Success in the regular season is easy to measure for any sports teams.
Wins and losses. It’s the bottom line that counts, save for the occasional rebuilding process.
But in training camp, success has to be measured a little differently and coach Jason Kidd made it clear what he wants most to accomplish as this unusual camp rolls on, headed toward a 12-day trip overseas.
When asked what he wants to see, one thing above all others was at the top of his wish list.
“The biggest one is health,” said Kidd, who is entering his third season as the Mavericks’ coach. “We want to be healthy going into the 25th (of October, opening day at San Antonio).”
That’s not the only thing, of course. But it’s No. 1, especially with Luka Dončić trying to get a balky left thigh right.
Kidd knows that a lot of luck is involved in avoiding injuries. Players need repetitions in camp. Scrimmages need to be competitive. And you just hope nobody takes a misstep.
Beyond that, Kidd’s to-do list will require him and his staff to decipher a lot of information in a short amount of time. There are only four preseason games. Considering there are 21 players in camp, that’s going to make evaluations challenging.
That’s one of the things that prompted Kidd to pair rookies Dereck Lively II and O-Max Prosper with projected starters Dončić, Kyrie Irving and Grant Williams.
“We tend to put the young guys with the stars to see how they handle the situation,” Kidd said. “For those two, they’ve done a really good job so far. They’ve done the work since we had them in July and August. We’ll see how they handle playing with Luka, Kyrie and Grant.
“There are a lot of boxes to check here. But we’re getting those done. You look at the young kids playing with the stars, understanding how to play with those guys. And then the big thing is different combinations. This preseason is a little different. We’re abroad. We got to figure out how to get all these pieces together and see how they look in different situations with scrimmages and preseason games.
“But the big thing is health.”
Kidd does have an ace up his sleeve when it comes to evaluating on the fly. He’s learned that putting players in situations that they might not be used to often can be quite revealing.
“Make them uncomfortable,” he said. “Try to make them uncomfortable and see how they respond. And that’s not in a negative way. These lights in this (practice) gym might be a little dimmer than at the AAC or on the road. So we got to put guys in situation to see how they handle being uncomfortable.”
Kyrie endorsed newcomer Williams: When the Mavericks were looking at targets this summer to improve the roster, Irving was a big supporter of bringing aboard swingman Grant Williams, who spent his first four seasons with Boston.
“Grant was one of those guys I mentioned,” Irving said Thursday. “He was a big piece in those Boston series when we were playing in Brooklyn. He really made it difficult on us.
“He wasn’t the only one, obviously. But he was doing the intangibles out there and he was looking for a bigger role somewhere else. I can’t knock a guy for wanting to be more in this league. Getting the deal he did, I was proud of him, but also I knew that the work is still ahead of us.”
Irving said that, after he agreed to his new deal with the Mavericks, he was more than happy to help with opinions on prospective players.
“They asked me what I thought throughout the summertime,” he said. “To be included in that process felt good.”
A new superstar duo: The trade Wednesday that sent Damian Lillard gave the Milwaukee Bucks a pair of stars that will rival most.
Said Kidd of the deal: “It’s great for the league. It’s great for both teams, Milwaukee and Portland. Portland can move forward with their build and Chauncey (Billups) can focus on the young team. And Milwaukee, they’re not short on stars. They got a tall one and a short one. So they’re good.”
Asked where he’d rank his superstar duo of Luka and Kyrie, Kidd said: “At the top. Why wouldn’t they? They’re the best scoring combo in the league. So if we’re at the top (on offense), on defense, we’ll take No. 2 or No. 3. We don’t need the No. 1 spot.”
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