Jason Kidd wanted some positive coverage of the Mavericks, so he cursed out a reporter.
Makes perfect sense, right?
The Mavericks head coach was involved in a testy, profanity-filled exchange with a reporter and abruptly ended his press conference following the team’s win Tuesday night over the Rockets.
In response to a standard-issue question from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon about the partnership between star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Kidd soon digressed to take aim at the general tone of coverage around his mid-tier team.
“I think maybe, Tim, maybe it’s the things that you guys thought should have happened Day 1 is that they should be successful right off the bat — and it takes time,” Kidd said. “Failing is alright. It’s not a bad thing to fail for a pro athlete because you can get better and learn from it. And those two are the best in the world, and we feel very comfortable with those two having the ball. Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn’t. But we learn from it, and I think they’ve answered that question from Day 1. As you just mentioned, they’re one of the best, if not the best, in clutch time.
“But that was a big thing you guys wanted to make a big deal about last year, but you’re not making a big deal about it this year because s–t’s going good. Right? So write some positive s–t.”
MacMahon then interjected: “I just asked you a question.”
“And I’m giving you a f–king answer,” Kidd replied. “It’s alright to write positive stuff. People will read your positive s–t. You don’t always have to be negative, right? The world’s already negative enough, right? So let’s see some positive stuff on some positive people that are playing, doing their job on a nightly basis.”
When MacMahon then remarked that it was “a lot easier” to write positively about the Mavericks this year, Kidd said: “Well, we’re only into this year. We can’t go back to last year, right? Like, that’s the f–king problem. Have a good night.”
Kidd then left the podium.
The Mavericks improved to 11-6 with a 121-115 victory over the visiting Rockets.
Doncic, the team’s homegrown MVP candidate, is averaging 31.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game while shooting a career-best 38.8 percent from 3-point range.
Irving, the mercurial former Nets guard who was acquired at last season’s trade deadline, is averaging 24.6 points and 5.5 assists.
Last season, the Mavericks missed the postseason with a 38-44 record, including a 9-18 mark following Irving’s February debut and an embarrassing decision to tank their final games to avoid sending a first-round draft pick to the Knicks.
But the upheaval in Dallas is not limited to what’s happening on the court or at the press-conference dais.
Earlier Tuesday night, it emerged that Mark Cuban is selling a majority stake in the team to the Adelson family at a whopping $3.5 billion valuation, though Cuban reportedly will maintain control of basketball operations.