LOS ANGELES – Dallas Mavericks governor Mark Cuban is a big fan of rookie guard Jaden Hardy.
“Jaden is fearless,” Cuban told Mavs.com before Tuesday’s 113-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. “He’s one of our best — if not our best — downhill players already when you get him out there pushing the ball, and he’s still learning.
“He knows how to attack the rim. He’s going to get better and better.”
Hardy scored 15 points in consecutive games last Thursday against Boston and Saturday against New Orleans. And he did it while converting 12-of-17 shots.
”He’s done well,” coach Jason Kidd said. “His energy is high. We need that. His ability to score. We need that.
“I think on the defensive end he’s getting better. It’s just a matter of reps.”
Those repetitions, Kidd said, will hopefully start coming real soon.
“When teams don’t game plan for him he’s got an advantage,” Cuban said. “But now teams are starting to realize when he comes in the game, and they send a big at him and force him to pass it, and he’s made some good passes.
“It’s not like he’s a black hole and he doesn’t pass the ball. He had some really good passes the other day (against OKC).”
KIDD ON HARDAWAY TAKING BLAME: Coach Jason Kidd had no problem with guard Tim Hardaway Jr. taking responsibility for Sunday’s 120-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“When Timmy was talking about that in the locker room after the game, and then for him to publicly say that maybe he felt that he didn’t play up to par, it’s a healthy thing, it’s a good thing,” Kidd said. “It’s not a bad thing.”
Kidd, however, wasn’t about to put all of the blame on Hardaway for the loss to the Thunder.
“It’s not just one person — it’s the team,” Kidd said. “We win as a team and we lose as a team.
“But also when you see someone like Timmy — whose been in this league for a while now — just open up to the media about taking responsibility that he maybe didn’t play up to par or do his job that night, it happens for 82 games. No one is going to play 82 great games or do their job at a high level.”
BRIEFLY: After playing the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, the Mavs stayed in LA where they’ll play the Lakers on Thursday. Then they’ll travel to Portland where they’ll play games on Saturday and Sunday. Cuban likes the idea of having an off day in between games when his team plays two games in one city, like they did when they played in Minnesota in Nov. 19 and Nov. 21. “But at the same time it’s a long flight to Portland,” Cuban said. “So getting it over with is not a bad thing.” The Mavs will also have another
time this season when they play two games in one city on the same trip when they play a pair of games in Sacramento on back-to-back nights on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11 . . . On his team’s 23-18 record at the midway point of the season, Cuban believes injuries to Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber have prevented the Mavs from having a better record. And now add center Dwight Powell to that list after Powell suffered a right hip contusion during Tuesday’s 113-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. “We’re going to have to get healthy,” Cuban said. “That’s always the most important thing. Everything is so bunched up in the West. It’s just about who can stay healthy and go on a run.” . . . With 9:23 left in the game, Jason Kidd used his coach’s challenge after Luka Doncic was whistled for charging into John Wall. Kidd won his challenge, the call was overturned, and Doncic made a pair of free throws. Kidd is now 8-7 on coach’s challenges this season.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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