<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">We?re coming up on the one-year anniversary of the day that changed the Mavericks. Don?t expect Mark Cuban and Don Nelson to exchange cards. Sunday will mark the anniversary of the day Nelson walked away from the Mavericks and turned the job over to Avery Johnson. It was a seamless transition, one that worked out great for the three principals and, more important, the team. Cuban has a coach he?s comfortable working with, a relationship he hasn?t enjoyed since his early days with Nelson. Johnson has a team that has given him more wins through 82 games than any coach in league history. There is less tension in the front office and the locker room because the two top figures in the organization get along. And Nelson? He?s been to Maui, New Zealand and scored tickets to the Oscars from his friend Owen Wilson. He has a role in a series that?s likely to be picked up by HBO and will open a bar on the edge of downtown Dallas in the next few days. Nelson calls it the most enjoyable year of his life. The relationship between Cuban and Nelson was strained at the end, but both deserve credit for identifying Johnson as the next head coach and putting aside their differences to make it happen. The fact all three are happier and better off today than they were one year ago validates the breakup and move forward. ?My thing is, I try to talk less and less about that time and about that year,?? Johnson said. ?I?m not a superhero and Nellie is not a bad guy. Nellie laid a great foundation here. Now, why don?t we let him ride off into the sunset and remember that? ?Everyone got what they wanted. What a great position to be in. In reality, that doesn?t happen a lot.?? </div> Source
