The Triangle Of Trust

Avery Broke It, May Be Stabbing His Own Back

Mike Fisher -- DB.com

   Our story with David Lord on the “trust issue’’ (and how Avery broke it) is, with all due humility, dead-on, as it relates to the Mavs’ thinking on new head coach Rick Carlisle.

   “He’s a quality person,’’ a Mavs staffer says. “He’s not perfect. But he’s not a back-stabber.’’

   Hmmm. Wonder what that means? Do we need to say more?

   OK. We will.

   Showing incredible believe-it-or-not foresight, Mark Cuban and Avery Johnson talked this week about how they could part ways and avoid the mudslinging that continues to dirty the Cuban-Nellie breakup. We’ll paraphrase the conversation here: Cuban told Avery he’d give him his monster severance check ($12 mil-plus) but that he anticipated not having to pay it because Avery would get a new job, thus voiding the severance.

   The conditions both agreed on, designed to help Avery keep his rep and to help Cuban keep his money: No parting shots. No under-the-bus throwing. No backstabbing. No lawsuits. Donnie –  still enduring the agony of the acrimony between his dad and his boss, was part of the “Triangle of Trust’’ agreement as well.

   “The idea,’’ says a Mavs source, “was that Avery could walk away saving face (while) letting the world think what they were going to think anyway, that it was all (the fault of) ‘that crazy Cuban.’  ‘Crazy Cuban’ is fine with Mark. He will take that bullet.

   The source continues: “Cuban’s done his part. He hasn’t said a negative word. Donnie’s done his part, though he probably shouldn’t have even bothered mentioning that thing about ‘unanimous (decisions).’

   “Meanwhile, look what Avery did.’’

   We are told that Donnie is “quite upset’’ that Avery left town with some final jabs at Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd.

   From one locker-room confidante: “He turned on Kidd a while back. Not a big surprise. But why go after Dirk? How stupid is that? What did Dirk ever do wrong to Avery?’’

   From one front-office confidante:  “It’s not just the (backstabbing.) It’s the lying. It’s going to end up hurting Avery.’’

   Hurting him how? As Avery Johnson searches for his next job, he will talk of his 194-70 record, he will talk of his religious faith, and he will say “I am a man of honesty and integrity.’’

   And he will be fibbing. The potential employer won’t know he’s fibbing if he calls Cuban or Donnie; they plan to keep their promise – Donnie because he’s endured enough broken-relationship crap, Cuban because of the $12 mil.

   But, says one Mavs staffer who is a ways down the totem pole: “We all know the truth. I hope (Avery’s next potential employer) doesn’t call me. I won’t know quite what to say.’’

102pm may 3 2008