New pod from Dameris and Followill, on Kidd and Harrison hires.
Highlights --
Rick's endorsement of Kidd on way out
Extremely inappropriate. Shocking and disappointing on a very high level. Typical of the kind of thing that irritated people about Rick -- saying things that were offensive, tone-deaf and inappropriate, when he could have just kept his mouth shut.
The conspiracy theories are "poppycock." He was also not just making an inept attempt to do JK a solid -- he knew better and knew exactly what he was doing. He didn't already know Kidd was being hired -- he has been out of the loop for a while. Just let his frustrations get the better of him.
Kidd -- Pros and Cons
At first, it looked like Mosley was the likely choice, but Kidd emerged due to some very strong internal backing. Dirk, Casey Smith, and Finley in particular. Those three think he will be the best coach for Luka.
Kidd is far from the perfect candidate, but everyone available had a set of strengths and weaknesses. Kidd wanted to come back to the Mavs after his Milwaukee stint, but Rick blocked it. Did not want Kidd as one of his assistants.
In Kidd's previous head coaching stints, his teams underperformed relative to expectations, with the exception of his first year in Milwaukee, but that wasn't all his fault -- there were other factors involved, including injuries and rapidly declining veterans. There was also some off-court drama in both stops, deriving from Kidd's desire for more control, and that generated some controversy regarding him.
On court, he developed a unique defensive scheme in Milwaukee. It worked well in the first year, but after it stopped working, he continued to adhere to it for too long. His offensive schemes were also not based on modern NBA principles, although they moved toward that standard as time went by. His teams didn't take many threes and played at a slow pace, for example. The NBA game was moving on, and he was slow to adjust. He may well have learned a lot in that respect, working at the Lakers.
One of Kidd's strengths is his relationship with players, and he has worked with some stars. He had a reputation as a player for being combative with coaches, and he thinks that has given him an ability to relate to players who are like that. He believes he understands now what he did and didn't know as a player, and uses that to help guys in a similar situation.
They think Kidd realizes that this is probably his last best chance as a HC in the league, and believe that he should be very motivated to make things work.
Mosley
This has been very disappointing for Jamahl. If he doesn't get a head coaching job, will he stay, or move on to a place where he thinks he could eventually move up? Unknown at this time.
Luka
A "well-placed Mavericks source" assures them that Luka likes the Kidd hire.
Assistants
Barea and Jet are possibilities. Neither is a done deal (as of Friday at noon). Barea is the more likely of the two, although it's not necessarily a case of one versus the other. Barea has wanted to come back and coach here for a while now. Jet's situation is more unknown at this point. Kidd's former assistants would also be regarded as potential candidates.
POBO
The podcasters also discussed Nico Harrison. Brian has known him for almost twenty years, and had nothing but great things to say. They think he can be very helpful at shoring up what has been the Mavs' greatest weakness in the front office -- free agency. To the extent that there is a learning curve specific to the NBA/Mavs, Finley and Keith Grant should be able to fill in.
Although the Kidd and Harrison hires appear to be simultaneous, Kidd was not foisted on Harrison. Harrison would not have agreed to the move if he hadn't been okay with Kidd coming.
They don't think Finley feels slighted or passed over. He is expected to continue in his present responsibilities. Brian suspects that the original idea to hire Nico came from Fin, although said that is not sourced.
Overview
The podcasters deny that they are trying to pump sunshine as Mavs guys. They are trying to give an honest, balanced point of view. They are not presenting either Kidd or Harrison as perfect, and acknowledge that they both come with risks, as anyone does. Having said that, they are highly optimistic with respect to Harrison. They also see reasons for optimism with respect to Kidd, despite some of his previous stumbles, and think he will bring something to the table.
https://www.patreon.com/mavspod/posts
Highlights --
Rick's endorsement of Kidd on way out
Extremely inappropriate. Shocking and disappointing on a very high level. Typical of the kind of thing that irritated people about Rick -- saying things that were offensive, tone-deaf and inappropriate, when he could have just kept his mouth shut.
The conspiracy theories are "poppycock." He was also not just making an inept attempt to do JK a solid -- he knew better and knew exactly what he was doing. He didn't already know Kidd was being hired -- he has been out of the loop for a while. Just let his frustrations get the better of him.
Kidd -- Pros and Cons
At first, it looked like Mosley was the likely choice, but Kidd emerged due to some very strong internal backing. Dirk, Casey Smith, and Finley in particular. Those three think he will be the best coach for Luka.
Kidd is far from the perfect candidate, but everyone available had a set of strengths and weaknesses. Kidd wanted to come back to the Mavs after his Milwaukee stint, but Rick blocked it. Did not want Kidd as one of his assistants.
In Kidd's previous head coaching stints, his teams underperformed relative to expectations, with the exception of his first year in Milwaukee, but that wasn't all his fault -- there were other factors involved, including injuries and rapidly declining veterans. There was also some off-court drama in both stops, deriving from Kidd's desire for more control, and that generated some controversy regarding him.
On court, he developed a unique defensive scheme in Milwaukee. It worked well in the first year, but after it stopped working, he continued to adhere to it for too long. His offensive schemes were also not based on modern NBA principles, although they moved toward that standard as time went by. His teams didn't take many threes and played at a slow pace, for example. The NBA game was moving on, and he was slow to adjust. He may well have learned a lot in that respect, working at the Lakers.
One of Kidd's strengths is his relationship with players, and he has worked with some stars. He had a reputation as a player for being combative with coaches, and he thinks that has given him an ability to relate to players who are like that. He believes he understands now what he did and didn't know as a player, and uses that to help guys in a similar situation.
They think Kidd realizes that this is probably his last best chance as a HC in the league, and believe that he should be very motivated to make things work.
Mosley
This has been very disappointing for Jamahl. If he doesn't get a head coaching job, will he stay, or move on to a place where he thinks he could eventually move up? Unknown at this time.
Luka
A "well-placed Mavericks source" assures them that Luka likes the Kidd hire.
Assistants
Barea and Jet are possibilities. Neither is a done deal (as of Friday at noon). Barea is the more likely of the two, although it's not necessarily a case of one versus the other. Barea has wanted to come back and coach here for a while now. Jet's situation is more unknown at this point. Kidd's former assistants would also be regarded as potential candidates.
POBO
The podcasters also discussed Nico Harrison. Brian has known him for almost twenty years, and had nothing but great things to say. They think he can be very helpful at shoring up what has been the Mavs' greatest weakness in the front office -- free agency. To the extent that there is a learning curve specific to the NBA/Mavs, Finley and Keith Grant should be able to fill in.
Although the Kidd and Harrison hires appear to be simultaneous, Kidd was not foisted on Harrison. Harrison would not have agreed to the move if he hadn't been okay with Kidd coming.
They don't think Finley feels slighted or passed over. He is expected to continue in his present responsibilities. Brian suspects that the original idea to hire Nico came from Fin, although said that is not sourced.
Overview
The podcasters deny that they are trying to pump sunshine as Mavs guys. They are trying to give an honest, balanced point of view. They are not presenting either Kidd or Harrison as perfect, and acknowledge that they both come with risks, as anyone does. Having said that, they are highly optimistic with respect to Harrison. They also see reasons for optimism with respect to Kidd, despite some of his previous stumbles, and think he will bring something to the table.
https://www.patreon.com/mavspod/posts