A New Hope

So without a doubt, I can still say I liked Avery Johnson but reading story after story, it does appear to me that he did lose this team with his own tactics on handling the head coach position.

Carlisle I hope will surprise me. He's known to be just as hard nosed in the past but with his press conference after getting introduced by the Mavericks, things seem more optimistic for the Mavs.

"Having said all that about the offensive end, we've got to be passionate and vigilant about preserving what Avery did here in establishing the defensive end," Carlisle said. "This team didn't get to the championship round until they really made a commitment defensively."

I like this. Preserve the defense that Avery brought the team.

"One of the things that drew me to this opportunity was the chance to work with a different type of team in terms of personnel," he said. "When you play with Jason Kidd, I think you got to open up the floor and you got to allow him to push it. ... I think the thing is you've got to play to your strengths and you've got to adjust. For me, this isn't about me coming in with my style. This is about me coming in here and figuring out what the roster is going to be and fitting the style to the personnel."

This also is good. It's what they need, let the point guard do his job in running the court.