Another Coach Needlessly Fired

The pressure to win is undoubtedly high in every sport, college or professional. Maybe too high. Just ask Avery Johnson. Johnson, who is the fastest to 50, 100, and 150 wins in NBA coaching history, was fired Wednesday by the Dallas Mavericks, less than 24 hours after guiding his team to a first-round series loss against the upstart New Orleans Hornets.

Outraged? You should be. Avery Johnson is two years removed from am NBA Finals appearance, in which they lost in six games to the Miami Heat. More importantly, Avery Johnson was not to blame for the Mavericks failures this postseason. That distinguished honor goes to Mark Cuban.

Cuban was the mastermind behind the Jason Kidd trade, and lets face it, that trade did not produce the results that were expected. Kidd averaged 8 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds in the postseason. Not enough production from someone who was supposed to make the team better.

But who often gets the blame when a key move doesn't work? Cuban can't punish himself. He, in fact, is the owner, the judge, the jury, and the executioner. So, you go after the coach who unsuccessfully could not fulfill your expectations with a move that you wanted.

I personally thought this Mavericks team was better with who they had before the trade. They had key players, and an emerging point guard in Devin Harris. An emerging player wasn't good enough for Cuban, he wanted a star past his prime. And he got results that echoed that players talent.

Avery Johnson will be back on the bench before you know it. He's an outstanding coach, but more importantly, he is a stand-up person.

Thursday morning at 11:25, we will replay the interview that Avery had with 103.3 ESPN in Dallas on Galloway & Co.

In the mean time, thanks to Dallasmavs2006, here's a tribute to Avery Johnson: