Quote:
It was no secret that the intense Johnson often butted heads with outspoken owner Mark Cuban. NBA sources say Johnson would have been OK with Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki being dealt to the Lakers for Kobe Bryant or the Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett, but Cuban wasn't. Cuban's hands-on approach and vocal nature toward the referees also were challenging for Johnson to deal with.
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketb...his_happiness/
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I posted this in the 2007 Warriors thread just to beat the dead horse that Avery Johnson's coaching legacy, but it got me thinking about how Dirk and Garnett measure up against each other historically.
Since the championship in 2011, it seems pretty much universally accepted that Dirk is a bit higher on the all-time list than Garnett (I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that Garnett is top 20 all-time.)
Just remember, it wasn't that long ago that you would be laughed at for suggesting that Dirk was better than Garnett. In fact, it wasn't that long ago that some were arguing that Garnett was the best player in the game.
It makes me wonder, when exactly did Dirk surpass Garnett? Not just in the public's eyes- that clearly happened the moment the buzzer sounded in game 6 in Miami. But in reality, when did Dirk actually become a better player than KG- or was he always better?
For me it was the 04-05 season. Nash was gone and Dirk took a decent but not spectacular team to 58 wins, while Garnett's Wolves (who if memory serves were favored to win the West before the season started) completely tanked and missed the playoffs- only to get worse every year.