Tensions were high on Wednesday night in Dallas as former franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić returned to the city that drafted him, but Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd took a unique approach.
Pregame during his press conference, Kidd tried to diffuse the situation by reminding reporters that trades are part of the NBA and happen all the time. Taking it further, Kidd brought up how some have compared the Dončić trade to the infamous deal over a century ago that sent Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees. That deal, of course, sent the Red Sox into 86 years of misery while the Yankees racked up championships.
Only, rather than using the Curse of the Bambino as a rallying cry for his Mavericks, Kidd bizarrely called it “kinda cool” to hear those comparisons.
On Thursday’s episode of FS1’s First Things First, host Kevin Wildes took the opportunity to ridicule Kidd and give the Hall of Famer a history lesson.
“Agree to disagree! It’s not cool at all,” Wildes chortled. “Quick baseball lesson, I don’t know if you’re a sports historian, Jason, that was largely considered the worst trade in sports history.”
There’s no easy way to walk the tightrope of discussing this disastrous Mavs season. And the trade wasn’t Kidd’s decision.
Nevertheless, Kidd’s nonchalant attitude toward the media did him no favors. Kidd dug himself a deeper hole in trying to cut through the emotion of the situation.
It was practically a layup for someone like Wildes to crush him.
“You claim to be on a two-year window. Buddy, it’s an 86-year window,” Wildes added. “The Mavs won in 2011. You’re due for a championship in 2097. I’m not even joking; I’m not sure if human beings will be walking on Earth. So, no, the Luka trade being compared to Babe Ruth is not pretty cool. It’s not pretty cool at all. We’ll be living in vats of green Jell-o as robots take over the Earth before you win another championship, while the Lakers win dozens.”
Right now, the Mavs probably wish they could eliminate home games against the Lakers from their schedule until 2097. Each time Dončić returns, the entire NBA world will revisit the unfortunate trade.
Hopefully, next time, Kidd tries a different approach while discussing it. If not, Wildes will surely be there to mock him once again.