Avery given vote of support
By DWAIN PRICE
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
In a survey of some of the media members with a vote, Mavericks coach Avery Johnson is on target to win this year's NBA Coach of the Year award.
More than 66 percent of the media members contacted by the Star-Telegram with a Coach of the Year vote said they'll select Johnson as their top pick to win the award.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer said: "I voted for Avery because he linked two words -- "Mavericks" and "defense" -- that never belonged in the same sentence under Don Nelson. Changing a team's persona is the hardest thing in coaching, and he pulled it off."
Not only did Johnson pull it off, but he has the Mavs (59-21) on the verge of winning 60 games for just the second time in franchise history.
Jason Quick of The Oregonian said: "No coach this season has changed their team's style more than Avery, who has the Mavericks playing defense and seemingly playing with a sense of urgency. Everyone thought Dallas would be good.
"But, great? They are, and Avery is the reason."
Ohm Youngmisuk of the New York Daily News agreed with that assessment.
"I never expected Dallas to win 60 games," Youngmisuk said. "After losing [Michael] Finley, and [Steve] Nash the year before, the Mavericks have not only not missed a beat, they are defending like never before.
"Who knew Avery could put the 'D' in Dallas?"
Although the NBA officially announces the Coach of the Year winner during the second round of the playoffs, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star believes he already knows whose name will top the ballot.
"I don't think this one's going to be close," Smith said. "Johnson's done an incredible job getting the Mavs to pay much more attention to defense, he's taken new pieces like [DeSagana] Diop and made them fit in.
"And he demands the respect of his players because he seems, to me at least, to be very consistent in how he deals with 'em."
In the Star-Telegram survey, Johnson is expected to get a strong challenge for the top coaching honor from Mike D'Antoni of the Phoenix Suns.
Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News said: "D'Antoni wasn't a bit deterred by the loss of [Amare] Stoudemire, and, later, the loss of [Kurt] Thomas. He has a system and the players who fit that system."
D'Antoni has led the Suns to a 52-27 record, the Pacific Division title and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
"D'Antoni has the best system in the league and knows how to get players to perform in it," USA Today writer David DuPree said. "Nash makes it run, but D'Antoni is the one who makes it possible."
Beside Johnson and D'Antoni, the majority of the other votes from the media members in the survey went to Flip Saunders (Detroit), Byron Scott (New Orleans/Oklahoma City), Mike Dunleavy (LA Clippers) and Gregg Popovich (San Antonio).
But Johnson, in his first full season as head coach, is the overwhelming favorite to win the award.
"I've spent 58 years in the game of basketball," said Bob Ortegel, a TV analyst on the Mavs' broadcast who has a vote. "I started playing when I was 8 years old, and Avery Johnson is the best practice teacher I have ever seen.
"He will be a Hall of Fame coach some day. He's as good as it gets."
And what Johnson will receive in about a month has become obvious to Phil Miller of The Salt Lake Tribune.
"I expected Dallas to begin a slow fade this year," Miller said. "But Avery seems to have made it clear who's in charge, he developed the kids and turned the Mavs into a team that's going to contend for the title in a year or two."
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