John MacLeod had a chance to take the New York Knicks coaching job last summer. As it turned out, he should have gone East.
Given only 11 games to prove his worth, the Dallas Mavericks fired the 52-year-old MacLeod on Wednesday, saying the club lacked fire and motivation.A 5-6 start and a 47-point loss to Seattle last Saturday in Reunion Arena doomed MacLeod, who had the Mavs within a game of the NBA finals only two years ago.
The Mavs failed to make the playoffs by a game last year, putting MacLeod in a vulnerable position.
Fans booed the Mavs and cheered with every Seattle score in the closing minutes of the 47-point loss, with some fans chanting "John must go, John must go."
"When we started not being this city's team, then we had to do something drastic," owner Donald Carter said.
Carter will meet with Richie Adubato in several days to decide whether the Mavericks assistant will continue as head coach. Adubato got a 102-83 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday night.
Carter hinted that some player changes also might come.
"We weren't showing hustle to the fans, and I still didn't see enough hustle against Charlotte," Carter said. "I don't think a coaching change will cure everything. Something else will probably have to be done."
Rick Sund, vice president of basketball operations, said Adubato would coach the Mavs on the road tonight against the San Antonio Spurs and Saturday night against the Houston Rockets.
Adubato was interim head coach for the Detroit Pistons in the 1979-80 season, with a 12-58 record after taking over for Vitale.