http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/15104974.htm Avery, Cuban clash on contract By ART GARCIA Star-Telegram Staff Writer Are the Mavericks and Avery Johnson headed for a quickie divorce because of a contract dispute? Don't count on it. But some doubt has crept into the equation. One month after the grandest season in Mavs history ended in the NBA Finals, talks to extend and/or enhance the contract of the league's most successful young coach have been shelved in what is becoming an increasingly tense clash between Mark Cuban and Johnson's representatives. According to sources, at issue is Johnson's current contract, which has three years remaining at approximately $2.5 million per season. The deal ranks in the bottom third of the NBA's 30 coaches. Each of the other seven coaches who took teams to the Western Conference playoffs last season was paid more than Johnson. Johnson's inexperience -- he served less than one year as an assistant before his promotion late in the 2004-05 season -- explains his current salary. His rapid success, however, would make Johnson a hot commodity able to command big money on the open market. But he's not on the open market. It's not uncommon for coaches coming off successful seasons to have their contracts restructured in "good faith" gestures from the club. Mike Brown (Cavaliers), Eddie Jordan (Wizards) and Byron Scott (Hornets) each signed new deals recently. Jordan is reportedly earning $4 million per season even though he's 53 games under .500 for his career. Former Mavs coach Don Nelson was paid in the neighborhood of $5 million last season in what would have been the last year of his contract. Johnson, 41, led the Mavs to a 60-22 record in his first full season, tying the best mark in team history, and earned Coach of the Year honors. The Mavs reached the Finals for the first time, falling in six games to the Miami Heat. Leading the Mavs to within two wins of the franchise's first championship figured to land Johnson a significant raise instead of just guaranteeing the fourth year of his contract. So far, communication between Cuban and Johnson has been scarce, according to the sources. Cuban and Johnson both declined comment. The sources also said Johnson would be agreeable to an extension with a significant bonus that would up his average salary in line with other top coaches in the $5 million range, but Cuban has kept a hard-line stance by refusing to renegotiate. Negotiations on a new contract between Cuban and the agent for assistant coach Del Harris also have stalled. Even without a new agreement, Johnson isn't considering resigning. He's repeatedly said he's looking forward to next season and has played an active role in the team's off-season moves. Tensions between Cuban and his coach are nothing new in Mavs land. The battle of wills and dollars defined the frosty relationship between Cuban and Nelson. At the base of the Cuban-Nelson conflict were serious personality and communication issues. It isn't supposed to be that way between Cuban and Johnson. Initially labeled as Nelson's hand-picked successor, Johnson won Cuban over with the coaching job he did filling in for Nelson during parts of the 2004-05 season. The fiery coach and the billionaire have continually emphasized their close personal bond. Johnson stressed before the start of the Finals that his success -- and the team's -- wouldn't have been possible without Cuban's support. Despite the criticism Cuban took locally and nationally during the playoffs for his conduct and dealings with the league -- star Dirk Nowitzki recently condemned the owner's behavior -- Johnson continued to publicly back Cuban. Behind the scenes, though, uneasiness seems to be mounting.
Avery is acting pretty bush league.....one good season and he is already asking for more money? Let see if he can be consistent first and maybe honor his contract he agreed to....
Do Avery and T.O. talk to each other much? How do you think the players would react if the owner wanted to cut someones pay for grossly underperforming? The owner should be entitled to a good investment (low contract for high output) from time to time. Owners have to swallow bad investments all the time.
Avery was one of the best (if not theee best) coaches in the league last year, and nearly as much, one of the worst. It's a pell-mell style that will straighten out as he gains more experience, but right now paying him a little more than the average coach's salary makes sense.
Agreed. He didn't do anything special, just the obvious. He just figured out that Dallas needed better defense, and for that he's considered coach of the year?
If Avery is overrated, then so is Van Gundy. All of JVG's success came with a team that another coach built, just like Avery. Avery is a good coach, there's no doubt about it. Whether he can sustain the success of the first two years is yet to be seen. But given the pedigree, he'll sure as heck have his chance.
Are you joking? He just led a team to where it's never been before. In 04/05, the Mavs had a torrid regular season run before losing to the Suns in the 2nd round. In his first full season, all he does is take them to the NBA Finals, beating the defending champion Spurs along the way (in a game 7 in San Antonio no less). Oh yeah, nothing special at all. It's so obvious; just coach better defense. Blah blah blah. Yeah, Captain Clueless, Avery has done nothing special at all during during his 1 1/2 year tenure besides go 76-24 in the regular season and reach the NBA Finals. That's just average and run-of-the-mill. Anybody would have done it, which is why the Mavs did it so many times before. Julio, that all said: (1) I like your videos & (2) Avery doesn't deserve a big raise just yet. But to say he hasn't done anything special is silly.
I hate the Mavs and Johnson more than anyone, but he's done a damn good job of getting players to listen to him, which is the ultimate mark of an NBA coach. He has lots of egos on his team and he has done a great job of making them play team-oriented basketball as well as playing defense. Right now he's one of the top 3 coaches in the NBA.
He signed the contract, he should live by the terms. In 3 years if he continues his success he will make a LOT more money. Avery is young enough to get 3 or 4 more lucrative contracts, and will probably make a LOT more money coaching then he ever did playing. DD
The players all have to honor their contracts to the end, no matter how underpaid they might be. Why shouldn't coaches?
The CBA doesn't allow player contracts to be renegotiated. They are locked in, iron clad. Remember the old days when Dream would whine about his contract every year and insist the Rockets pay him more? Those days are long gone. Coaches contracts can be torn up by mutual agreement at any time.
ummm...it's kinda hard to get a better contract when your team choked away a 2-0--and possibly a 3-0--lead in the NBA finals. Wrong timing, Avery.
I'm sure Avery was very thankful when he signed that contract. That he was given a chance to head-caoch, so fast. So...
Per Sefko, maybe things aren't as bad as first reported. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/072406dnspo1cmavslede.15a3022.html Source: No conflict over Mavs coach's contract Johnson plans to honor contract, which covers the next three seasons 02:22 AM CDT on Monday, July 24, 2006 By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News Avery Johnson is looking forward to coaching the Mavericks during the remaining three seasons of his contract, and any tension between him and owner Mark Cuban has been exaggerated, a source close to the team said Sunday. There has been speculation that Johnson's contract, which will pay him about $2.5 million next season, could be a source of irritation for Johnson if it is not restructured, extended or torn up and replaced to increase his pay. However, Johnson has every intention of honoring the deal, and the source reiterated that Cuban and Johnson remain allies and have no problems. Mavericks/NBA Johnson, 41, is a bargain by NBA coaching standards. He led the Mavericks to their first appearance in the NBA Finals in his first full season on the job. His career record is 76-24, including 60-22 last season. However, every other coach in the Southwest Division earns more than Johnson, topped by San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, whose salary is about $7 million. It's notable that Popovich, Memphis' Mike Fratello and Houston's Jeff Van Gundy all have at least 10 years of head coaching experience. New Orleans' Byron Scott has six years as a head coach, including two trips to the NBA Finals when he coached New Jersey. Several coaches have renegotiated contracts this summer or are in negotiations to do so, including Mike Dunleavy of the Los Angeles Clippers and Eddie Jordan of Washington. Neither got past the second round of the playoffs last season. Jordan signed a three-year extension worth $12 million. Dunleavy reportedly is seeking an extension worth $7 million per season. Don Nelson, who coached the Mavericks before giving way to Johnson in March 2005, earned $5.1 million per season. Johnson originally signed a three-year contract that included a fourth season that became guaranteed when the team reached the NBA Finals last season. Because he was a rookie coach, Johnson agreed to a contract that was equal to the league average of $2.5 million per season, although the fourth year is substantially higher. With his first-year success, Johnson's market value soared. If he were a free-agent coach, he would command top dollar. Tony Dutt, Johnson's Houston-based consultant, did not return phone messages. Cuban did not respond to e-mail inquiries seeking comment on Johnson's situation, although he has stated many times that he is Johnson's biggest fan and will do whatever is necessary to build on the foundation that the coach has poured. E-mail esefko@dallasnews.com
