"So why would you ask it now?" - Jason Kidd was puzzled when reporters asked about his future after a horrendous season with the Mavs
The Dallas Mavericks’ season has gone off the rails as the team sits 11th in the Western Conference with two games remaining. Many fans have blamed the team’s poor roster construction, which lacks defense, while others have called out coach Jason Kidd.
Amid the team’s struggles, Kidd was recently asked if he is looking forward to returning to the Mavs next season. The former NBA star then gave a very blunt response, calling out reporters for only asking him that question this season.
“Did you guys ask me that question last year? F**k no. So why would you ask it now? I'm just asking. You didn't ask that question last year,” Kidd said.
He then elaborated on why failure is normal in sports:
“It happens in sports. Sometimes we fail, and it’s alright to fail. You learn from failure.
“Michael Jordan has failed. It drove him to be the best player in the world. No one is perfect. You have to learn from your failures.
“The greatest players in the world have all failed. They will tell you that. That’s what pushes them. If they didn’t fail, they would not have been great.”
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban endorsed Jason Kidd as the coach again for 2023-24. Is he looking forward to running it back next season?
"Did you guys ask me that question last year? F--k no [you didn't]. *cracks can open* I'm just asking. You didn't ask that question last year." https://t.co/3uRNctciAE
Mark Cuban on Jason Kidd’s future
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also recently spoke about Jason Kidd’s coaching future. Cuban explained that he isn’t blaming Kidd for the Mavs’ struggles as it’s not his fault that the team lacks identity.
“I don’t think it’s Kidd’s problem that we didn’t have an identity,” Cuban said.
“The game changed in ways we didn’t expect it to change, so I blew it. It was on me, personally, because the game changed in terms of the take foul and the speed of the game.”
Jason Kidd has been in charge of the Mavericks’ for two seasons. In his first season as coach, Kidd led Dallas to the fourth seed in the West (52-30). He then led the Mavs on a deep playoff run to the Western Conference finals.
They lost in five games to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors, but the future seemed bright in Dallas. The Mavericks also had arguably the brightest young star in the league in Luka Doncic.
However, the team has since lost star point guard Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks in free agency. They also traded away some depth, including forward Dorian Finney-Smith, to acquire Kyrie Irving at this year's trade deadline.
The move has not paid off so far as the Mavs have a 8-12 record when Irving suits up.
Overall, Dallas is just 38-42 (11th in the West) this season. Most would agree that Mark Cuban and the Mavs will need to make some big changes this offseason to get back on track.
Also read: Tim Hardaway smokes Luka Doncic, calls him ‘crybaby’: “Luka is not a leader, Kyrie’s not a leader”