ducks
12-15-2003, 05:10 PM
By OHM YOUNGMISUK
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The anger and frustration could be heard through closed doors. The language used was clearly more suitable for Quentin Tarantino than Clay Aiken.
The typically low-key and politically correct Jason Kidd lost his cool in Graceland Saturday night, and rightfully so. The Nets had just absorbed a humiliating 110-63 beating in Memphis and Kidd had had enough of his underachieving team. He laced into them with a diatribe that would've made Michael Jordan - a man infamous for ripping his teammates - blush.
"I think he was embarrassed," said Nets president Rod Thorn, who left the locker room just before Kidd's outburst.
Teams typically have an episode like this "three, four times a year" according to veteran Robert Pack. But for the Nets, this is just the latest meltdown in a season that could take a turn for the worse.
After two years of smooth sailing to the NBA Finals, the Nets have had nothing but controversy and drama engulf them this season.
Between Kenyon Martin's anger over not receiving a maximum contract extension, Martin and Alonzo Mourning's highly-publicized shouting match, Mourning's sudden retirement, Byron Scott's job status and the team's never-ending sale, the Nets have been more dysfunctional than The Osbournes.
"We are going to have fights and guys fussing at one another and guys fussing at coaches, coaches fussing at guys," said Byron Scott, whose team was off yesterday after going 1-1 in its back-to-back road slate with Orlando and Memphis. "You are going to have some heated discussions. You are going to have some of those that we have had this season. For the most part I think it is good for the team."
The Nets (11-12) had appeared to be emerging out of their early slump with a four-game winning streak going into Saturday.
"It is hard to say where the team is," Thorn said. "I choose to look at it as we are playing better and (the Memphis loss) was an aberration."
It remains to be seen how the Nets respond to Kidd's passionate tirade.
"We'll see," said Scott, whose team plays Wednesday against Utah at home.
Kidd has chewed out his team before, but never with reporters just outside the locker-room door.
Kidd cursed up a storm, demanding the underachieving Nets step up. Reporters waiting outside the Nets' locker room for 35 minutes after the game could hear Kidd calling out players. And one unknown player could be heard talking back to him before being quickly put down by Kidd and other muffled voices.
Pack said Martin also spoke up during the meeting but it's unclear if Martin said anything to Kidd since Martin did not speak to reporters.
"I respect and love these guys," said Kidd, whose previous worst loss as a Net was a 118-82 loss to Sacramento last season. "(But) when I see something, I got to call it. And if they see something, they got to call it on me. I wasn't going at anybody. We can't turn the engines off because we have a four-game winning streak."
link (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/145902p-128906c.html)
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The anger and frustration could be heard through closed doors. The language used was clearly more suitable for Quentin Tarantino than Clay Aiken.
The typically low-key and politically correct Jason Kidd lost his cool in Graceland Saturday night, and rightfully so. The Nets had just absorbed a humiliating 110-63 beating in Memphis and Kidd had had enough of his underachieving team. He laced into them with a diatribe that would've made Michael Jordan - a man infamous for ripping his teammates - blush.
"I think he was embarrassed," said Nets president Rod Thorn, who left the locker room just before Kidd's outburst.
Teams typically have an episode like this "three, four times a year" according to veteran Robert Pack. But for the Nets, this is just the latest meltdown in a season that could take a turn for the worse.
After two years of smooth sailing to the NBA Finals, the Nets have had nothing but controversy and drama engulf them this season.
Between Kenyon Martin's anger over not receiving a maximum contract extension, Martin and Alonzo Mourning's highly-publicized shouting match, Mourning's sudden retirement, Byron Scott's job status and the team's never-ending sale, the Nets have been more dysfunctional than The Osbournes.
"We are going to have fights and guys fussing at one another and guys fussing at coaches, coaches fussing at guys," said Byron Scott, whose team was off yesterday after going 1-1 in its back-to-back road slate with Orlando and Memphis. "You are going to have some heated discussions. You are going to have some of those that we have had this season. For the most part I think it is good for the team."
The Nets (11-12) had appeared to be emerging out of their early slump with a four-game winning streak going into Saturday.
"It is hard to say where the team is," Thorn said. "I choose to look at it as we are playing better and (the Memphis loss) was an aberration."
It remains to be seen how the Nets respond to Kidd's passionate tirade.
"We'll see," said Scott, whose team plays Wednesday against Utah at home.
Kidd has chewed out his team before, but never with reporters just outside the locker-room door.
Kidd cursed up a storm, demanding the underachieving Nets step up. Reporters waiting outside the Nets' locker room for 35 minutes after the game could hear Kidd calling out players. And one unknown player could be heard talking back to him before being quickly put down by Kidd and other muffled voices.
Pack said Martin also spoke up during the meeting but it's unclear if Martin said anything to Kidd since Martin did not speak to reporters.
"I respect and love these guys," said Kidd, whose previous worst loss as a Net was a 118-82 loss to Sacramento last season. "(But) when I see something, I got to call it. And if they see something, they got to call it on me. I wasn't going at anybody. We can't turn the engines off because we have a four-game winning streak."
link (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/145902p-128906c.html)