You would think that blowing a 2-0 series lead in the NBA Finals was bad enough for the Dallas Mavericks.
But a first round playoff lost to an eighth seed after winning 67 games was probably even more embarrassing.
And if Dallas fails to defeat New Orleans in the first round this year, head coach Avery Johnson can potentially have fingers pointing towards him.
It was just two years ago that the Mavericks were a championship caliber team. And since then, it looks like the Mavericks have been stripped of their manhood completely.
A huge chunk of their manhood was taken away from them the minute the Miami Heat raised the Larry O'Brien trophy above their heads in 2006.
And the first round lost to Golden State last year sealed the deal. So who is to blame?
Both Avery Johnson and Mark Cuban can be to blame—but seriously, Mark Cuban isn't going to fire himself.
Cuban can be blamed for trading away their future (Devin Harris) and failing to improve with their current. (Jason Kidd)
Kidd was brought to Dallas for leadership and experience, and what's the result? A 3-1 hole they now have to try and dig themselves out of.
Game Four of this series was another disappointment for Dallas, as Jason Kidd was ejected and Dallas eventually lost the game by 13.
| "A huge chunk of their manhood was taken away from them the minute the Miami Heat raised the Larry O'Brien trophy above their heads in 2006". |
Dallas is now on the brink of being eliminated from the first round in back-to-back seasons, and hasn't won a playoff game on the road since 2006.
If or when Dallas loses this series, what's next?
Do they wait another year and try again, or do they start making changes personnel wise?
Another year, and possibly another let down—and this series can definitely cost Avery Johnson his job.
New Orleans can finish off Dallas at home on Tuesday.
Michael Whittenberg is a senior writer and NBA Community Leader for BleacherReport.com.
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2 months ago
It's hard to blame Johnson and Kidd when Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George, Josh Howard, and in the second half, Jason Terry miss open jumper after open jumper. I've been impressed for the most part with Dirk, but the Mavericks role players aside from Bass and sometimes Dampier have been terrible.
from 2 months ago
Very true, but you know at the end of the day Avery will probably be the one who has to suffer if anyone does.
2 months ago
i personally think avery johnson is a great coach. Simply put Cuban has built a very good, but not championship caliber team. Even when they lost to the Heat, I never thought they would win the series even when they were up and looking impressive. I dont think they have enought toughness and defense to go all the way and their window of opportunity has slammed shut. Its time to rebuild and the only components on the team worth keeping to me are dirk, josh howard, and stackhouse. everyone else should be replaced next year in my opinion
2 months ago
Avery is a terrible coach. The reason his players are sucking is because they have lost faith in Avery and his system and because they have been repeatedly humilated they have lost faith in themselves You can see the players are trying. You will see them play hard for bursts. But because Avery's offense is so terrible and because they are so poorly prepared on defense they just truly don't know what to do. That's the coaches fault, completely. Avery Johnson has the worst offensive and defensive system I have ever seen. And he is a horrible fit for Dirk. What a waste of Dirk's prime years. It's truly sad.
2 months ago
Avery isn't to blame. The problem here is Jason Kidd and he scoring drought. It's pretty obvious that the trade was a mistake now. A player liek Harris could of kept up with Paul and maybe even shown him out a couple of games.
2 months ago
I think Dallas needs to blow the whole thing up and start over. The loss in the finals was devastating, last year was a bad upset, but this year, Dallas just is not as good as New Orleans. Even before the Kidd trade, I don't think this Dallas team was getting out of the first round. But to give up all they did in talent, youth and money, and get nothing out of it, is not a good thing. This isn't Avery Johnson's fault, but sometimes a coach takes a team as far as it can go. And at some point, it just makes sense to bring in a new voice, go in a new direction, or any other similar cliche you want to use. Most teams have small windows to compete for a title - for Dallas it was 2006 and 2007. The window has closed. The longer it takes Dallas to realize this, the longer it will be until the team has a shot to be a legit title contender.
2 months ago
The trade of Harris definitely benefieted New Jersey; you always want the young guy and dump the aging and 'close to out the door' guy. Kidd may be able to lead, but he really hasn't been a viable scoring option in several years, more of a passer/rebounder.
Even though the players may be to blame, it's normally the coach that takes the fall. But when has Cuban ever done 'the normal'.
2 months ago
I think they have to many, well i dont want to say cancers on the team, but those types of players. Jerry Stackhouse is the absolute oposite of a locker room influence, Josh Howard is a pot-head, those type of things, but getting rid over Avery would probably help them. It is time for a change.
from 2 months ago
I disagree with Josh Howard being a pothead. How can you throw a guy under the bus for having the courage to admit what many people in the NBA do today?
If Howard never admitted to smoking, you wouldn't have anything to say about him to call him out, and hurt his character.
Also, you can't take away from the fact that he is one of the best at his position no matter what he does in his personal life.
2 months ago
Avery may be a good coach, but with the way things are in Dallas right now-- it's probably in everyone's best interest to part ways. And I agree with Stew above me. There is something psychologically wrong with this team, which has been the case since Miami and Golden State, and will be emphasized after this New Orleans series. Keep what you need and get rid of the rest.
2 months ago
Cuban needs to step back, find himself a basketball guy, and let him run the player decisions for this team. The J-kidd trade was a disaster, and the Mavs never seem to grasp that it takes some toughness to win in the playoffs. They bring in scorers and aging points, while trading away top talent. For the most part, they can score. At any given time in the NBA, a team really only needs two scorers on the floor. The other three should be rebounders, defensive specialists, or spot up three point shooters. It's a bonus if the other guys can do a couple of those things. You need to build a TEAM, not a collection of scorers. This is something the U.S. Olympic committee would be wise to remember.
So can Avery coach? I think he can, if his team wasn't being constantly fiddled with for the worse. But maybe that's just it. Maybe that'll never stop and it's time to leave.
2 months ago
Cuban needs to step back, find himself a basketball guy, and let him run the player decisions for this team. The J-kidd trade was a disaster, and the Mavs never seem to grasp that it takes some toughness to win in the playoffs. They bring in scorers and aging points, while trading away top talent. For the most part, they can score. At any given time in the NBA, a team really only needs two scorers on the floor. The other three should be rebounders, defensive specialists, or spot up three point shooters. It's a bonus if the other guys can do a couple of those things. You need to build a TEAM, not a collection of scorers. This is something the U.S. Olympic committee would be wise to remember.
So can Avery coach? I think he can, if his team wasn't being constantly fiddled with for the worse. But maybe that's just it. Maybe that'll never stop and it's time to leave.
2 months ago
Avery Johnson will be fired. I don't think he should be, but it will happen no doubt.
But Johnson will then be snagged by some team in the near future. Some one like the LA Clippers.
2 months ago
Good Read, Mike. I think Avery Johnson is a good coach, however the Mavericks have never recovered from the loss in the Finals to the Heat. The guys on this team were dead men walking long before Tuesday night's loss. Right or wrong, Avery Johnson will be fired and it is time to blow this team up and start over. It was a mistake to make the Jason Kidd trade and it was clearly a reactionary move.
2 months ago
Check out my new article, I found out who the mavericks next coach is gonna be.
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