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Avery Johnson was dismissed as coach of the Dallas Mavericks the day after a

disappointing season ended with a first-round playoff exit in New Orleans.

Incredible highs and heartbreaking lows marked the tenure of Johnson, who

leaves as the most successful coach in franchise history by many measures.



Johnson became the eighth coach in team history on March 19, 2005 and posted

a record of 194-70 (.735) during the regular season. He led the Mavs to the

playoffs four consecutive years, including a trip to the 2006 NBA Finals. His

postseason record of 23-24 (.489) included 12 losses in the last 15 games.



“You’ve got to take the good with the bad,” Johnson said Tuesday night

after the 99-94 loss to the Hornets that ended the series. “That is called


life. There are a lot of highs and lows in coaching, but the highs outweigh

the lows. The rewards outweigh anything.



“I’ve been through much worse. There are a lot of people in bad shape and I

am not one of them.”



The search for the ninth coach in club history begins immediately. The next

coach takes over a team that could be significantly different from the squad

that suffered through an inconsistent 51-31 regular season that earned the

seventh seed in the Western Conference.



The 15-man roster features eight potential free agents. Dirk Nowitzki remains

the focal point, but the cast of characters surrounding the 2006-07 MVP is

expected to undergo major change. Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Erick

Dampier, Jerry Stackhouse and Brandon Bass are under contract, though Kidd

can option out. Johnson’s staff – Paul Westphal, Joe Prunty and Mario Elie

– currently remains under contract through next season.



In his first full season as head coach (2005-06), Johnson guided the Mavericks

to 60 wins and their first appearance in the NBA Finals. He became the

fastest coach to reach 50 wins (62 games), coached the Western Conference

All-Star team and was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.



Johnson led Dallas to a franchise-record 67 wins, the NBA’s best record, the

following season. The mark was also the sixth best in league history.

Following a 10-0 month of February, Johnson garnered Western Conference Coach

of the Month honors, an award he won three times in his career.



This past season, Johnson became the fastest coach in NBA history to reach

150 wins with a victory over Memphis on November 17, 2007. He accomplished

that feat in just 191 games.



“It is never easy to relieve a coach of his duties, especially one of

Avery’s caliber,” owner Mark Cuban said. “He is a talented coach and I

want to thank him for his efforts over the last four years and what he has

done for this franchise. We wish him well in the future.”



The Mavs were the first head-coaching opportunity for Johnson, who played 16

years in the NBA before retiring before the 2004-05 season. He joined the

staff of former coach Don Nelson and took the coaching reins 64 games into

his first season on the bench.



“I would like to thank Avery for his valuable contributions to the Mavericks

organization,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. “Over

the past four years, he has been an integral part of our team’s success. We

wish AJ nothing but the very best in his future endeavors.”