Kidd: Popovich ‘long overdue’ to be inducted into Hall of Fame

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is slated to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer. It’s a prestigious honor Dallas Mavericks’ coach Jason Kidd said should have been bestowed upon Popovich many years ago.

“When you talk about Pop, it’s long overdue,” Kidd said. “He should have been there a long time ago, but for whatever reason NBA coaches are last.

“College coaches go in once they win a national championship. But I think Pop is going to go down as the best coach in the NBA.”

Popovich has more wins than any other NBA coach. He also was the NBA Coach of the Year three times in addition to coaching the United States to a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics.

When asked about entering the Hall of Fame with former Mavs’ legend Dirk Nowitzki, Popovich said: “If you’ve got to go in the Hall of Fame with Dirk, you’re not worthy. He’s worthy. I’m not.

“The Hall of Fame is for people like Dirk. Not me.”

Reminded that he won five NBA titles with the Spurs, Popovich said: “I?’

When the reporter said Popovich’s team won five titles, Popovich said: “That’s a little more accurate. I was there.

“I was there during all five. But I didn’t win them.”

Kidd praised the fact that two of Popovich’s star players – Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili – have already been enshrined in the Hall of Fame. And another of Popovich’s players – Tony Parker – will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer alongside Popovich.

“He’s set the bar extremely high,” Kidd said of Popovich. “The blueprint of success, not just on the court, but off the court.

“And you look at what he did to help Tony become a hall of famer with the likes of Duncan and Ginobili. It was a special time in San Antonio. They had the talent and they had the right coach to be successful.”

Kidd himself was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Remembering that festive weekend, he said: “It went by fast. It was a surreal moment because you just have a quick movie clip of your career, not just at the NBA level.

“You kind of rewind it, thinking about all the highlights, helping teammates be successful, winning big games, losing big games and understanding the journey. It was an incredible weekend with some incredible players going in with me.”

POPOVICH NOT WATCHING THE MAVS: Don’t ask Spurs coach Gregg Popovich if he’s seen any of the Mavs’ game since they acquired guard Kyrie Irving from Brooklyn on Feb. 6.

A reporter asked Popovich exactly that prior to Thursday’s Mavs-Spurs game, and he said: “We have way more important things to do with our group than watching Kyrie or Luka (Doncic) or anybody else. (Some of the Spurs’ players are) in their second year in college, so we’re working on different things.

“And the last time I checked there’s going to be pick-and-rolls tonight. (Getting) back in transition defense is a good idea, communicate a little bit, block out. We might as well block out. Try not to turn it over and hope we make shots. It ain’t that difficult.”

BRIEFLY: Coach Jason Kidd said he plans to utilize guard Justin Holiday and forward Markieff Morris more as his team goes forward. “I thought those guys had a really good practice yesterday,” Kidd said. “We want to look at those guys in different situations with a couple different players to pair with and see that goes here in the next 22 games. We could look at starting one of them matchup-wise as we go forward here. We can use some of these games as matchup-driven games as if it was the playoffs. We have a lot of options and we’re going to take full advantage of it.” The Mavs acquired Morris in the Feb. 6 trade with the Brooklyn Nets that also brought guard Kyrie Irving to Dallas. The Mavs signed Holiday on Feb. 15 after he received a buyout from the Atlanta Hawks. Morris has yet to play a game with the Mavs. But in his first game with the Mavs, Holiday played 21 minutes Thursday against the Spurs and scored 15 points while also converting 5-of-6 shots from three-point territory. . .Discussions about load management was a huge topic during last weekend’s All-Star festivities in Salt Lake City. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is said to be the originator of load management, and it has caught on like wildfire. “We all do it,” Popovich said. “It’s a long season and everybody tries to protect their players so they can be healthy for the playoffs. It’s different. It wasn’t like that in the past, but it is what it is now, and that’s the deal.”. .Before Thursday’s game against the Spurs, Kidd gave his thoughts on the Mavs playing their first game since the All-Star break. “It’s kind of like the last game before the break,” Kidd said. “Your mind can start to think if you’re going to Cabo or Hawaii or Utah for the All-Star game and you still have a job to do. Coming back from break, you can still mentally be in one of those nice places. So I thought the group did a really good job of practicing yesterday. Their spirit was high.”. .Center Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) and forward Davis Bertans (left calf strain) missed Thursday’s game. Kleber hasn’t played since he collected eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks during Dec. 12 game against Oklahoma City. Davis last played on Feb. 2 against New Orleans when he went 3-of-3 from three-point and scored nine points when he was injured after playing just six minutes. Kidd said: “Maxi had a good day yesterday and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow and hopefully he participates in practice.”

Twitter: @DwainPrice