After spending the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Jason Kidd is returning to the head coaching ranks, reaching an agreement to become the next coach of the Dallas Mavericks. It’s news that drew a mixed reaction from Lakers star LeBron James, who carried a high amount of respect for the Hall of Fame point guard.
James tweeted his reaction once news of Kidd reaching an agreement with the Mavericks went public.
“Damn I hate to lose JKidd man but damn I’m happy for him at the same time!” James wrote. “Good luck Kidd!”
Damn I hate to lose JKidd man but damn I’m happy for him at the same time! Good luck Kidd!
Mutual Respect Between Jason Kidd, LeBron James
There’s major mutual respect between James and Kidd — two of the more unique talents the NBA has seen. ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz reported that multiple sources told him that James regards Kidd “as the only person alive who sees the game of basketball with his level of clarity.”
As a player, Kidd was a 10-time All-Star and a triple-double threat every time he stepped on the floor. He had very complimentary things to say about James’ basketball IQ during their time together.
“It’s going to help him play until he’s 40,” Kidd said of James, per Melissa Rohlin of Sports Illustrated. “His IQ is always going to help him because he’s going to be able to take less steps, right? Instead of running a six-mile race, he can run a five-mile race just because of his IQ.”
James and Kidd won a gold medal together in 2008 at the Bejing Olympics.
Jason Kidd Learned From Frank Vogel
GettyNew Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd.
Kidd’s previous stops were with the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets. He compiled a 183-190 record as a head coach, with a 9-15 career playoff record. Going into his next gig, he’ll take lots of lessons learned from his time on the Lakers staff under Frank Vogel.
“Learn from your mistakes. Nobody is perfect. Surround yourself with smarter people. Another thing I learned is to be able to be a good listener and filter the information that is given to you. Be able to use it or table it without saying, ‘No,’ or coming off defensive,” Kidd told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated: “You can give me a great idea and I can say, ‘I’m not ready to use that.’ It might come off to an assistant coach like, ‘Dang, he never takes any of my opinions.’ Now I would say, ‘I hear what you’re saying. I might want to do it, but just not right now.’ To you that goes, ‘He heard me, we are not going to use it right now but we will at some point.’
“One of the biggest things I’ve learned from Frank is he is a great listener and a great communicator. He hears you. He will let you know, ‘Hey, not right now. I’m not comfortable doing that.’ And that goes a long way instead of saying no or that’s crazy.”
Jason Kidd Finalizes 4-Year Deal With Mavericks
Kidd and the Mavericks reached a four-year deal, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. He was a highly sought-after candidate, with multiple teams putting his name on their wish lists.
Dallas Mavericks and Jason Kidd reached an agreement on a four-year deal to become the franchise’s next head coach, league sources tell @YahooSports.
Kidd won a title with the Mavericks in 2011 and was drafted by Dallas No. 2 overall in 1994. He has a strong relationship with multiple people in the building, including owner Mark Cuban.
Kidd was also publicly backed for the job by former Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle, who resigned after a 13-season stay with the Mavericks.
“My hope is that Jason Kidd will be the next coach of the Mavs because he and Luka have so many things in common as players,” Carlisle told ESPN. “I just think that it would be a great situation for Luka, and I think it would be an amazing situation for Jason. I’m the only person on the planet that’s coached both of those guys and that knows about all of their special qualities as basketball players. To me, that just would be a great marriage, but that’s just an opinion.”
Rick Carlisle says he hopes Jason Kidd will be the next coach of the Mavs: “He and Luka have so many things in common as players.”
Kidd is reportedly looking to add longtime Mavericks player J.J. Barea to his coaching staff, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Nike executive Nico Harrison will be the team’s general manager.
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Lakers Star LeBron James Reacts to Jason Kidd’s Departure