Jason Kidd and Mark Cuban on Kristaps Porzingis' "perfect fit" with the Mavericks

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DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - To all the Kristaps Porzingis detractors out there, you better start wrapping your head around him being here for at least the start of next season based on what was said at the Mavericks press conference to introduce new head coach, Jason Kidd, and GM/president of basketball operations, Nico Harrison, to the fans and media Thursday.

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Kidd took the first opportunity to heap praise upon Porzingis and expressed his excitement for the big man to have a healthy offseason, while also giving a big clue as to what the organization privately thinks about his inclusion on the roster next season.

"This is a positive summer for him. He's healthy. This isn't a time where he's coming off of an injury. I think he's really excited about this opportunity, and I think he's a perfect fit for Luka (Doncic)," Kidd said. "He has a skill-set a lot of people don't have in our league, so as a coach, I'm very excited to be able to work with him."

Then Cuban jumped in...

"I think he's been unfairly maligned. During the playoffs, he did exactly what he was asked to do. He put the team first, and he put his own personal statistics (to the side), knowing that people were going to give him a hard time. As he said to me and others, he just wants to win. To Kidd's point, this is going to be the first season with the Dallas Mavericks that he's coming in healthy, and he's able to work on things other than just rehabbing to get his body ready, to get stronger, to work on his game. That's something he has not been able to do.

"To Kidd's point, you can't teach 7-foot-4, you can't teach shooting, you can't teach his ability to create shots. But now, he's going to have a chance to have some continuity, and that's something he has not had since he's effectively been a rookie. And so, I think with what J-Kidd and Nico have planned, the ability for KP to work, I think him and Luka are going to be a lot better together, and I think you're going to see a lot of things that are going to make us a lot better as a team."

Porzingis, of course, was the subject of much vitriol from Dallas Mavericks fans, after averaging just over 13 points per game in the Mavs opening round loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Part of that frustration came from what was an apparent passive mentality from Porzingis, which came as a result of both questionable coaching decisions by Rick Carlisle, and the unwillingness to change and adapt by the 25-year-old.

During his exit interview with the media, Porzingis admitted his shortcomings, saying that, thanks to the way the NBA has changed in recent years, that he needs to change along with it.

"The game's evolving," Porzingis said. "The way I was playing in New York, a lot of post-ups, barely any teams do those kinds of things anymore, so my game has to evolve and I have to find ways I can be effective."

Since that day, Porzingis has posted multiple times on Instagram about all the hard work he's putting into his offseason training, saying he has a chip on his shoulder and he's "going to use all this noise to fuel (him) even more."


And so, the Mavs are standing behind Porzingis, because they don't really have much of a choice. The likelihood of them getting anything of fair value in a trade for him isn't happening any time soon. So, it's time to figure this thing out. Let's see if Kidd has the right key to unlock The Unicorn.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: USA Today Images