Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

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  • ProfessaPackMan
    Bamma
    • Mar 2008
    • 63852

    #1

    Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

    .
    By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
    [email protected]
    The blunt question made Dirk Nowitzki uncomfortable. But it didn't necessarily catch him by surprise, like he knew it was coming sooner or later:


    If Avery Johnson was still coaching the Dallas Mavericks, would Nowitzki still be on the team?

    It was more than just a rumor last season that Nowitzki had grown tired of Johnson's system and coaching style. But was it really as bad as the whispers made it sound?


    "I had a good time with Avery," Nowitzki said Thursday. "But sometimes I wish we had communicated a little more. We all know Avery ran a little dictatorship here. I think this league is still a league of players, not a coaches league."


    To the players, that's what Johnson forgot. And that's what rubbed players the wrong way in the end. Nowitzki, sporting a fresh buzz cut with no trace of the Olympic rings he shaved into his hair before the Beijing Games, is back in Dallas for training camp, which begins with physical exams over the weekend, media day Monday and the first set of practices Tuesday.
    Nowitzki touched on a variety of topics, including his contract situation and, of course, the coaching change.


    Johnson's regimented style, along with his lack of offensive creativity, were two of the things that wore down Nowitzki and his teammates.


    "You know me, I'm not always on the edge," Nowitzki said about whether he and Johnson could have lasted another season together. "I usually keep stuff on the inside.


    "It was a tough year for me, I've got to admit. I had a lot of bad games in November and December. And after that, I got to playing better, and Jason [Kidd] really helped my game after the All-Star Game. But it was an up-and-down year, and up-and-down years are never fun. I had to play hurt for us to get to the playoffs, and that obviously is not what we play for."


    And as for the Mavericks' offense that slowed to a crawl, particularly in the playoffs, Nowitzki said:


    "Avery had a really strong will of what should go on out there, and he controlled the game a lot. I don't think there was enough movement going on. People were just sitting on our stuff, especially in the playoffs. We just couldn't score enough.


    "I don't think we got enough easy stuff, either on the break or on cuts. Everything was post-ups or contested shots. It wasn't easy. I don't want to use this year to bash Avery. He took us to the Finals and did a phenomenal job. He came in and brought fire and enthusiasm."
    Nowitzki said he is excited about the Mavericks' prospects this season under Rick Carlisle. He already has been impressed with Carlisle's communication skills and his commitment to a more uptempo offense.


    Nowitzki also said that he's eager for something else: being a free agent. He can opt out of his contract after 2009-10 or play it out through 2010-11. He said he has no intention of signing an extension next summer when he is eligible to do so.


    "I kind of want to see what's going to happen," said Nowitzki, 30. "I don't want to commit until I'm 35 or 36 and then [find out] I don't want to play that long. But saying that now, everything is kind of out in the open. We'll see how we play this year and hopefully bring some of the fun back.


    "Once I play these next three years, then maybe I've lost a step and I'm not quick enough anymore to play with these guys because there are so many athletes here."


    Nowitzki added that another factor regarding his long-term future is weighing on him: He doesn't want to play when he no longer is effective.


    "I'd love to finish my career here in Dallas," he said. "Hopefully, we can win the championship here in the next three years and it'll be great. And if not, we all have to keep our eyes and ears open to what's going on.


    "I figure I have three more years now. If we get a championship and I really don't want to play anymore, maybe I'm done. I think the worst thing that athletes can do is play too long and at the end, look slow and don't look right and they lose some of their reputation. I don't want to do that. I want to still play when it's fun."


    THOUGHTS FROM DIRK

    On the possibility of Kobe Bryant or LeBron James going to Europe:
    "I don't believe that."

    On him perhaps playing in Europe:
    "There's one big club in Germany. They've been asking me every year. Actually, the owner's dream is to have me in uniform once before I retire. I'm sure he's going to do everything he can to make that happen before my career's over."

    On Josh Howard:
    "He's not a bad guy. He just sometimes says the wrong things at the wrong times. But knowing him for five or six years now, he's a good guy. People are trying to make him a bad guy now, but I can for sure say that he's fun to be around, he's a good kid and he cares. Sometimes he just has to learn how to control himself and keep some stuff to himself. Hopefully, coming into training camp and saying all the right things and working hard and hopefully starting off great will make all this go away and he'll have a great year here and a great career."
    #RespectTheCulture
  • youvalss
    ******
    • Feb 2007
    • 16601

    #2
    Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

    I'd like to know what he thinks about Cuban.
    My Specs:

    ZX Spectrum
    CPU: Z80 @ 3.5 MHz
    GPU: Monochrome display
    RAM: 48 KB
    OS: Sinclair BASIC

    Comment

    • ThreeKing
      Banned
      • Aug 2007
      • 5852

      #3
      Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

      Does anybody cry and moan more than Dirk??

      God dang is this guy a bitch.

      Comment

      • J0nnD0ugh
        Hall Of Fame
        • Feb 2003
        • 16602

        #4
        Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

        I would never coach in the NBA if I could do the same in college.
        Originally posted by VP Richard M. Nixon
        I always remember that whatever I have done in the past, or may do in the future, Duke University is responsible one way or the other.
        -August 17, 1960
        Thanks, dookies!

        Comment

        • J.R. Locke
          Banned
          • Nov 2004
          • 4137

          #5
          Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

          Every offensive player in the league complains about a defensive coach! Not just Dirk.

          I thought Avery Johnson would be a different coach than he was. I thought they would push the ball more and definitly not isolate as much as they did. Avery will be a good coach but he is going to have to realize he can not run the team like he did when he was on the court. I HATE WHEN COACHES CALL EVERY PLAY FROM THE SIDELINE. It ruins basketball.

          Comment

          • J0nnD0ugh
            Hall Of Fame
            • Feb 2003
            • 16602

            #6
            Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

            Originally posted by J.R. Locke
            Avery will be a good coach but he is going to have to realize he can not run the team like he did when he was on the court. I HATE WHEN COACHES CALL EVERY PLAY FROM THE SIDELINE. It ruins basketball.
            Amen. Pat Riley started doing that crap w/the Knicks. Everyone tried to imitate him after that.
            Originally posted by VP Richard M. Nixon
            I always remember that whatever I have done in the past, or may do in the future, Duke University is responsible one way or the other.
            -August 17, 1960
            Thanks, dookies!

            Comment

            • Court_vision
              Banned
              • Oct 2002
              • 8290

              #7
              Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

              Dirk is 100% right.

              Avery was a control freak who ruined that team...he basically got them to the Finals on the back of what was already built and then ran them down.

              Last season was the nail in the coffin when Kidd arrived.

              You've got the best PG in the past decade...and yet Avery still demanded to call the shots himself.

              He even benched Kidd in crunch time...

              What a joke. No wonder not one team wanted Avery this off season............

              Comment

              • Seether4113
                R**k**
                • Feb 2003
                • 536

                #8
                Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

                Originally posted by ThreeKing
                Does anybody cry and moan more than Dirk??

                God dang is this guy a bitch.
                LOL. where exactly is he crying? He is asked his opinion, so he provides it. Should he just say "no comment" to everything?
                Jesus saves

                PSN ID: seether4113
                360 GT: seether4113

                Comment

                • ex carrabba fan
                  I'll thank him for you
                  • Oct 2004
                  • 32744

                  #9
                  Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

                  Originally posted by ThreeKing
                  Does anybody cry and moan more than Dirk??

                  God dang is this guy a bitch.
                  Glad you're always around dropping your knowledge of the game.

                  Comment

                  • AlexBrady
                    MVP
                    • Jul 2008
                    • 3341

                    #10
                    Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

                    Originally posted by ThreeKing
                    Does anybody cry and moan more than Dirk??

                    God dang is this guy a bitch.
                    Excuse me? This guy was the MVP two years ago and is a 7 time All Star.

                    Comment

                    • Texasrangers13
                      Rookie
                      • Apr 2003
                      • 116

                      #11
                      Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

                      And for that matter is one of the more approachable people in the game. The guy works hard, and cares about his team.

                      Comment

                      • Streets
                        Supreme
                        • Aug 2004
                        • 5787

                        #12
                        Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

                        Originally posted by J.R. Locke
                        Every offensive player in the league complains about a defensive coach! Not just Dirk.
                        Say what you will about his coaching, but Jeff Van Gundy (defensive coach) was loved and respected by his guys while in Houston, especially McGrady (offensive player).

                        Comment

                        • Seether4113
                          R**k**
                          • Feb 2003
                          • 536

                          #13
                          Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

                          Originally posted by Streets
                          Say what you will about his coaching, but Jeff Van Gundy (defensive coach) was loved and respected by his guys while in Houston, especially McGrady (offensive player).
                          He wasn't quite as "methodical" on offense though. When you have J. Kidd turned into a spot-up shooter, something is out of whack.
                          Jesus saves

                          PSN ID: seether4113
                          360 GT: seether4113

                          Comment

                          • vaballer34
                            Rookie
                            • Sep 2007
                            • 180

                            #14
                            Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

                            Dirk is a 7 foot SG. Dirk is soft and everyone saw it last year in the playoffs when David West got in Dirk's face and tapped his face. Dirk was softer before Avery got there. Dirk's all around game got better when Avery was there...he rebounded better and played a lil bit better defense.

                            Before Avery got there Dallas needed that extra toughness to get them over that hump and into the Finals. So what happens when Avery get his first full season as the head coach in Dallas and brings the toughness they need...they get to the Finals. I don't know what Dirk is complaining about but Avery Johnson brought that toughness that Dallas needed. With Avery Johnson gone and Dirk still being as soft as he is Dallas will not make a run through the playoffs like they did in Avery's first full season.

                            Comment

                            • ZB9
                              Hall Of Fame
                              • Nov 2004
                              • 18387

                              #15
                              Re: Mavs PF Dirk Nowitzki: "We All Know Avery Ran A Little Dictatorship Here"

                              Originally posted by ThreeKing
                              Does anybody cry and moan more than Dirk??

                              God dang is this guy a bitch.
                              your post says more about you than anyone else

                              Comment

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