Coach Jason Kidd brushed off criticism of the Mavericks’ acquisition of Kyrie Irving, saying that the team now has a much better shot at winning a title, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon writes.
“We feel that the talent and his abilities to make us better are something that we needed,” Kidd said. “We feel that getting him is going to help put us in a position to win a championship.”
The deal with the Nets became official earlier today. Irving flew to Dallas on Monday and could make his Mavericks debut on Wednesday against the Clippers. He won’t play with new backcourt partner Luka Doncic immediately, however. Doncic will remain sidelined on Wednesday by a heel contusion, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Callie Caplan.
Once the duo takes the court together, Kidd expects the Mavs to be even more dangerous than they were last year when Doncic and Jalen Brunson led the team to the Western Conference Finals, Caplan writes.
“He’s played with the best players in the world, and he’s had success doing that,” Kidd said of Irving. “To give Luka an opportunity to come down the court without having to dribble or run every play, this gives us an opportunity to do different things. We look back at when we had [Jalen Brunson], being able to have a playmaker like that. When you look at Ky — nothing against JB — but Ky is at a different level, so this gives us another weapon. Someone’s going to be free. Someone’s going to have the advantage.”
Kidd doesn’t seem too concerned about Irving’s past issues and unpredictable moods. Irving idolized Kidd growing up and they developed a friendship while sharing a personal trainer, Robin Pound. Irving also attended Kidd’s Hall of Fame induction.
“He’s all about basketball,” Kidd said. “He wants to win, and he wants to be coached, and this is a great opportunity for me to have someone like this to help.”
Kidd also predicts that Doncic will benefit from not having to bear such a heavy burden. Doncic’s usage rate is highest among all NBA guards.
“It’s going to come down. And that’s a healthy thing. It’s not a bad thing. … Actually, he’ll be stronger in the fourth (quarter),” Kidd said. “The team will be better. Then the trust between the two — it’s going to take some time to get that rhythm and trust, but Kai is about winning.”
Dallas owner Mark Cuban also feels the team is much more dangerous offensively with the addition of Irving, Caplan reports in a separate story. Cuban believes that will override the loss of defensive ace Dorian Finney-Smith, who was part of Dallas’ package.
“They are the two players in the NBA that are most able to get anywhere they want on the court,” Cuban said. “They can create their own shots and finish every which way. That should make us incredibly potent on the offensive end. And while it’s going to be tough to fill Dorian’s shoes defensively, we think Josh (Green) will be able to step in and take advantage of the increased minutes he will be getting.”
Kyrie Irving: I felt empty after winning 2016 championship with Cavaliers
Irving on “I Am Athlete”:
“It was like climbing up one of the tallest mountains in the world, winning a championship. And when I got up there, and you realize that all the accolades and all the achievements, yeah, it feels good, it feels great to add that to the career. But I felt empty – after I done travelled, after I done partied, after I done spent a bunch of money, after I done asked for more deals, after. We all been through it. So, feeling on top of that mountain, man, after a while, I just felt like I didn’t really know who I was. I didn’t know what my future was going to be.”
“Again, we go back to climbing that mountain. And when I was going through some of my trials and learning about who I was, it was a lot harder to reconnect to everybody again, because I had a lot of questions about the world. What was my place in the world? Not what was my place in the basketball realm?“
link to nba.nbcsports.com
Just being Kyrie …….
I doubt he’s ever been on a mountain.
If he thinks the earth is literally flat then he might not even believe in mountains.
As a Lakers fan, I admire the move Cuban made. Kyrie is a baller, right up there with the best of them. What a duo with Luka, yikes!
Since the Lakers can’t get it together, I may have to root for the Mavs (or any other team, in fact) to stop the Celtics from getting the 18th before we do!
Jason Kidd before he wakes up to the fact that there are too many defensive holes to plug now…
Yeah but a Delon Wright and Derrick Jones Jr trade could fix that. Some 2’s should get it done.
As a Lakers fan, I admire the move Cuban made. Kyrie is a baller, right up there with the best of them. What a duo with Luka, yikes!
Since the Lakers can’t get it together, I may have to root for the Mavs (or any other team, in fact) to stop the Celtics from getting the 18th before we do!
This all assumes he shows up and plays…
Wait is kyrie a west all-star now? How does this work since he was a starter in the east but got traded before the ASG?
Since the All-Star Game is no longer East vs. West and he’s just part of the eight-player starter draft pool, nothing really changes.
I think what Kidd is really looking forward to is KI’s selflessness and sense of team…
I’m sure Kyrie will feel great about being identified as Jalen Brunson’s replacement. Get him motivated Coach Kidd!
Kyries is all about winning? That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard in a long time.