The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to hire Jason Kidd as the team’s new head coach was not without controversy.
On the court, the 48-year-old’s track record with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks left a lot to be desired. Off it, he got exposed by his own son for his various transgressions.
By any objective measure, an undeniable level of dubiousness has and continues to surround the Mavericks’ choice to hire him.
This week, Kidd announced what his plan was for Luka Doncic and Co. – leading to even more questions about his ability to lead the organization forward.
“We’re not just going to rely on jump shooting because that can leave you at any part of the season or in the playoffs,” Kidd told the media. “If that happens, you don’t have anything to fall back on, and that means an early exit.”
Naturally, this led to some raised eyebrows. The NBA has very much turned into a three-point shooting league over the past decade, so someone immediately consciously opting out of that is a bit of a surprise.
Reactions to Kidd’s commentary were swift and merciless.
I feel very confident that Kidd is going to make the Mavericks worse. https://t.co/cXGaMErp6E
— Greg (@gwiss) October 7, 2021
Jason Kidd got his first and only ring as part of the *first* team to ever win a championship by shooting a bunch of threes, but sure
Mavs had four dudes (Kidd, JET, Dirk, Peja) who are in the top 23 all time in made threes https://t.co/C5BHndjyUl
— shamus (@shamus_clancy) October 7, 2021
For context: Kristaps Porzigis, and Tim Hardaway, Jr. are career 36-percent shooters from three. Doncic is a career 33-percenter from beyond the arc.
This isn’t Kidd’s first controversy-evoking statement in recent weeks. He also stirred things up quite a bit in late September when he suggested there was one area Doncic really needed to improve in.
The video speaks for itself. https://t.co/v5S1fX7SBr
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 8, 2021
Ultimately, this will prove to be an interesting experiment. If Kidd thrives with the Mavericks, then he’ll prove all the haters wrong and establish himself as a legitimately great coach.
Should Dallas struggle, however – then that could prove to be the nail in the coffin of Kidd’s head coaching aspirations.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
