Dirk Is Pissed! (Well, By His Standards)

It's always hilarious when a well-behaved player with a good reputation speaks out against a coach. Does his credibility justify him, excuse the whole thing, or suddenly start to chip away at all he's achieved?

Sorry if that was too vague, but like there was any doubt as to what I was talking about. On his way out, Avery Johnson insinuated that the team, not him, had faltered. So now, star Dirk Nowitzki—oft-criticized for certain on-court tendencies, but still well-respected—has returned the favor. From the Star-Telegram:

He criticized how Avery used J-Kidd and how he dealt with players. And while what he said and his tone hardly qualifies as a T.O.-on-Andy Reid tirade, Dirk left no doubt that he had lost faith in Avery.

And Dirk is not easily lost. He is not that guy. Avery really had to work at alienating him.

"I think that's what Avery was missing a little bit, the communication with the players individually," Dirk said. "I think that's the way to go -- not only find your way as a coach, but find out what the players like, where they like to catch the ball, what sets they like. Because it's still a player's league. It's not a league of coaches."

Be honest here: If Carmelo Anthony said this, even in the same mild tone, it would be headline news and proof that the league was collapsing. That coach-killers walked among us. I like whenever Dirk shows some fire, but there is a double-standard here.

Speaking of which, the same column calls Josh Howard a "selfish idiot" and wonders if his career is "salvageable."

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.