Gary Cosby Jr.
Avery Johnson’s first head coaching assignment came with little fanfare.
Johnson, an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks in 2005, had stepped in twice to serve as interim head coach while Don Nelson, their long-time head coach, dealt with health problems. Finally, with 18 games to go in the season, Nelson decided to step down permanently.
“We were playing Charlotte that night,” Johnson recalled on Thursday. “Coach Nelson passed the whistle to me at about 11 a.m. and told me I was coaching.
“I wasn’t that nervous. We only had about 18 games left in the season.