A couple of NBA lifers who have been through just about everything as players and coaches sounded off on Wednesday about the emotions brought forth by recent events surrounding the Mavericks.
Coaches Jason Kidd of the Mavs and Steve Kerr of Golden State both said they were sympathetic to the way fans feel when they get emotionally invested in players or organizations.
But . . .
Kerr in particular said that, while he doesn’t comment on other teams’ player movement, he has seen some of the backlash that the Mavericks have received since trading Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis and Max Christie.
“I have been following the stuff with the fans,” Kerr said before Wednesday’s game. “Death threats for Nico, it’s brutal. It’s really sad and you kind of feel for everybody because it’s a very emotional business. It’s what drives the business.
“The fans obviously love this stuff and if you’re a Mavs fan and you’re heartbroken, that’s really difficult to handle. That’s what I’m kind of most interested in. Seeing that and seeing Nico go through stuff that he shouldn’t go through, it’s all kind of surreal to be honest with you.”
Kerr said he could relate in a way because he made at least one unpopular trade when he was running the Phoenix Suns.
“I traded Shawn Marion for Shaq (O’Neal) and I got death threats. E-mail death threats. Our security in Phoenix looked into it and I was never overly concerned. I kind of took it for what it was – an angry fan typing away, but it’s still pretty disconcerting when somebody threatens your life.
“I feel for Nico. This is a tough enough business as it is and everybody has to make difficult decisions. Everybody is emotional, but there has to be a line that exists and that one was clearly crossed.”
Kidd said he’s trying to keep his head down and stay focused on the basketball side of things. But it’s hard not to be aware of what’s going on.
“We have the best fans in the league,” Kidd said. “They can come and cheer and boo if they don’t like the way we’re playing, if we’re being lazy. But I don’t think the fans are booing (the effort). The guys are playing as hard as they can. We put ourselves in some games to win. We’ve lost. We’ve won. But they have a right to speak on what they believe.”
The good news, Kidd said, is that the Mavericks and any NBA team are a little busy on the court to be too involved with what’s taking place in the stands or on the periphery of the team.
“To be honest, as a coach or player, you’re so locked in there’s no noise – there’s really just white noise,” he said. “You don’t hear or see people in the stands. It’s just what you are focused on in front of you. A lot of times, it’s an All-Star like Steph (Curry) or Jimmy Butler you’re focused on so you can’t be worried about the boos or if someone’s being escorted out. That’s why they’re fans. They pay to come watch a game – as long as it’s not disturbing the next fan who has come to watch the game and cheer the guys on.”
Welcoming Butler: Kerr said that the Warriors, much like the Mavericks, are learning how to play differently with the addition of Jimmy Butler.
It’s having a big impact on everybody, but Steph Curry in particular.
“When he (Curry) can get off the ball, we can break the defense down with someone else and now Steph is either attacking a closeout or catching the ball with a live dribble, catch and shoot,” Kerr said. “That’s what really makes our offense more dynamic than it would be otherwise. Jimmy reminds me of guys like Andre (Igoudala), Shaun Livingston, guys like that who really balanced out our offense in the past, so this is a very welcomed dynamic to our game.”
As is the fact that the Warriors can play Butler in many different ways, including as a power forward, which they have done so alongside Draymond Green at center in the early going.
“Oh yeah, Jimmy at the four with Draymond is something that we’ll apply every single night at some point,” Kerr said. “Whether we start with it or not, we’ll get to that a lot because that’s a really good lineup, very versatile and dynamic. So, we’ll get there, but we feel very comfortable playing our bigs and playing Jimmy at the three also.”
Explanation from Kidd: It was unusual that Kidd missed the postgame news conference on Monday after the 129-128 loss to Sacramento.
Before Wednesday’s game, he explained why he missed his usual chat with reporters.
“I felt bad,” he said. “Thank you for your grace and the NBA for their grace of the situation. We lost a tough game, lost another player, so I just needed some time to regroup and refocus and figure out how to put these pieces back together. So I want to thank you. I just needed a minute to regroup.”
And how does an NBA coach go about that?
“Try to get some sleep. It’s hard to sleep right now,” Kidd said. “We’re asking a lot of guys to do things they never thought they’d be asked to do. They’re trying to listen to what we’re asking them to do.
“You try to get some rest so you can give the best advice. Sometimes if you’re tired, you’re a little cloudy – I could have come in here and said something I regretted saying (after Monday’s game). So I appreciate you guys giving me grace to catch my breath because it’s been a lot. We’re human. As much as we look at numbers, there’s a human thing to this. We’re trying to do the best thing for the Dallas Mavericks, and that’s to win. I just needed a quick moment. I did miss you guys.”
The last word: Kerr has coached Anthony Davis in the Olympics and against him for a decade.
He had this to say about his addition to the Mavericks:
“I think he’s the best defensive center in the world. He is a phenomenal defender with what he’s capable of in the paint and switching onto guards down the stretch of games, he’s an incredible player and a phenomenal teammate. High character, high talent. Yeah, AD’s the real deal.”
X: @ESefko
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