09-25-2023, 10:45 AM
Mine was the angriest reaction on the board to the twitter excerpts that were posted. The actual podcast interview wasn't as bad as I expected but it definitely wasn't good.
Kidd is fairly careless when he speaks publicly and has a clear history of treating players differently in the media. Listing Grant Williams as part of a clear "top 3" along with Luka and Kyrie may seem harmless initially. However, later implying that Josh Green will be competing with OMax for a starting spot is an insult to Josh Green. Green has already proven a lot as a Maverick. OMax is a late first-rounder who has literally yet to play an NBA minute. I don't see why Grant Williams is already part of the Mavs "Core 3" while Josh Green is threatened to lose his starting spot to a rookie. There is no way that Josh Green listened to that interview and felt good about Kidd's comments.
Doing this in the middle of Josh Green's contract extension discussion makes this much worse. With any business relationship, money is very important. However, you also want people to feel good about where they work and feel they are valued. Organization and player relationships are extremely important in the NBA. That is exactly the reason Nico Harrison was hired as our General Manager. Kidd's interview undermines that relationship with Josh Green. Kidd publicly treats him as an afterthought- not a priority.
I have similar thoughts on the center position. Dwight Powell receives a lot of criticism on this board but he has played well for us for a long time. He signed a discount contract to stay with the Mavericks because he obviously likes being on this team. Saying Lively has a chance to start before we have even started training camp is also an insult to Dwight.
Kidd could have praised his rookies without insulting his veterans. It's a careless interview from a coach with a history of treating his players poorly.
Kidd is fairly careless when he speaks publicly and has a clear history of treating players differently in the media. Listing Grant Williams as part of a clear "top 3" along with Luka and Kyrie may seem harmless initially. However, later implying that Josh Green will be competing with OMax for a starting spot is an insult to Josh Green. Green has already proven a lot as a Maverick. OMax is a late first-rounder who has literally yet to play an NBA minute. I don't see why Grant Williams is already part of the Mavs "Core 3" while Josh Green is threatened to lose his starting spot to a rookie. There is no way that Josh Green listened to that interview and felt good about Kidd's comments.
Doing this in the middle of Josh Green's contract extension discussion makes this much worse. With any business relationship, money is very important. However, you also want people to feel good about where they work and feel they are valued. Organization and player relationships are extremely important in the NBA. That is exactly the reason Nico Harrison was hired as our General Manager. Kidd's interview undermines that relationship with Josh Green. Kidd publicly treats him as an afterthought- not a priority.
I have similar thoughts on the center position. Dwight Powell receives a lot of criticism on this board but he has played well for us for a long time. He signed a discount contract to stay with the Mavericks because he obviously likes being on this team. Saying Lively has a chance to start before we have even started training camp is also an insult to Dwight.
Kidd could have praised his rookies without insulting his veterans. It's a careless interview from a coach with a history of treating his players poorly.