Mavs fire head coach Avery Johnson

"It is never easy to relieve a coach of his duties, especially one of Avery's calibre," Cuban said in a statement. "He is a talented coach and I want to thank him for his efforts over the last four years and what he has done for this franchise."

   Johnson leaves with an impressive 194-70 record in three plus seasons behind the Mavericks bench after being promoted as one of Don Nelson's assistants. However, his post-season record was a mediocre 22-24.

 Johnson took over the reins at the end of the 2004-05 season and was an instant success leading Dallas to a 16-2 mark.

 In his first full season, Johnson was voted the league's top coach after guiding the Mavericks to 60 wins and their first-ever NBA finals appearance. However, after taking a 2-0 lead, the team blew the next four games and the championship to the Miami Heat.

 The Mavericks bounced back behind Johnson with a 67-15 record - sixth best in league history. However, they were stunned by the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors in last year's first round.

 Looking to take the Mavericks to another level, Cuban traded for All-Star point guard Jason Kidd, but it didn't meet with much success and the team went 16-13 in the regular season.

 Less than 24 hours after Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets sent the Mavs packing in five games, in yet another disappointing first round loss, "The Little General" was given his pink slip.

 "I would like to thank Avery for his valuable contributions to the Mavericks organisation," president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. "Over the past four years, he has been an integral part of our team's success. We wish AJ nothing but the very best in his future endeavors."