How the Revered have Fallen: Avery Johnson Joins John Paxson

I saw Jason Kidd standing there. I suspected he had fouled out. What other reason could Dallas coach Avery Johnson have for not putting Kidd into the game with 30-odd seconds left and the Mavs down by 2 points? Well, it turns out Kidd was not in there because the coach kept him on the bench. Afterward, Johnson offered up some lame excuse about having Dirk Nowitzki surrounded by shooters. But this is the same coach who saluted the acquisition of Kidd by noting that he knows how to finish games. And the guy who ended up with the ball, Jason Terry, somehow missed two open Mavs. Johnson is well-known as a control freak, but when you have Kidd, you have to use him. End of story. Even Charles Barkley seemed to get that. "There's no sense in making a Jason Kidd trade if you aren't going to use him in crunch time," Barkley said on TNT after the game.

--Peter May

Over the last two years and before the KG trade, how many times do we remember Celtics fans gnashing teeth over why their team couldn't find "the next Avery Johnson." Now it turns out Avery is having problems of his own. I have written once or twice on the changing fortunes of John Paxson.

One week ago it was revealed that Avery wanted to trade Dirk in the offseason, but ownership vetoed that request.

Yikes.

The speed at which fates change in the NBA is something to keep in mind as Celtics fans the next time we have an impulse for an abrupt change.

Anti-Paxson Sentiment Bubbling Up

As much as I like John Paxson as a fiery competitor, can you state the reasons why I don't think he has been a very good GM since 2003 (hint Andre Igudola, Al Jefferson, Josh Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Ben Wallace, trades of Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler). --Brad, Chicago

Yes, the heat is going to be on Paxson now and he knows it. I didn't hear many complaints about him a year ago. Second guessing like this is pretty weak. Twenty-eight teams passed on Howard, including the model Spurs even after Tim Duncan asked them to take him. The Bulls got Deng over Iguodala and I'd still take that one. Jefferson was a high schooler and a reach and we'd seen enough of those kinds of picks. The point is Paxson made a lot of good picks and moves and no one gets them all right. Joe Dumars passed on Wade, Anthony and Bosh for Darko Milicic and Dumars is regarded as perhaps the best. Jerry West spent most of free agent money in Memphis on Brian Cardinal. Overall, Paxson has done well in turning this around. Now making that next step is tough.