Avery and Mike D Fired?
- Thread starter hoopsfan
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jack_mccallum/04/30/suns.dantonio/index.html?eref=T1
According to CNNSI D'antoni is gone.
According to posters on other boards who claim their source is espn radio in dallas, Avery Johnson got the sack as well.
EDIT: PLEASE do not post links to other forums, especially when the information is unconfirmed and purely rumor. -- VF21
According to CNNSI D'antoni is gone.
According to posters on other boards who claim their source is espn radio in dallas, Avery Johnson got the sack as well.
EDIT: PLEASE do not post links to other forums, especially when the information is unconfirmed and purely rumor. -- VF21
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Phoenix might be better off with a more defensive coach like Avery and I could see Kidd+Dirk fitting more in a Mike D style uptempo offense. I don't remember where I read it but I heard somewhere that NY might go after D'Antoni. TO be honest I think he deserves to be fired. He didn't use their bench well, he can't coach defense, and he is just an overrated coach IMO. He's lucky he's had Nash. Sucks that Phoenix is done though, I really enjoyed watching them for the last 4 years. Reminds me of our Kings from 02
It's management's fault, not the coach's, in Phoenix. Imagine if they had kept Kurt Thomas instead of paying Seattle, and kept their draft picks instead of selling them off? They would have actually had a decent interior defender (without the panicky Shaq trade) and could have had a good bench (Deng and Rondo were some of their picks they sold a few years ago, I believe, among others). Yes, the salary cap was a concern, but why give such horrendous extensions to guys like Boris Diaw?
It's not D'Antoni's fault that Sarver is a cheapskate. The Suns owner won't pony up the dough for a decent bench...you can't win the finals with a streaky 7-man rotation these days.
Also, the Shaq trade was a pretty dumb move as well. The Suns would have beaten the Spurs last year if Horry hadn't pulled a few moves. This year they simply needed a bench, but apparently Sarver thought that Brian Skinner would complement Eric Piatowski and Sean Marks quite well.
As for Avery...again, not his fault. He's got an aging core, and the Mavs gave up too much for the Kidd trade. Perhaps a new coach will be a nice sparkplug for the team, but I doubt it.
Two great coaches up for grabs, folks...
Also, the Shaq trade was a pretty dumb move as well. The Suns would have beaten the Spurs last year if Horry hadn't pulled a few moves. This year they simply needed a bench, but apparently Sarver thought that Brian Skinner would complement Eric Piatowski and Sean Marks quite well.
As for Avery...again, not his fault. He's got an aging core, and the Mavs gave up too much for the Kidd trade. Perhaps a new coach will be a nice sparkplug for the team, but I doubt it.
Two great coaches up for grabs, folks...
It was time for Avery to go after the finals collapse and last year. The Kidd trade hurt them, but Avery also under utilized Kidd. This is why I didn't want Kidd. Unless you have the right players around him and the right offense, he's not the same player.
D'Antoni on the other hand probably deserved another year to see what he can do. Unlike Avery, he did try to fit Shaq in. It hurt the team, but if anyone is to blame it's management for making the trade. D'Antoni is IMO, overrated, but there's no doubt he's the reason behind all their recent success. Removing him would be a step back, and without significant changes in personal, I don't see how anyone could do any better.
I wouldn't want either to coach the Kings.
D'Antoni on the other hand probably deserved another year to see what he can do. Unlike Avery, he did try to fit Shaq in. It hurt the team, but if anyone is to blame it's management for making the trade. D'Antoni is IMO, overrated, but there's no doubt he's the reason behind all their recent success. Removing him would be a step back, and without significant changes in personal, I don't see how anyone could do any better.
I wouldn't want either to coach the Kings.
I have generally assumed all along that Reggie would get the second year (at least to start -- its not uncommon for young coaches to get off to bad starts in year #2 and get the axe midseason). In fact I still think that is what happens. But when you have coaches hit the market who have actually coached contending teams -- not guys who talk a good game, but guys who have actually win 60 games, been in the Finals/Conference Finals etc. -- that does make it interesting. I assume Reggie will still be back, but here's the thing: if he does come back, and then things don't go well and we have to fire him, young(ish) coaches of the caliber of Avery/D'Antoni might not be out there on the market anymore. And then we again pay for doing the hesitate and miss your opportunity thing that we have been doing again and again and again in our descending years.
Let's see, that would mean eating remaining year of Reggie's contract with around $1.5-2.0 million left (plus third year option). Not to mention, continuing to pay Musselman remainder of his laughing all the way to the bank $7.0 million contract.
No way Theus is not head coach of the Kings next season. He deserves to show what he can do with some stability and presumably a better hand dealt next year.
No way Theus is not head coach of the Kings next season. He deserves to show what he can do with some stability and presumably a better hand dealt next year.
Suns GM refutes report D'Antoni won't be back
Seems D'Antoni is still with Phoenix.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8090868/Suns-GM-refutes-report-D'Antoni-won't-be-back
Seems D'Antoni is still with Phoenix.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8090868/Suns-GM-refutes-report-D'Antoni-won't-be-back