And I like Mark Cuban, most of the time anyway.
But firing Avery Johnson was a stupid knee-jerk reaction to a problem that wasn't of Johnson's creation. Unless it turns out that Johnson was the primary force behind the season-killing trade of Devin Harris for Jason Kidd, he just took the fall for the Dallas front office, which thought older-and-slower was the best way to win the wicked West. New Orleans' Chris Paul blew a hole in that theory, running circles around decrepit Kidd, and Avery Johnson is the one who pays with a pink slip?
Unacceptable. Avery Johnson didn't go from coaching savant to idiot overnight. But if there's any karma in the NBA, the Mavericks will go from the playoffs to the lottery as quickly as Johnson went from coach of the year to unemployment.
Who's next in Dallas? No clue, but I hear Louisville's Rick Pitino has had his eye on an NBA return for some time. Neither side will confirm this -- in fact Pitino's spokesman flatly denies it -- but I've been told by multiple sources on the periphery that a representative of Pitino spoke with the Miami Heat about their recent opening. Don't be surprised if Pitino speaks with Cuban about this one.
