As the Dallas Mavericks began 2009-2010 training camp, Jason Kidd was reminded of the past.

The arrival of Shawn Marion to join J-Kidd in Dallas has brought back memories of the time the two spent as teammates in Phoenix. It was then that Jason says he saw the Matrix mature from an NBA novice to a veteran with star potential, as quoted in the Dallas Morning News:

 

“He listened,” Kidd said last week. “You can ask him about our first playoff series with Sacramento, and he had to guard Peja

[Stojakovic].

“Peja lit him up. But it was a lesson learned. What I loved about what he said at the end of that series is: That will never happen again. So I knew I had his attention and that he wanted to get better and wasn’t going to be satisfied. From there, he’s had a great career.”


J-Kidd and the Matrix, together again (Getty Images).

That season was J-Kidd’s last in Phoenix. He was traded to the New Jersey Nets and watched Marion’s development from afar. But eight years later, the two have a chance to finish what they started, make a deep playoff run, and help each other win the championship they’ve searched their entire careers for.

“Shawn makes the game so easy, especially above the rim, he gets easy baskets,” Kidd said. “He can get out there and defend (point guards) through (centers). He’s a great teammate in the locker room, so I’m glad to have him by my side.”

Marion is thankful to be back with a player that helped him develop and believes they compliment each other well, as noted and quoted in the Associated Press:

The master plan would get a big boost if Kidd and Marion can rekindle their old Suns success.

“You will see it,” Marion said. “I just want to get going. I want to get everybody out on the court right now and play some pick-up.”

Dallas team president Donnie Nelson believes the Mavericks have the right mix of talent and experience to get back to the top of the Western Conference.

“It excites me to have our quarterback (Kidd) back, to have Shawn Marion on one wing, Josh Howard on the other,” Nelson said. “We’re ready for any challenge that comes our way.”

At Mavericks Media Day, Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld saw J-Kidd and The Matrix interact and had the following to say:

“The chemistry between the two is absolutely palpable. They’re going to be fun to watch this season.”

DEFENSE CREATES OFFENSE
The Mavericks have long been associated with a high-octane offense first, defense second mentality, but that’s changing.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle has put a strong emphasis on defense heading into the 2009-2010 season as the Mavs look to climb back to the top of the Western Conference, as quoted by Hoops World:

“We should be better defensively, and that’s where our emphasis has to start,” says Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle. “We know we can score. We’re one of the top five or six teams in the league in offensive points per possession. We’re top two or three in the league in converting missed field goals into baskets because we’ve got Jason Kidd and we’ve got some guys who can get out and run. To facilitate doing that more often we’ve got to get more stops, and we were middle of the pack, 17th in the league last year in defense per possession, and you can’t be a true title contender unless you can be in the top ten.

“That’s going to be a major focus for us. I believe we’ve added better defensive players. We’ve taken the right first step and we’re going to have to carry that into training camp and translate that into a defensive system that’s going to make us better.”

NOTHING BUT A NUMBER
In the Fort-Worth Star Telegram, Mavericks writer Jan Hubbard addresses Dallas’ advanced age and whether it will be a deterrent to their championship aspirations:

As Hubbard writes, the Mavs have gone all in with their stable of veterans:

“But in trading for Marion, 31, signing him for four years, and giving the 36-year-old Kidd a three-year extension, the Mavericks have made a stand. They are going to rely on veterans who have been talented enough to stay in the league for a long time.

“The overriding issue is: Can they perform and do you have depth so you’re not wearing them out?” Cuban said. “Last year it was a bigger problem because we had no depth. This year we have Tim and Drew [Gooden], and we have guys we can bring off the bench.”

Hubbard also points out what many have missed. The Mavericks may be advanced in age, but one would still be hard-pressed to find a more athletic team in the league:

“If there is something that perhaps unperceptive cynics have overlooked, however, it is that most of the Mavericks 30-somethings are great athletes. Kidd may be 36, but he is still a world-class athlete.”

OFFICIAL ADJUSTMENT
Jason also weighed in last week on the ongoing struggle between the league and its officials.

“It’s going to be a work in progress for everybody if they can’t work out the agreement,” Kidd said.”

 

The NBA has begun using replacement referees for preseason game and will into the regular season if need be. No. 2 believes that it will require some adjustment, but the players will do what they need to do and play just as they had before.

“Some guys will have the opinion that replacement officials are just as good as the old officials. One way to look at it is it’ll be a fairer playing field for everybody because nobody will have an advantage.

“The officials will call what they see. I think veteran clubs will have the advantage just to keep your composure, play the game the right way and if the whistle is blown, it’s a foul and you move on.”

MAVS OPEN AT HOME
The Mavericks will open the preseason on Monday hosting the Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic.

Just 22 days later, the run at the championship begins when the regular season tips on Tuesday, October 27 in Dallas where the Mavericks will host the Washington Wizards.

For the entire Mavericks schedule, click here.

RELATED STORIES
Dallas Mavericks Media Day Notebook (HoopsWorld, September 29, 2009)
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13912
For the Mavericks: Older the violin, the sweeter the music (Fort Worth-Star Telegram, September 28, 2009)
http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/1642318.html
Kidd, Marion reunited on Dallas Mavericks (Dallas Morning News, September 21, 2009)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/092209dnspomavericks.3f11fbd.html
New Mav Marion glad to be Kidd’s teammate again (Associated Press, September 22, 2009)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jGPReMl9jomen89gX7ofRaJRbLUAD9AS0LBO0
NBA players will adjust if regular officials don’t return (Dallas Morning News, September 22, 2009)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/092309dnspomavsdate.3181405.html
2009 Dallas Mavericks schedule (NBA.com/Mavericks)
http://www.nba.com/mavericks/schedule/index.html