Some avery bashing by the DMNews

[dude1394]

This is some pretty stout stuff by JJT imo. The bloom is definitely off the cajun rose.

For series to last, Dallas Mavericks must go fast
11:55 PM CDT on Monday, April 21, 2008

NEW ORLEANS - A word of advice to Avery Johnson before Game 2 of the Mavericks' playoff series against New Orleans: Do whatever it takes to get the Mavs' running game going.

If that means not drawing up plays for Jason Kidd while the Hornets are shooting free throws, so be it. If it means spending much of the game sitting down and observing instead of calling plays, that's fine, too.

The Mavs won't win if they don't run. Their half-court offense simply isn't good enough to get the job done.

Besides, Avery's way hasn't worked for a while.

The Mavs are 2-9 in their last 11 playoff games. They're 0-7 on the road during that span, and blowout losses in the postseason have become routine.

A different approach couldn't hurt. Realistically, an 0-2 hole is probably more than this mentally fragile group can overcome.

Remember how easily they wilted in the third quarter, when the Hornets turned a 12-point deficit into a four-point lead?

Much of the Mavs' inconsistency since Kidd arrived revolves around their inability to get their fast break working. At home, the Mavs feed off the crowd's energy and play at a fast tempo. On the road, they don't.

In their last five home games, the Mavs averaged 28 fast-break points. In their last five road games, they averaged 9.6.

It's a microcosm of their season.

There's no tangible explanation for the Mavs' ineffective running game on the road except that they don't play with the same urgency. Or maybe, Avery keeps a tighter rein on his team because it's in a hostile environment.

Whatever the issue, it must be fixed.

In their Game 1 loss, the Mavs had 10 fast-break points - six came in the first quarter. A few days earlier, the Mavs had 24 fast-break points in a blowout home win over the Hornets.

New Orleans, which wants to hold the Mavs to 10 fast-break points per game, has made a concerted effort to stop Dallas from running because it knows the Mavs offense stagnates in the half court. There's not enough ball movement, and guys often end up taking tough shots as the shot clock winds down.

To slow down the Mavs, the Hornets have concentrated on taking good shots and limiting their turnovers. It's a lot harder for the Mavs to run when the Hornets shoot a high percentage.

"If we get some stops and we get our running game going, we can get the ball in Kidd's hands and let him do his thing in the open court and create and find open shooters," Dirk Nowitzki said. "But it's tough to get our running game going if we have to take the ball out of the basket every time."

Even when the Hornets score, Chris Paul often denies Kidd the ball. Paul is also trying to force Kidd to turn his body to receive the inbounds pass instead of catching it while he's running up court, which slows him down a tad.

On the break, Kidd likes to throw long passes to Josh Howard or Dirk while they sprint down the wing. The Hornets are defending those passes.

The key, though, is for Dallas to force the tempo and impose its preferred style on the Hornets.

Kidd can do that, if he's not worried about Avery. Sometimes, a team has to take what it wants - not what the defense is giving it.

Now, it's not going to be easy for Avery to cede control of the Mavs offense. It's not part of his personality. He's a control freak on par with Bill Parcells.

Frankly, there's nothing wrong with that because his career winning percentage suggests his approach has worked. It just hasn't worked that well since Kidd arrived.

Time is running out.

[alby]

"In their last five home games, the Mavs averaged 28 fast-break points. In their last five road games, they averaged 9.6."

stat of the year?

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Yeah, it's gonna be kinda hard to fix the fast breaks on the road when coach is telling you to run crappy, half-court isos. Doesn't it seem like this all started with the way Devin Harris was coached and now the whole team is being run like Harris was? I didn't complain that much about Harris being gone because I finally felt that Kidd would be able to run the team without that tick being stuck at his side. Nope. I feel like things have actually gotten worse with that part of the coaching. I see so much discombobulation on the court all too many times. Ugh.

[Thespiralgoeson]

I wouldn't say I've given up hope for the Mavs getting out of the first round, but I do think it's a longshot. If the Mavs do lose in the first round, I have to assume that will finally be enough for Cuban to pull the plug on Avery.

I never ever want my beloved Mavericks to lose, but honestly, when the season ends for the Mavs it might be something of a relief. I feel this year a lot like I did in the '04 playoffs. That year I knew the team wasn't going anywhere, and it almost pained me to watch the playoffs, knowing that the Mavs didn't have half the chance they had the year before. When it was over, I was glad I didn't have to dread the moment they were finally eliminated anymore, and could look forward to the next year when I thought they could make a good push again. Same deal this year.

[endrity]

^The whole season seems like a repeat of 04 Spiral. The trades that led us nowhere, the inability to win on the road, Dirk becoming openly frustrated with the team. At least after 04 we rebuilt in an amazing fashion, I don't know if there is enough of Dirk's prime left this time around.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by endrity

^The whole season seems like a repeat of 04 Spiral. The trades that led us nowhere, the inability to win on the road, Dirk becoming openly frustrated with the team. At least after 04 we rebuilt in an amazing fashion, I don't know if there is enough of Dirk's prime left this time around.

You could be right. I think we can make one more really good push for the title if we do three things in the offseason:

1. Replace Avery (obviously.) Rick Carlisle is my choice, but that's another debate.
2. Get a real shooting guard. This team is going nowhere without somebody that can match up with the other 2's of the western conference.
3. Get a backup center. Personally, I still think Magloire can to the job if given the chance, but if somebody like Jeff Foster can be got, then the mavs need to go for it. Hell, even Diop is available. If he'd be willing to come back to the Mavs, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

[kg_veteran]

JJT sounds like somebody I know:

It should also be noted that the Hornets want to play at a slower pace, while Dallas really doesn't since the Kidd trade. Running isolations gives the Hornets exactly what they want -- a slower pace at which they can simply score more efficiently and grind it out to victory. Think back to the win on Wednesday night. The pivotal run in the 3rd quarter (after the Mavs were down 11 at 70-59) came when the Mavs started pushing the pace and attacking, taking shots early in the shot clock and looking to run at every available opportunity.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that pace may well be the determinative factor in the outcome of this series.

[Sportstudi]

finally some media had the guts to do so...

[dude1394]

Man fish has lost him as well. I read on the lonemavsforum something about deuling media types ...Galloway speaking for Avery, fisher for cubes. This will certainly get interesting.

Fishers first "donut", never really figured out what that's about, does anyone really make donuts.

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=399

DONUT 1: In yet another chapter of ‘What Dirk Shoulda Done,’’ we’ve got Avery Johnson suggesting he’d like an enforcer to, as Art Garcia writes, “throw his weight around when Dirk Nowitzki and David West traded technicals at the end of Game 1. … Yes, he means Erick Dampier.’’
Said Johnson, comfirming that the “big-bodied center’’ he’d like to have seen step in between Dirk and West is Damp: “Was that clear enough?”
Um, not completely clear, no. Dirk-vs.-West occurred with 1:53 remaining in the game. Avery had taken Dampier out 78 seconds before that in favor of “enforcer’’ Jason Terry.

Yes, Avery, the 7-0, 265-pound Damp would’ve been a helluva guy to enter the fray. … except he would’ve had to come storming off the bench to do so, thus earning an automatic suspension for the next game.

Hey, I understand why fans flex fake-macho muscles while sitting in front of their TV sets or computers. Rating points and IQ points being what they are, I understand why Magic Johnson does the same.

But Avery? I’d pretty much just like him to stay on top of what five guys he’s got in the game at the time, OK?

DONUT 2: The most important task in G2, of course, is containing CP3. The Mavs keep saying stuff like, “We’ve got to make him work on defense,’’ which is fine. But short of Kidd going off for 20, they’ll need some creative ways to create that offensive challenge.

Some basics? A) Involve Kidd in pick-and-rolls, setting up Paul to have to switch onto a big man. B) Double-team the ball out of Paul’s hands not as a change-of-pace, but as a bread-and-butter. C) Get Kidd in the low post, where he can muscle Paul, and hoping that in addition to kicking it out to open mates, Kidd can finish at the rim. D) Force Paul from his mid-range sweet spots.

“We have some ideas,’’ said Avery.

Well, super. Better to have some ideas a game late than to have no ideas at all.

DONUT 3: From Hornets coach Byron Scott. “I know it will be a chess match, I know (Avery) will make some adjustments. So right now it's like I moved my pawn and he's going to make his move and we'll see what happens."

A little troubling: Scott, intending no malice, is essentially saying that the Hornets made a move. … and that Avery is going to respond. … three days later.

I personally wish Avery would’ve moved his pawn DURING Game 1. And I personally think ESPN’s John Hollinger gets off a viciously accurate dig when he writes that “it seemed Scott was playing solitaire chess in Game 1.’’

Here’s to Avery worrying less about boxing and more about chess.
.......
DONUT 10: A quick count: At the beginning of the regular season the coach said his team had no leaders. At the end of the regular season the coach said his team needed to spit out their pacifiers. And now one game into the postseason. … The coach suggests that Kidd isn’t challenging Paul. The coach suggests that Dirk can’t fight his own battles. The coach suggests that Damp didn’t stand up as an enforcer. The coach suggests that pre-Kidd, the entire g’damned roster was “weak-minded.’’

Is Avery Johnson throwing these guys the motivation? Or is Avery Johnson throwing these guys under the bus?

[jthig32]

Calling out Damp that obviously to the media is pretty dumb to begin with. But how foolish does he look when it's discovered that Damp wasn't even on the freaking floor?

So stupid.

[kg_veteran]

The quote about wanting Dampier to confront West also showed up in an AP story today:

Johnson also called on center Erick Dampier to be more aggressive in everything from rebounding to sticking up for teammates during on-court confrontations, such as when Nowitzki was in a nose-to-nose standoff with Hornets forward David West, who tapped Nowitzki on the cheek as they spoke.


“We need players to not back down from anybody. That’s what the playoffs are all about,” Johnson said. “More than Dirk doing something about it, I would have liked for somebody else on the team, preferably in the center position, to do something about it.”

What a sad indictment when Avery doesn't even know which players were on the floor.

[kg_veteran]

In other news, Avery Johnson called out Devin Harris in his news conference yesterday afternoon, saying that he simply has to play better defense on Chris Paul. A sympathetic member of the media then reminded Johnson that Devin Harris was no longer on the team, prompting Johnson to mutter something about swinging the ball.

[Dirkenstien]

I don't know what Avery was thinking by talking about Damp, especially when he wasn't even in the game.

Bass could have done something, though, because as I remember it he was just standing there watching the whole time.

I know Dirk should fight his own battles but your team has to be behind the best player and look out for him. What would have happened if someone started slapping Paul around like that? Would his team just stand around and watch?

[Thespiralgoeson]

Good god, I didn't even know about this until just now. What a buffoon.

[Flacolaco]

Can you win a round, or even a couple of games when your house is a complete effing mess like ours is right now?

When I think about what this team and it's coaches must look like from outside (the Dallas point of view) I can't help but laugh.

We are somewhat of a joke right now.

[nikeball]

I love Avery.....


NOT.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

Can you win a round, or even a couple of games when your house is a complete effing mess like ours is right now?

When I think about what this team and it's coaches must look like from outside (the Dallas point of view) I can't help but laugh.

We are somewhat of a joke right now.

I agree. This reminds me a little bit of the 05 playoffs when the team looked like it was coming apart at the seams against Phoenix. The difference is that then Dirk was the one who lost his cool and took most of the heat for it. Now Avery is the only guy that can be blamed.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

We are somewhat of a joke right now.

The Knicks are a joke - we're just a team struggling with mediocrity (although we'd be a top contender in the East...)

[jacktruth]

Originally Posted by kg_veteran

The quote about wanting Dampier to confront West also showed up in an AP story today:


What a sad indictment when Avery doesn't even know which players were on the floor.

Avery throws his players under the bus. The very reason he should be gone next year, even if they do well in the playoffs.

[Flacolaco]

Originally Posted by Underdog

The Knicks are a joke - we're just a team struggling with mediocrity (although we'd be a top contender in the East...)

Oh come on. Dirk's getting tapped on the face and being called out in the national media.

Avery is calling out Damp publicly.

The DMN is writing stories like this one about Josh and drug use.

Avery himself is getting called out by the papers.

We blew a 12 point lead in game 1. We have an awful record against good teams since the Kidd trade. Even worse on the road.

I'm only saying that if you were to see this from afar, which none of us are capable of doing, you would say this team is in a bit of disarray.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

Oh come on. Dirk's getting tapped on the face and being called out in the national media.

Avery is calling out Damp publicly.

The DMN is writing stories like this one about Josh and drug use.

Avery himself is getting called out by the papers.

We blew a 12 point lead in game 1. We have an awful record against good teams since the Kidd trade. Even worse on the road.

I'm only saying that if you were to see this from afar, which none of us are capable of doing, you would say this team is in a bit of disarray.

I agree we're in disarray, but to call us a "joke" is going a bit far...

One win tonight & everything you just listed goes away (until the next game...)

[Usually Lurkin]

Dampier gets "called out " what, once a season?
It seems like it's resulted in a pretty good game or two from him in the past.

[NewMexiMav]

Avery's lost his mind. If he's trying to motivate the emotionless Erick Dampier, whatever. I just know it would have been nice to have Damp in the game more in the 2nd half on Saturday so maybe Chandler wouldn't have had so many untouched follow dunks off of missed shots. But don't worry about that Damp, your job now, according to Avery, is to punch out David West. Genius!

[jacktruth]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

The DMN is writing stories like this one about Josh and drug use.

I think everyone in the NBA smokes pot. I used to work at a carwash where a lot of the mavs went and we found roaches in the ashtray of just about every one of them. . .hey wait, maybe that's why we never won a championship.

I suppose, though, that none of them rode a doobie at halftime. Maybe that's why Josh disappears in the second half. It could also explain the laughing.

[chumdawg]

I hope there is still time to change hotels!

[NewMexiMav]

Now, DMoore piles on with more questioning of Avery

Originally Posted by

Does Dallas Mavericks coach still have the moves?

02:45 AM CDT on Tuesday, April 22, 2008

By David Moore

NEW ORLEANS – Byron Scott tossed and turned.

The New Orleans coach longed to find an edge or uncover some wrinkle that would blindside the Mavericks to open the series. He awoke at 5 a.m. with an idea.

"I was really, really thinking about making some changes as far as we were concerned defensively, but once I finally got up, I told myself we're going to do what we do," Scott said. "We've been doing it all season long.

"We're one of the top five teams in the league on the defensive end, so why change? It's just a matter of us doing it better and doing it harder. I don't scrap everything we've done all season long and try to come up with new gimmicks to beat certain teams."

There will be more restless nights for Scott and every other coach in these playoffs.
Why bring up this story now?

Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson (receiving clipboard) huddles with his team during Game 1 in New Orleans.

Well, because it's time for Avery Johnson to adjust. The Mavericks coach must determine how to defend Hornets point guard Chris Paul and what to do about an offense that bogged down in the second half of the team's Game 1 loss.

The temptation for tonight's game is the same Scott faced before the series began. Does Johnson tweak a few things or does he go for shock and awe? Does he shift strategic gears or make a lineup change the way he did to open the Golden State series last season?

Remind me, how did that work?

OK, no more cheap shots. But it must be brought up to provide some context for the decisions Johnson will make in this series and the next – if there is a next.

Johnson had the magic touch after taking over for Don Nelson. He brought the Mavericks back from an 0-2 deficit to beat Houston in his first postseason series as a head coach. He inserted Devin Harris into the starting lineup against San Antonio the next season, a move that tilted that series in favor of the Mavericks and helped propel the team into the Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Now, he's a coach with a 2-9 record in his last 11 playoff games. He's respected but is saddled with the public perception that Pat Riley and Nelson schooled him.

You think this doesn't get under Johnson's competitive skin? He was asked before Game 1 about Scott's knowledge of Jason Kidd. Would it allow him to handle Kidd the way Nelson's knowledge of Dirk Nowitzki gave the Warriors an upper-hand last season?

Johnson responded by asking if Nelson put on a uniform to stop Nowitzki. He asked why that was continually brought up. He asked what Riley did to stop Nowitzki, then cited the average number of free throws Dwyane Wade attempted in the Finals and Baron Davis' jumpers from midcourt.

A tremendous amount of scrutiny accompanies any coach's decisions in the playoffs. But Johnson, hailed by all for his discipline, preparation and motivational ability, must show he can adjust. He must provide an Xs and Os response that has been questioned in his last two playoff series.

Does he trap Paul more or put Josh Howard on him for extended stretches? Does he mix in zone defense, something the Warriors were surprised Johnson didn't do more of in the first round last year?

"I know Coach Johnson probably wants to take the ball out of CP's hands and go trap and do things like that, but it still puts him at a disadvantage," New Orleans swingman Bonzi Wells said. "I mean, whatever he does, I know Coach Scott is going to have a counter for us.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the chess match."

So are Mavericks fans frustrated by the results of the last two playoff series.

God, will Avery ever admit a mistake? He's running out of players to throw under the bus! By my count, only Stack and George are left.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by jacktruth

I think everyone in the NBA smokes pot. I used to work at a carwash where a lot of the mavs went and we found roaches in the ashtray of just about every one of them. . .hey wait, maybe that's why we never won a championship.

I suppose, though, that none of them rode a doobie at halftime. Maybe that's why Josh disappears in the second half. Could explain all the laughing, too.

Having worked with several musicians (read: "without inciminating myself"), I can say that Josh's lack of motivation strikes me as the same slacker attitude I see in most habitual potheads...

If he NEEDS to do drugs to get loose, maybe he should try LSD - it worked wonders for Dock Ellis' game!

[MavsX]

dammit avery. Just shut your mouth and let the kidd's run. Otherwise its your a$$

[chumdawg]

Maybe there is a simple explanation. Maybe, despite all his puffery and bravado, Avery Johnson the coach is simply a choke artist.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Does Avery even know how to play chess?

[Flacolaco]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Does Avery even know how to play chess?

"In the game of chess, you can never let your adversary see your pieces."

[Murphy3]

I enjoyed listening to Ben and Skin ripping AJ after the Game 1 loss. They were curious as to why certain Mavs saw time on the floor in game 1. So was I. But hey, Juwan has been there for the Mavs all year... So why wouldn't he play crucial minutes in Game 1?

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Does Avery even know how to play chess?

"This sh*t ain't checkers, it's chess!"

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by ProdigyDub

"This sh*t ain't checkers, it's chess!"

Training Day

Wrong thread...

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by ProdigyDub

"This sh*t ain't checkers, it's chess!"

I wonder if Avery has seen Training Day....

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

"In the game of chess, you can never let your adversary see your pieces."

-Zapp Branigan


Also, your sig is very clever - so clever I hate it...

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Training Day

Wrong thread...

King Kong ain't got sh*t on me!

[Kidd Karma]

I think it's all about team. The guys on the court should have sprinted to Dirk's side, because if West saw that, he would have put his hands up and backed away. What West was asking for was a Dirk T at worst, good for Dirk for not going as low as West. If the Mavs 4 other players had hustled to the spot, get the refs think oh shit, the refs will step in the middle of it and break it up, something they should have done.

[jacktruth]

Originally Posted by Kidd Karma

I think it's all about team. The guys on the court should have sprinted to Dirk's side, because if West saw that, he would have put his hands up and backed away. What West was asking for was a Dirk T at worst, good for Dirk for not going as low as West. If the Mavs 4 other players had hustled to the spot, get the refs think oh shit, the refs will step in the middle of it and break it up, something they should have done.

This is crazy, people. Dirk and the team handled it exactly like it should have been handled. What they need to do, instead of getting stupid and ramped up hormonal about it is to go out and kick thier asses on the court tonight, win the series and when they win the series, Dirk can tap West on the cheek and say "see you next year, a$$hole" in German.

[AxdemxO]

Mann Avery is garbage...what a waste of time and talent over the last few years for this team