In the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of pro basketball, Ryuji Kawai's 60-30 record in 90 games as head coach wasn't good enough.
Nor was the fact that as a rookie head coach he took the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix to the bj-league title game last May at Ariake Colosseum, where the then-two-time defending champion was dethroned by the Ryukyu Golden Kings.
The final straw?