Jason Kidd isn’t easily impressed.
He’s been around long enough and seen so much in the basketball universe that it’s hard to find things that get his blood pumping – other than winning, that is.
But he genuinely sounded like he had one of those “Wow” moments when he was part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary celebration Sunday at the All-Star festivities.
Leading up to the event, Kidd said he and the other honorees as the top-75 players in league history would be paraded out like statues at halftime of the All-Star Game.
But that part of the celebration wasn’t what got to Kidd. It was the pregame gathering of the greatest names in the game’s history.
“There was a lot of talent in that room,” Kidd said Thursday. “There were a lot of guys that could score and there was a guy that could pass the ball extremely well, John Stockton. It was just great.
“It was just incredible because you have the 75 best to ever do it. Just remarkable. There was a little chatter about missing Kobe (Bryant), because this was a moment to have someone like Kobe there with Dr. J (Julius Erving), with Michael (Jordan), with LeBron (James) – just the best to ever do it, Mount Rushmore. Jerry West, the logo was there. It was just a surreal moment.”
It also was a reunion of some of the best trash-talkers in NBA history.
These were some of the best competitors in sports history and they never really lose that spirit. It just shows up in different forms now.
“There was a little talk of the small forwards would beat up on the guards and then there was a separation of big guards and the small guards, so that was kind of fun,” Kidd said. “A lot of people have seen that moment when M.J. walked in and challenged Magic to a one-on-one. I think M.J. was a little serious. But you’re talking about the best to ever do it, in one room.”
And, Kidd said: “It was cool to see Dennis Rodman show up on time.”
Rodman was notoriously haphazard about showing up on time for many things when he was a player, including practices.
Mostly, the event Sunday was a time for the game’s greatest stars to see each other in one place, which simply doesn’t happen very often. Once every 25 years or so.
“Damian Lillard said it best,” Kidd said. “He was like, it’s not real because when you play the game, it’s to win and do your best. And at the end of the day, you never think about being mentioned with the best to ever do it.”
Bullock set to return: Swingman Reggie Bullock had averaged 17 points and shot 48.1 percent from 3-point range during a nine-game stretch that started roughly when Tim Hardaway Jr. broke a bone in his foot and needed surgery.
Bullock scored in double figures in all nine games.
Then he hit the floor hard against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 12 and missed the last two games before the All-Star break.
He said Thursday he should be ready to roll come Friday in Utah.
“It’s doing a lot better,” he said. “The movement the first couple days after I fell on it was pretty tough. And I was a little hesitant. I just felt like I needed a little break to let it heal up. It’s like a bone bruise.”
Bullock had started the last five games before suffering the injury.
If healthy, it’s a cinch that he will have a major role in the rotation, if not regain the starting spot.
He’ll be well-prepared. He spent part of Thursday’s practice guarding Luka Dončić, who returned from his All-Star break. Bullock knows all too well about having to guard the Mavericks’ superstar, who finished the pre-All-Star portion of the season on an epic roll.
“It’s tough for anybody to guard him,” Bullock said. “I see it on an everyday basis. He’s incredible. He’s incredible the way he’s scoring. He’s definitely up there with one of the best players I ever had to guard.”
Kidd said all other Mavericks are healthy, too, with the exception of Theo Pinson (broken finger) and Hardaway.
Briefly: Kidd said Thursday’s practiced focused more on scrimmaging and getting a good lung-burn going. “Yesterday we did a lot of running and shooting,” he said. “But there wasn’t a lot of contact. Today was more contact to get some of the bumps, fatigue and understanding that game shape is different than practice. We tried to keep it going where there were no water breaks, keep everybody moving, get them tired.” Kidd added that some players take a little longer to get back in rhythm after a weeklong break than others. “Hopefully everybody’s ready to go tomorrow (in Utah),” he said . . . The Mavericks start the stretch run with three road games (Utah, Golden State, LA Lakers). They then have four home games followed by five on the road. Of their next 13 opponents 10 currently would be in the playoffs or the play-in tournament.
Twitter: @ESefko
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