There has been no mention of this as far as I've seen. I think it's at least worth discussing, as Johnson's exit in Dallas seems likely. Mark Cuban and Co. were head over heels for this guy back in 2006 when the Mavs made it all the way to the NBA Finals, even taking a 2-0 series lead before the refs, ahem, Dwayne Wade and the Heat took over and won 4-2. We all remember Dallas's exciting, if not epic collapse to Golden State in last year's playoffs. Now it looks as if the same disappointing fate awaits Avery Johnson's club. Chris Paul has been unstoppable. J. Kidd has looked like absolute shit, something that makes me very happy. New Orleans looks younger, faster, hungrier, and even more talented. If Dallas can't get their act together the team may have to be blown up -- including getting rid of the coach.
I anticipate a lot of you dismissing AJ as a solid candidate for his excitability and need for control issues, but the above picture of Johnson fisting Eddy Curry and the rest of New York's lackluster roster into giving a shit gives me hope for the future. All of the big personalities are not in the Knicks' long-term plans anyway, so who cares if player and coach end up clashing? Expectations are low, right? Primary objectives are to get under the cap while getting more competitive now, right? Why not Johnson?
Don't get me wrong, I think several of the candidates already mentioned elsewhere could be nice fits. Mark Jackson is intriguing, and he has no shortage of praise from others who know him from around the league. Rick Carlisle is battle-tested and proven. I just don't feel an A-List coach is necessarily the answer. Herb Williams has great rapport with the players and within the organization; as a fan I would like to see someone from the outside coach so as to signify a complete regime change from Isiah. Even Paul Silas is an interesting wildcard because of his ties to LeBron.
Obviously, Dallas is not done yet and there's no guarantee Cuban would fire his coach anyway. Even if this happens, New York could very well have found a coach already. All I'm saying is if Johnson becomes available and the Knicks are still looking, he should get a look. What do you guys think?
10 comments:
Definitely. I hope Walsh actually conducts a full search rather than just going with his obvious first choice (Jackson). George Karl may be gone too, though he's probably not the right fit. I'd like to see Mario Elie interviewed--he played with some serious intensity (incidentally, Jackson's D was pretty weak). And what about the guy who almost got the job when Isiah first took over--Mike Fratello? He'd also be the kind of taskmaster this bunch needs.
Absolutely agree, Gav. Walsh should conduct a well-rounded search regardless of how he feels about certain candidates like Jackson. I, personally, would not like to see Fratello become head coach. I dunno, I've never liked him for some reason. Maybe it stems from his shabby color commentary during broadcasts.
mike fratello is a pain-in-the-ass. there has never been a more boring brand of basketball and every team he has coached has gone on to suck after he's left (i suppose you could say that hubie brown's grizzlies were above average, but look at them now). JVG has the same style, but his style is more physical and more entertaining. i say bring him back. unless, of course, he had a heartattack tryin' to get curry to play the role of marcus camby
No dice on JVG coming back, I'm afraid. James Dolan hates him and apparently refers to him as a quitter every chance he gets.
To be honest with you, I'm not too thrilled about any of these candidates. I think Avery Johnson is an interesting thought, but honestly, I think he has seriously underacheieved with the Mavs, and they are surprisingly soft. As for Mark Jackson... it's a nice idea and all, but I don't know how crazy I am about putting a multi year investment into a completely unknown coaching commodity. And I am particularly uninspired by names like Rick Carlisle and George Karl... don't hire someone for a name- a la Lenny Wilkens. Personally, I would love to see Tom Thibodeau get a shot... bring some mid-90's toughness back to the Garden. Other than that- give ole Herby a chance for now and hold out until an actual good candidate comes along. we'll be rebuilding for a little while anyway...
Zeke's rep as bball player has suffered based on his coaching performance (etc.) with the knicks. No one wants this job, it's like volunteering to go to hell. You are guaranteed to lose, get booed, harassed, and ridiculed. The knicks coaching job is like a fat chick on e-harmony, it looks good on paper, but then you get with it and are like, you gotta be fucking kidding me. JVG was a sweet idea, but my suggestion is this... take the argentina national team coach, clearly the guy knows hoops (gold medals) and maybe he likes fat, nasty chicks from e-harmony.
argentina's coach? kurepi de mierda. he'd be too busy masturbating while trying to figure how to bring in ginobli, nocioni, and scola. i can't stand argentinians
Ha, look what Steehler caused. You've forced Alistair into starting a South American beef between two nations.
I gotta hand it to alistair, that was a pretty well-researched post, but it proves my point. That guy is winning gold medals with a bunch of jokers, why can't he be winning NBA championships with a bunch of jokers like the Knicks
Because then you'd have to listen to his god-awful accent all the time and hear about how Argentinians are the best at everything, especially those from Buenos Aires. I suppose, however, James Dolan does deserve to have someone like that around him all of the time. Maybe the Argentine coach (Sergio Hernandez, I just looked up his name) could cause James Dolan's head to explode
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