Jerry Tarkanian was fired Friday after losing more games in less than two months with the San Antonio Spurs than he did in three years at UNLV.
"Coach Tarkanian has been terminated," team owner Red McCombs said during a hastily called news conference "We have a different level of expectation for this team. I appreciate all that the coach has done."After Rex Hughes coached the Spurs to a 122-101 victory over the Dallas Mavericks just hours later, McCombs announced that John Lucas would be the next head coach.
"I have followed John's career as a player. John is a great player. John is a great person," McCombs said. "I've always felt he would be a great leader on the floor."
McCombs said Lucas, 39, would begin coaching the team immediately.
Lucas played for seven teams, including San Antonio, from 1976-1989 after he was the first overall pick in the 1976 draft by Houston. He was in and out of rehabilitation for cocaine addiction during his playing career, and has devoted his recent life to fighting drug abuse.
Tarkanian, 62, coached UNLV to the 1990 NCAA championship and compiled a record of 625-122 (83.7 percent) in 24 seasons, five at Long Beach State and 19 at UNLV. The Spurs, expected to contend in the NBA Western Conference this season, were 9-11 after Thursday night's 121-109 loss to Houston.
Tarkanian didn't attend the news conference, but said later Friday that his firing "boils down to what Red expected the team to do and what I expected the team to do."
He was in the first year of a three-year contract that pays him $500,000 a season.
Tarkanian said losing had been bothering his health.
"The losses have been really painful," he said. "It's really been hard on me. I've been taking medication for high blood pressure and I've never done that before."
"I'll never coach again. I'm all done," Tarkanian said.