Dallas Fires Avery Johnson After Mavs’ Early Exit
"He is a talented coach and I want to thank him for his efforts over the last four years and what he has done for this franchise."
The Dallas Mavericks fired coach Avery Johnson on Wednesday, the first of what's likely to be many offseason moves after the team with the league's highest payroll again flopped in the first round of the playoffs.
Johnson leaves with an impressive resume after three-plus seasons, but Mavs owner Mark Cuban couldn't tolerate two straight years of first-round exits - or the fact that Dallas has gone 3-12 in the playoffs since blowing a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA finals against Miami.
The Mavericks followed that 2006 disappointment by the embarrassment of being ousted by Golden State in the opening round last season in one of the biggest upsets in league history. And they were just dumped in five games by Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets. Read more