The decision is the first but probably not the last of what’s likely to a major shakeup for the franchise in the off season. The league’s highest payroll produced a second straight first-round knockout from the playoffs. Avery Johnson leaves Wednesday with an decent resume after three-plus seasons, but Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could only see the bottom line of being 3-12 in the playoffs since blowing a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA finals.

It was a bad scene for the Mavericks in New Orleans Arena last night, as they got their asses handed to them by the Hornets, who totally outperformed the Mavs on every front. Chris Paul once again was unbelievable with 32 points and 17 assists as the New Orleans Hornets waxed the Mavericks, 127-103. In the last three halves, the Mavericks have given up at least 60 points. They ran into a hot-shooting Hornets team Tuesday. But it didn’t excuse the Mavericks’ play, which was coma-like to say the least. This is the Mavericks fourth-worst playoff loss in their history. One of the three worse was a 25-point debacle in the Game 6 clincher last year at Golden State.
Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points, and has now said (made the excuse) that coming home for Games 3 and 4 will give them a much needed advantage. Only twelve times in NBA history has a team come back from a 2-0 hole to win a best-of-seven series.