player, too," Dirk Nowitzki said. "He's fun to play for, he has a great relationship with his players. Obviously, he can be very hard on you, but he's just trying to push you and we love him."

Even when it appears Johnson pushes too hard and is really getting on a player with that relentless Cajun mouth, it comes with a genuine sense of respect.

"He's able to let the players know by not only what he says, but by the way he behaves that he really cares about them," said assistant Del Harris, a former Coach of the Year (1994-95) who has assisted three award winners.

"You can be very demanding and even very critical if you show the passion you have for these people as individuals."

The personal relationships forged with his players, and everyone in the organization, are just as important as the X's and O's. Johnson is part of their lives.

When Jason Terry's niece unexpectedly passed away last month, Johnson reached out. He did the same when Jerry Stackhouse's junior high coach passed a few days ago.

"I care about what's going on in their families," Johnson said.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban is hopeful Johnson remains part of the family for years to come. He's a full year into a four-year contract after succeeding Don Nelson last March.

Incidentally, Johnson's incentives are based on how far the team goes in the playoffs and not on individual honors. Johnson said the day he was hired that if he can't win a championship before the contract is up, he'll fire himself.

"I hope he's coaching here 30 years from now," Cuban said. "Who knows? Maybe he'll be the guy smoking the cigar sitting on the bench in the next trophy they have."

04-26-2006, 05:44 AM	#33
kriD Platinum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 2,039	Leading man 'Little General' is first Mav to win Coach of the Year award By ART GARCIA Star-Telegram Staff Writer DALLAS - The sight of Avery Johnson and Gregg Popovich sharing a hug stuck in the mind of Joe Prunty. It's still a vivid image, though nearly 10 years old. Something about it just felt, well, historic. "It was one of those moments that for whatever reason stayed with me," said Prunty, a first-year assistant with the Mavericks who spent the nine previous years in the San Antonio Spurs organization. "It was Pop's very first win and I just remember thinking I was looking at something special. I didn't know what it was then. Looking back on it now, I was looking at two future Coach of the Year guys." The future became the present Tuesday, as Johnson joined his former coach in San Antonio, his predecessor with the Mavs and a host of other distinguished names in an elite fraternity. Johnson is the 2005-06 NBA Coach of the Year. He's the first Mavs coach in the 26-year history of the franchise to claim the award. "I'm humbled by this because it's not really about me," Johnson said, seated behind the Red Auerbach Trophy at an afternoon news conference inside American Airlines Center. "It's about those 15 men that I work with on a daily basis, our players that really make all of this happen. "Obviously, I'm not the happiest guy to work with every day, but they tolerate me. They know that I'm trying to get the best out of them. We have a lot of fun times together, too." Johnson playfully chastised the media for not reporting enough of the "fun times." They didn't miss the job done on the court by the "Little General," who won the award in a landslide. Johnson, 41, earned 63 first-place votes from a league-wide panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters, and was listed among the top three on 109 ballots. Runner-up Mike D'Antoni of Phoenix, last season's Coach of the Year, had the second-most first-place votes (27), and Detroit's Flip Saunders appeared on the second-most ballots (79 ). Johnson's résumé built a strong case - three coach of the month awards beginning with last season, the Western Conference coach in the All-Star Game, a 60-22 record his first complete year on the job, fastest coach to 50 wins, et al. Those reasons added up to a Coach of the Year award. They don't explain Johnson's success. Johnson has always been a coach-in-training. From his days at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans to Southern University to a 16-year NBA career, he prepared. "This is what I'm here for," Johnson said. "I felt like I was a coach when I was a player, and even though this is only my second year, I feel like I've been doing this for a long time." Undersized but undaunted, Johnson quarterbacked San Antonio to a championship in 1999 and became only one of two players under 6-foot in league history to play at least 1,000 games (Calvin Murphy). "He's put in the work, he has the desire, and he also has the persistence and mental toughness to drag a team his way, to have it do what is necessary," Popovich said. "He won't give up." Johnson expects the same from his team. "He's demanding, but he was demanding as a player, too," Dirk Nowitzki said. "He's fun to play for, he has a great relationship with his players. Obviously, he can be very hard on you, but he's just trying to push you and we love him." Even when it appears Johnson pushes too hard and is really getting on a player with that relentless Cajun mouth, it comes with a genuine sense of respect. "He's able to let the players know by not only what he says, but by the way he behaves that he really cares about them," said assistant Del Harris, a former Coach of the Year (1994-95) who has assisted three award winners. "You can be very demanding and even very critical if you show the passion you have for these people as individuals." The personal relationships forged with his players, and everyone in the organization, are just as important as the X's and O's. Johnson is part of their lives. When Jason Terry's niece unexpectedly passed away last month, Johnson reached out. He did the same when Jerry Stackhouse's junior high coach passed a few days ago. "I care about what's going on in their families," Johnson said. Mavs owner Mark Cuban is hopeful Johnson remains part of the family for years to come. He's a full year into a four-year contract after succeeding Don Nelson last March. Incidentally, Johnson's incentives are based on how far the team goes in the playoffs and not on individual honors. Johnson said the day he was hired that if he can't win a championship before the contract is up, he'll fire himself. "I hope he's coaching here 30 years from now," Cuban said. "Who knows? Maybe he'll be the guy smoking the cigar sitting on the bench in the next trophy they have."