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Kidd is old and his jumper is terrible. He's also Chris Paul's now.
JKidd says the littlest colonels ass-whupping style was killing everyone. Or something like that.
Heh...
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/story/730197.html
Kidd says Avery’s offense, rigid style cramped Mavs
By JAN HUBBARD
Jason Kidd says he is "playing for all those 35-year-olds that everybody says we’re too old, but we’re really not."
LAS VEGAS — The story was relayed by someone close to Jason Kidd in New Jersey, where Kidd returned after the disappointing end to the Mavericks’ 2007-08 season.
During his career, Kidd has been accused of being a "coach killer," a label he has disputed. But he’s aware of the talk, so when Avery Johnson was fired by the Mavericks, Kidd told a friend: "They can’t blame that one on me. When I got there, the players all thought he was crazy. And he was."
Kidd smiled easily when the story was related to him Saturday after the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team went through its first practice.
"Well, I don’t remember saying all of that," he said. "I just think my name is always mentioned as someone who is looking to fire a coach. So I might have said to a friend that it didn’t fall on my shoulders."
Kidd sat in the bleachers at Cox Pavilion on the Nevada-Las Vegas campus, wearing his Team USA uniform, and talked openly of his frustrations as a Maverick.
When he joined the Mavericks after the Feb. 19 trade from the Nets, he thought Johnson would employ an up-tempo style that would take advantage of Kidd’s considerable passing skills. Instead, he found that Johnson was a rigid coach who was a domineering presence on the sidelines.
"We ran the first couple of games," Kidd said. "And then we stopped. A lot of times, our offense was used to set up our defense. We slowed it down instead of getting out and running and putting pressure on [opponents] after missed shots or even makes. We were pretty much — not just myself, but everybody — looking over to the sideline, trying to figure out what was going to be called."
Kidd is at his best in the open court, operating without constraints and creating easy shots for teammates. But he found that he had little freedom with Johnson.
It was noted during the season that Kidd probably spent more time looking at the sidelines for instructions in three months under Johnson than he had combined in his 13-year career. When asked Saturday if he had any problem with that observation, Kidd said: "That’s fair."
After the season, Dirk Nowitzki noted that the Mavericks’ offense had Kidd spotting up for jump shots on the weak side, and Nowitzki said he thought Kidd could have been utilized better.
Kidd is a 40.1 percent career shooter, so shooting is not the strongest part of his game.
"I have a bad habit," Kidd said jokingly. "And that’s looking to pass first. I don’t know if that’s going to change at 35, but we’ll see."
When asked pointedly if he found it difficult playing for Johnson, Kidd said: "I was trying my darndest to help the whole situation and try to do what he wanted. But I think maybe there was a situation where the voice had gone dead to a lot of guys. From my point, guys maybe stopped listening."
Kidd said he is looking forward to playing for new coach Rick Carlisle, who has promised to let Kidd run the show. But first, Kidd and the Olympic team will attempt to win the first gold medal for the U.S. since 2000.
Mavericks officials had some concerns about Kidd playing so much this summer. Kidd will turn 36 in March. The Olympics could tax him physically and leave him run down for the season.
Kidd, however, said that because the Mavericks’ playoffs ended early, he has already received sufficient rest. And he said the age issue is overrated.
"People are fixated on my age and my jump shot," Kidd said, and laughed. "I swear – if you don’t put my name in an article and you just put '35 and inconsistent shooter,’ somebody’s going to say, 'That’s Jason. [Steve] Nash is not that much younger, but his age is never brought up.
"I’m playing for all those 35-year-olds that everybody says we’re too old, but we’re really not."
Kidd also was amused by a recent comment attributed to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who complimented the Chicago Bulls on selecting guard Derrick Rose with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Obama said Rose "is Jason Kidd with a jump shot."
Kidd is old and his jumper is terrible. He's also Chris Paul's now.
This is news?
Jason Kidd is not just a coach killer, He is also a team Killer. Being traded is starting to look like a blessing for Devin Harris.
....and the reason the Mavs had NO 1st round pick in this year's draft. Every other team keeps getting better, while the Mavs stand pat hoping to recapture their supposed magic of 2006
"We like our team the way it is...."
- Mark Cuban
Does he watch Nash play. Nash hits like 95% of his jumpers....
Don Nelson made the Mavs.
Avery sucks.
lol...not news but expect the Mavs to be vastly improved next year.
I don't know. It may turn into a be careful what you wish for situation.
actually I still think Jason Kidd is washed up and he won't amount to much next year anyways. Mavs will improve but finish about 5th or 6th in the West.
I think they will do better next year too. The window has closed in my opinion for a championship but they should provide compe ion for the better teams out there. Avery was a clown.
The Mavs are not as far off as people think they are. The "better teams" out there were only a few games better than the Mavs in the regular season, so if the Mavs do indeed improve, they'll be right in the thick of things.
I don't know what to expect, but the range of my personal expectations are missing the playoffs to a 3 seed, with a chance to win a le with the right breaks. The two teams I can't see not getting the first 2 seeds are Los Angeles and Utah.
lol
Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? Your expectations are basically either the Mavs miss the playoffs or win the NBA championship. Good Lord you Mav fans are a funny bunch.
I think LAL has a good shot at the #1 seed again if they stay healthy. They'll have even more depth than last year and a lot more experience as a unit.
too bad Derrick Rose doesnt really have a jumpshot
Hey MadHatter, bummer about your "Gay Love" not working out.
Unfortunately for Grizz fans they're going to be stuck with, "Gay Mayo."
Now that's just disgusting....
best sig in the history of sigs. that was the greatest 3 hour dynasty ever
Since their record was built before the trade (meaning despite how bad they were after Kidd's arrival), they have to REALLY improve to be right in the thick of things. Maybe the coaching change will provide enough of a boost to get them through this year, but they'll definitely stop listening to him at some point. I don't know if it matters, though. The rest of the west is getting tougher; they might be able to improve enough to keep them in playoff contention.
JKidd is one of our greatest modern prophets.
Upon being drafted by the Mavs before the 1994-95 season, he was quoted as saying, "We are going to turn this team around 360 degrees."
Upon his return via a midseason trade to the Mavs thirteen (THIRTEEN!) years later, his great prophecy was fulfilled. Long live the sage, the prognosticator, the mind that is JKidd.
It doesn't sound ridiculous at all because there are a lot of things that are still unknown. HOW much was Avery holding the team back?, was Josh Howard's poor play just a blip or a sign of things to come? Will Kidd flourish under a more suitable offensive system? Will the bench have some more youth/athleticism? Factors like these can make a difference of 8-10 games over the course of an 82 game season, and those 8-10 games in the West can be the difference between being as high as the 3rd seed and missing the playoffs.
hahaha, turning a team around 360 degrees = turning it right back to where it was. stupid.JKidd is one of our greatest modern prophets.
Upon being drafted by the Mavs before the 1994-95 season, he was quoted as saying, "We are going to turn this team around 360 degrees."
Upon his return via a midseason trade to the Mavs thirteen (THIRTEEN!) years later, his great prophecy was fulfilled. Long live the sage, the prognosticator, the mind that is JKidd.
Playoff race
West
1 - Mavericks
2 thru 8 - missed the playoffs because no one could compete with the 82-0 Mavericks.
Some very damning quotes in that column. Avery was a detriment to the team this past season. All the rhetoric posted on the walls of the practice court have been taken down (43%/Keep your man in front of you/ defense-desire, etc.) and have been replaced with guys talking basketball and learning from their coaches. No more bull . No more yelling or demeaning the players.
Still waiting for Avery to take that assistant coach position with the Spurs that everyone thought was coming. It was said in another thread that even his former team doesn't want him because of his ways. If that's not true, then why is the hot commodity that is Avery Johnson still on the streets?
Spurs fans and Avery will spin that as "hahahah Avery is gonna live off Cuban's money! hahahaha Cuban sucks! lulz!!1!!!1!!!!!"
But everyone knows that with Avery's ego, he's gotta be incredibly pissed about not even getting so much as a courtesy call from former teammate Steve Kerr, or that Joe Dumars would rather hand over the reigns of an elite EC team to a guy with zero head coaching experience. Avery thought he could leave Dallas and have every team in the NBA breaking down his door trying to hire him.
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