The NBA has announced a massive punishment for Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd.
The NBA has fined Kidd $35,000 for public criticism of officiating and using profane language during a media interview.
Executive Vice President, head of basketball operations James Jones announced.
Kidd made the comments after his team’s loss to the Rockets on Saturday.
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“The referees did not do their job tonight,” Kidd said. “They were terrible.”
The 52-year-old coach was especially frustrated with the officiating of star rookie, Cooper Flagg.
“I saw a foul,” Kidd continued. “[Officials] Sean [Wright], Simone [Jelks] and Jason [Goldenberg] were awful tonight. The referees were unacceptable. It’s a foul, and he needs to be at the free throw line.”
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Kidd didn’t stop there at the comments made towards the referees. He also took shots at the media over the national criticism of his use of Flagg.
“I don’t give a s–t about the criticism. Criticism? That’s your opinion. You guys write that bulls–t,” Kidd said. “That’s not … I’ve done this. I’ve played this game. I’ve played it at a very high level. I know what the f—k I’m doing.
“But I don’t give a f–k what you guys write. Because you guys have never played the game. And so, I build players. So, I know what the f—k I’m doing. So, to take criticism, it only makes me better. Because if I wasn’t doing it right, you guys wouldn’t be poking holes in what I’ve done.”
Kidd and the Mavericks have had a rough season. They currently sit at 19-30, which has them as the No. 11 seed in the loaded Western Conference.
Their chances of making the playoffs are thin. According to BetMGM, the Mavericks’ playoff odds are +2000, giving them a 4.76 percent chance of making the postseason.
Dallas has their star of the future in Flagg, but they have many other question marks that they will need to address in the near future. Look for Dallas to be sellers in the upcoming trade deadline.
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