<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>When Jason Kidd arrived in Dallas, one of the fascinating prospects was to see how quickly Avery Johnson would evolve as a head coach. From the moment that he took over for Don Nelson in March 2005, Johnson ruled with a sideline demeanor that was somewhere north of stern. With a rigid jaw and piercing eyes, Johnson's face would have been a sculptor's delight and a perfect fit on Mount Rushmore. As Jason Terry would say, "He's the general." And he acted like it. Johnson was particularly demanding of his point guards, which seemed natural since Johnson played the position for 16 years. He also had a young student in Devin Harris and a converted shooter in Terry, and neither could play the point the way Avery had. One of Johnson's goals entering the season, however, was to be less controlling from the sideline. The only way the 24-year-old Harris could advance as a player was to be given more freedom. And Avery tried as hard as he could to allow that to happen - for about a month. Then he resumed control, although Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson said there was a legitimate reason. "The mix we had before took us special places with two scoring point guards," Nelson said. "That made us tough to guard, but you also have to get creative. So Avery had to hold the reins a little bit more." When Kidd arrived, Johnson smiled when asked about loosening those reins. He said he had no plans to stop pacing the sidelines during a game. He said he was still going to call plays and direct traffic. But he also acknowledged that he would have to exercise a little more self control, scream a little bit less and call plays a lot less.</div> Source
