Steve Kerr showered Jason Kidd with praise for his work as a player, coach

SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has some lasting memories of going against Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd when both were players in the NBA.

The last of the five NBA titles Kerr won as a player came in 2003 when he and the San Antonio Spurs defeated Kidd and the New Jersey Nets in the finals. Kerr played in the NBA from 1988-2003, while Kidd played from 1994-2013.

“Well, he’s one of the best players of that era,” Kerr said of Kidd. “Probably the main memory I have is we played against each other in the (2003) Finals. I was watching for the most part. He was playing.

“The series went six games and Jason was amazing because that’s who he was. But that’s probably the main memory I have of competing against him.”

Kerr also thought Kidd would transition over from being a player to becoming a successful coach.

“As far as him coaching, he obviously saw the game as a point guard so clearly, and the way he conducted his teams from that point guard spot, coaching seemed like a perfect fit,” Kerr said. “But you never know. A lot of superstars don’t go into coaching.

“I’m glad he went down this path. He’s a really good coach. He’s done an amazing job with Dallas, and they’re playing at a really high level. He should be very proud. The organization should be very proud.”

Kidd made his coaching debut with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2013-14 season — the very next season after he played his final year as a player with the New York Knicks.

Yeah, I think with the Nets I was still a player,” Kidd said. “I had just finished (playing). I had no idea what coaching was all about.

“I’m still learning what coaching is all about.”

Kidd coached the Nets for just one season, then coached the Milwaukee Bucks from 2014-18.

“In Milwaukee it was a franchise that was at the bottom, and we were trying to help build something and develop players,” Kidd said. “Totally different than we’re here in Dallas when you have a megastar like Luka (Doncic) who’s playing at a high level (and) who’s been a pro since he was 14 years old.

“And then the other guys, you’re trying to help develop when you talk about (Jalen) Brunson and Dorian (Finney-Smith) and these guys. It’s been fun.”

Kidd was an assistant coach under Frank Vogel with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2019-’21 – the Lakers won it all in 2020 – and had this little tidbit about what he learned from Vogel.

“Just have fun,” Kidd said. “Just enjoy it. Let the players be players, and you can’t control everything.

“Then the biggest thing is being a defensive-minded team. That’s what Frank has done at a very high level, not just in LA but in Indiana and Orlando. But I learned a lot being an assistant coach with the Lakers and winning a championship there, which was pretty cool, and understanding under Frank and learning from Frank a lot of great things that I didn’t know as a coach. So, I borrowed those things and brought them here to Dallas.

KIDD ON LUKA: Before Wednesday’s 112-87 loss to the Warriors in the opener of this best-of-seven series, Jason Kidd was asked who does Luka Doncic reminds him of, and he rattled off some of the greatest players in the history of the NBA.

“Luka reminds me of Luka,” Kidd said. “He’s one of a kind. You can compare him to the shotting of Larry Bird, his smile of Magic (Johnson), his play-making ability of Magic. A current player – LeBron (James). He just doesn’t jump as high as LeBron.

“But when you talk about those traits, they all have one thing in common and that’s winning, and that’s what he does. He finds a way to win. When you talk about those traits, hopefully at some point he will be right there with those guys, just not his ability to play basketball but to have those championships.”

BRIEFLY: The NBA fined the Mavs $50,000 Wednesday for violating rules regarding team bench decorum. In a press release from  the NBA, during Game 7 Sunday at Phoenix, the Mavs: “On multiple occasions, several players and a member of the coaching staff stood for an extended period in the Mavericks’ team bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on or encroaching upon the playing court during game.” Coach Jason Kidd said: “I know about the fine. I’m just trying to figure out what we did wrong to get the fine. So, we’ll see tomorrow why we got fined. I mean, who complained? It was a blowout, so I don’t think the fans were complaining. I thought the guys did what they were supposed to do. They were cheering on their guys.”. .A lot of folks just automatically assumed because Phoenix was playing a Game 7 at home against the Mavs this past Sunday, that the Suns would win and advance to the Western Conference Finals. When Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked if he was concerned about how the Suns defended Luka Doncic and how the Suns’ offense collapsed as the series progressed: “I’m not concerned about Phoenix at all. I’m concerned about us. I think Dallas is playing so well. They’re going to bring the best out of us because that’s what’s going to be required.”. .Kerr gave kudos to the Mavs’ management for getting their ship pointed in the right direction. “What they’ve accomplished not just this year but over the last four or five years, even when they were struggling, they were developing (Dorian) Finney-Smith, they were developing (Maxi) Kleber,” Kerr said. “They drafted (Jalen) Brunson. They’ve done a lot of things right, and it’s paying off for them now.”. .Kerr remembers when the Warriors were playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals from 2015-’18, how LeBron James would target players and hunt certain mismatches. He sees some of those same situations with Luka Doncic. “LeBron and Luka are similar in that they control games,” Kerr said. “They go about it differently, skill level is different, athleticism is different. But I would say there’s a similar dynamic that each guy is in total control.”

Twitter: @DwainPrice