Live Blogging Jason Kidd Intro Press Conference

Avery:
No guarantees, but we have a better opportunity, thanks to Donnie and Keith Grant's hard work.

We have a QB.

Malik and Antoine can get some minutes.

The competition in the West is fierce, and we're not afraid of competition.

Kidd:
I'm older. I've seen a lot. Hopefully I can share some of that with my teammates.

Malik Allen:
(Very well spoken and intelligent sounding.) Mavs are great organization.

Antoine Wright:
Happy to be back in Texas, on a winning team, and still with Jason.

Cuban:
The timing was right.

Kidd:
KJ, Hot Rod, and Rex Chapman showed me how to play in the league, how to run the pick and roll, how to win with 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter, how to want the ball late in the game.

Avery:
We just want him to be Jason Kidd. He can take some responsibilities from the coach. We looked at all three of our playoffs years since I took over. We feel Jason can help us do a better job of finishing off games and playoffs series. At the ends of games, he just knows how to win: a big steal, a big blocked shot, a rebound, a penetration. He knows how to finish games, and that's what we're looking for.

Kidd:
This is not rocket science. I just think me and Dirk can both make each other better.

Avery:
There are not many times you can say you had a chance to get a player of this caliber. We talked about it. We are not emotional. We did a lot of planning, a lot of film study. It just didn't happen overnight.

Donnie Jr:
This not a reaction to other trades. The discussion here started before the other deals were announced. This is about us seeing what gives us the best chance to win a championship. There's a difference between really good, aspiring players vs All Stars.

Avery:
Me and Jason are going to spend time together away from the gym. We're going to work together to figure out what we think works best for the team.

(Puerto Rican reporter asks Kidd about his upcoming competition with J.J. Barea. Avery interjects that Barea is no longer the starter, and he just wants to make that clear.)

Kidd:
With Nets, our Finals teams were deep, but there's more talent here. Championship teams locker rooms... you can never put a price on that. Good locker rooms overcome a lot of problems.

Cuban:
Dirk had input. I'm looking for another job to cover the costs of this deal. This was the most amazing, interesting trade we've ever done, and we've done some doozies.

Kidd:
I've never looked a things as pressure. I love the challenge. I like the talk that I'm old, and not as good as Nash or those other guys.

Mark Cuban at Blogmaverick:

The difficult. Saying goodbye to Devin, Gana and Trenton. All 3 are great guys in every way. On and off the court. (Greg's note: Hassell is a high class guy with an ebullient personality) It was far from an easy deal to make. We know that all 3 will continue to grow and get better and like other players we have traded or lost, come back to haunt us in some manner. That comes with every and any trade of players who are talented and work hard at their profession. I also think this will be a great chance for Mo Ager to start fresh.

The amazing. We think that Jason Kidd will immediately make the other players around him better. He is a different kind of point than Devin is. There are certain things that Devin does that JKidd can't. No question about it. That said, through experience and talent, we think JKidd can make the game easier for JET, Dirk , Josh, Damp, Stack and all of our guys and as a result make our team better.

The business side. I think we were stagnating some. I think the spark and excitement that JKidd will bring is more than just what his talent offers. There is a reason why Kobe and Lebron were lobbying management to bring JKidd in. We think he will recharge the batteries of not just our players, but the organization, fans, media and even merchandise and advertising sales.

That's the reality of this business. Wins and losses are not just about talent, its about energy and teamwork. The best leaders recognize when a spark is needed and are honest enough to admit it, and get it. Even when things are going well, its sometimes hard to sustain the energy of being a start up or of levels year past. In business it might be an acquisition, or a sale that may not be the perfect transaction, but its the most impactful. We have been discussing this now for at least a month. We think this deal will have impact.

I don't believe in juicing the business side as much as Cuban claims he does. Devin Harris was a beloved player in Dallas. When fans love a player, the franshise then enjoys a long term relationship with those fans. Lone Star Ball had a couple hundred+ DFW sports fans vote. They were solidly against the trade, and the main reason was their appreciation of Devin Harris. I was perfectly happy to spend the next decade in an emotional relationship with Devin, Josh Howard, and Dirk. I was perfectly happy to compete for the 2012 NBA championship with this line-up:

Devin
Josh Howard
Reyshawn Terry
Dirk
Diop.

Aaallll that said, if healthy, the 2008 Mavs are more playoffs ready than they were.

Conversely, absent a P.J. Brown signing, if Eric Dampier so much as chips a fingernail, the Mavs are worse.