Avery's way for Mavs has a ring to it

[kriD]

Avery's way for Mavs has a ring to it

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

It's been almost a year since that uncomfortable moment when Avery Johnson first talked about winning a championship – in Dallas, no less.

With the Mavericks.

It was sort of like burping in public. You gave the man some space and tried not to giggle or say something awkward about the social indiscretion.

Who knew then that by the end of this season, he'd have a whole team belching the same message?

It doesn't seem near as uncomfortable now.

Since that day last season when Johnson took over for Don Nelson, and particularly since the off-season work, through training camp and during an 82-game regular-season grind, everything Johnson has said and done has been geared toward a championship.

So, has it worked?

"We'll find out, won't we?" Del Harris, Johnson's right-hand man, said Tuesday. "It has produced 60 wins. But we all know that's not the ultimate goal."

Not for Johnson, Harris, the rest of the coaching staff, the players or owner Mark Cuban. This weekend, the playoffs start, and the Mavericks are one of the four or five teams that can legitimately say they have a shot at the ring.

That doesn't mean Johnson's season of educating his team about championship ideals and attitudes has reached a conclusion.

"We are trying to win a championship," Johnson said. "But we're in the first year of implementing a program. All we're saying is we didn't want to come in here saying we wanted to win games. We came in saying we were going to give 1,000 percent to our fans in trying to win a championship.

"But we had to try to implement the program. And whether we win the championship or not, we don't think our program is as strong now as it will be in years two, three or four."

In many ways, the Mavericks have set themselves up for a big fall. If they don't win the title – and it's certainly more likely than winning it – then critics will question the wisdom of basing an entire season on championship aspirations.

Johnson wouldn't have it any other way. The risk is worth it.

"It's big goals, big rewards," he said. "There are some teams that came into this year saying, we're trying to get to the playoffs. And they didn't make it. I'd rather say we're trying to win the championship and get [close] and not win it than to say we're trying to get to the playoffs or we're trying to win games. Let the criticism be high."

Johnson's strategy for the franchise has rubbed well on the players. Nobody has been put off by the upgrade in pressure and expectations.

"He's got a championship under his belt," Josh Howard said. "I want to get one, too. He knows how to do it."

Trust in the General. That's what the Mavericks have done, and it started with trusting in Johnson's willingness to talk openly about a championship.

"I think we have as good a shot as ever this year, maybe the best ever," Dirk Nowitzki said. "We match up with pretty much every team in the league. We can go small. We can go big. I still think we have a great shot. Avery's put his stamp on this team on how we play and how we compete every night. And that's a tribute to him."

Jerry Stackhouse paid Johnson perhaps the ultimate compliment. He was asked about the decision – a tough decision – that Johnson has had to make regarding whether Stackhouse will be sixth man or a starter.

"I trust Avery," Stackhouse said. "I trust him more than any coach I've had since Dean Smith."

That goes back to his North Carolina years and covers all of Stackhouse's NBA coaches. And, while sometimes it's hard to differentiate between lip service and truth, Stackhouse never throws out Dean Smith without some degree of reverence.

"I trust Avery," Cuban said. "Everybody trusts him. He's been there before. And it's not just about words. He'll discuss it with you and make you understand. He's a great communicator, and he's a great coach."

Starting with his eagerness to talk big and risk big in hopes of getting a reward that's big.

[chumdawg]

"We are trying to win a championship," Johnson said. "But we're in the first year of implementing a program. All we're saying is we didn't want to come in here saying we wanted to win games. We came in saying we were going to give 1,000 percent to our fans in trying to win a championship.

"But we had to try to implement the program. And whether we win the championship or not, we don't think our program is as strong now as it will be in years two, three or four."

Wow. Just...wow. The program isn't as strong as now as it could be (and will be in a few years). We're only in the first year. Don't judge us yet.

That's kinda what I've thought all along. Shocking to hear AJ admit it, though. How many years of prime does he think he has from Dirk?

I'm starting to think that AJ thinks AJ is a whole lot more important than Dirk is. Keep an eye on this...

[EricaLubarsky]

Is AJ asking our players to play ten times harder than they are physically capable of doing?

[chumdawg]

This is a very disturbing article.

It was said once that Nellie had so much ego that he would subjugate his team in order to serve his own best interests. I never believed this, but it was said.

Nellie never--as far as I can remember--came out during the season and said that it was championship or bust. Avery Johnson did. I believe, in fact, that he said something along the lines of needing to win to a championship within the space of two years or else being fired. And now it's three and four years down the line?

Sell it somewhere else, Avery Johnson. We didn't buy on for a three- and four-year rebuilding program. Hell, by then Dampier will be like 50 and making twelve million a year!

This is very, very disappointing.

[chumdawg]

I'd rather say we're trying to win the championship and get [close] and not win it than to say we're trying to get to the playoffs or we're trying to win games. Let the criticism be high."

Who did you think you were taking over? The Sonics? Who is trying to get to the playoffs or win games? Certainly not the elite Mavericks squad you took over. The Mavs have made the playoffs, and won 50+ games, for about seven years now. Just what in...THE...hell...is Avery talking about here??

[rabbitproof]

I don't think his comments are a big deal.

It still is high goals (ie- I will try to win a marathon this summer, starting this year). At the same time, what he is saying is pretty obvious - of course the program will get better as we gain further experience and perfect the imperfections (Each year, my time will get better). To say otherwise is foolish. He is not denying this year's goal of winning a championship in acknowledging the implementation process and the experience curve.

If AJ did say championship within 2 years, while what he says now makes sense, it is a new song! And shame, shame!

Personally, I think Dirk has another 3 PRIME years, where he can be considered a MVP candidate, so it fits within 'this program' and he ought to have a couple more all-star seasons after that. (Somewhere between all-star and the end, god help us, please let us find another top-5 player.)

It is a little *strange* for him to bring the program up when our direction and focus should be on here and now - not 2008. But I see nothing wrong in what he has said, just maybe the timing.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Shame on AJ for changing his tune. I don't know if this was the impression he meant to give, but these comments make it seem as though he's lost confidence in the team over the course of the season.

I know the whole "championship or bust" mentality can be dangerous, but really, when you're in the boat the Mavericks have been in for as long as they have been, what else is there? Last year was the rebuilding year. This year we're for real. You don't have the best regular season in franchise history and then say "the program's gonna be better in a year, two or three years."

That's a cop out. And let's be honest here, people. What will this season have meant if we lose to the Spurs in the second round? Jack and shit, and Jack left town.

Injuries aside, why the hell shouldn't we expect a championship?

[Usually Lurkin]

I've been away from the board for a bit, so maybe I missed some position taking, but is the complaint that Avery does want to win a championship this year, or that he wants to win one next year, and will want to win one the year after that?

[sixeightmkw]

what are you talking about. He implemented his program this year. Of course he wants a championship this year and will do whatever he can to win it this year. But he knows that in 2 to 3 years they will be 100 times better than they are now if the ykeep with the system. Your stupid coming on here bashing Avery for saying what he said. Stupid.

[Triple T's]

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

I've been away from the board for a bit, so maybe I missed some position taking, but is the complaint that Avery does want to win a championship this year, or that he wants to win one next year, and will want to win one the year after that?

I don’t really see anything wrong with what he said. obviously its important for the coach to address the present needs of the team and its fans, by putting together a product that is capable of winning a championship, but also at the same time, he has to look down the line and see where this collection of talent is headed. yes he says it’s the first year of implementing a new system, but who here doesn’t believe that? This team isn’t close to the efficiency its needs to have offensively and defensively. think back to when SA won those championships with pop. yes, he had good talent around Duncan, but not great. yet he knew that it was a small segment of a long process. we shouldn’t be content with what we’ve got if we know that were capable of much better things beyond this year. he just reminding us of the fact that this team will be even better in the years to come! and that is great news.

[Rhylan]

Good grief, y'all... there's no change here. Avery is just showing confidence in his system and style. Dirk is gonna turn 28 this summer. He ain't old yet. I like the fact that he's saying the Mavs will be even better next year, or the next. Last time I checked, that wasn't the sort of comment you jump on a coach's ass for.

[WraithXx]

Everyone read Triple T's post and chill the hell out.... jeezus

[Thespiralgoeson]

No, I don't think I will chill the hell out. Like I said, the season will be a disappointment if we lose to the Spurs in the second round. Plain and simple. Well talk about next year next year, two years in two years and so on. Leave the "implementing the program" talk to the Indianas, Houstons, and Sacramentos of the league.

[kriD]

Mavs want bling-bling, no excuses

By JIM REEVES
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS -- There's only one way this can end right for the Mavs, and they know it like they know Dirk Nowitzki's shaggy blonde hair and jump shot.

Owner Mark Cuban said it best on a Wednesday morning radio show.

"For this to be a successful season," he said, "it has to end up with jewelry."

You know, bling-bling, as in championship rings.

I like that attitude.

He's right, too, or close to it. This time, it has to be at least the NBA Finals or bust.

Losing in the first round to Memphis would be devastating. It seems inconceivable that that might happen, but there can be no more excuses with San Antonio, either. It's time for the Mavs to beat the big boys.

They have the players to do it, especially if they can get Devin Harris healthy for the second round, so that he can shadow Tony Parker.

They have the system to do it.

They have a legitimate MVP candidate and the man who should be coach of the year, hands down.

They have the support cast in place.

What they're fresh out of is alibis.

Not that they're looking for any.

They stopped doing that when the no-nonsense, no-excuses Johnson took over as head coach.

This is a team that is a product of the man who leads it.

As much as I loved Don Nelson, and still do, when Nellie was here, the Mavs always had a built-in excuse. They couldn't, or wouldn't, play defense, and Nellie, try as he might, didn't know how to change that or didn't want to sacrifice the offense it would take to do so.

The General came in here and eliminated that excuse. Won't float anymore. Don't even trot it out there.

And by insisting that his team play defense, and by getting Dirk and his other star players to buy into that philosophy, Johnson also got rid of another Mavs flaw. Maybe you noticed, they're not soft anymore. You don't hear that knock on the Mavs around the NBA that you once heard regularly.

"This team is not soft," veteran point guard Darrell Armstrong said before the Mavs' final regular-season game with the Clippers on Wednesday night. "We've got guys who have a little edge about them, and you like that."

That edge comes from their coach.

Nellie did for the Mavs what Bob Gainey once did for the Stars. He recognized his own limitations, and he saw the man who could take this team to another level.

Gainey did that when he fired himself as Stars coach and hired Ken Hitchcock. It was the key first step in a journey that ended in the wee hours of the morning in Buffalo seven years ago, with the Stars skating around the ice with the Stanley Cup hoisted above their heads.

Nellie's unselfishness in seeing that Avery Johnson could do for the Mavs what he could not accomplish might have a very similar ending.

It was almost funny last week when Johnson went off on a rant about needing his leaders to stand up and be counted. Here his team was, on the verge of its 60th victory, headed to the playoffs with its highest hopes since it advanced to the conference finals almost two decades ago, but The General was still applying the whip.

He knows no other way.

He will not let up until the Mavs win a championship. Besides, he was making a point to his veterans. This is not the time, he was saying, to be quiet, to sit back and relax.

Of course, the Mavs have a leader. That's why they call him The General.

This is a different team than the one Johnson took into the playoffs last spring after he'd spent just a few weeks on the job.

"We're much more mature than we were then," Johnson said. "Obviously I think we're better defensively. We're much more physical than what we were last year. We move the ball a lot better. We're tougher-minded."

Johnson has been able to impose his own intensity onto his team. The Mavs see the coach's jaw knotted like he's got a cheek full of walnuts, or that vein throbbing in his temple, and they know instinctively that they must turn it up a notch, or maybe three. If the coach cares that much, how can they not care that much, too?

Thanks to injuries, however, this is not the team Johnson wishes he was taking into the playoffs.

"We were [that team] for a two-week stretch [earlier] in the season, when we were all together and it was clicking," Johnson said, smiling at the memory. "You could see the depth and how we could wear on teams and get into their bench.

"Unfortunately, we haven't been able to see that team much. We have to go with what we have, and I still think it's good enough. I think [the adversity] made us tougher and brought us closer together."

Dirk is a better all-around player now than he's ever been. Josh Howard is a rising star. Johnson pulls everything out of Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse that they have to give. Up and down the roster, it's the same.

The change in the Mavs' attitude has been dramatic. They know without question that they're good enough, that they belong here.

Now it's time to go out and prove it.

"This isn't about winning 55 or 60 games," Armstrong said. "It's about winning a title. That's what we were built for."

Remember when we used to have that old debate about whether the Mavs were an elite NBA team?

There's no debate anymore.

It's time to go for the bling-bling.