Kidd is wasting no time rebuilding his coaching staff after a mass exodus left the bench looking empty
The Dallas Mavericks coaching staff has experienced significant turnover this offseason, with Sean Sweeney departing for San Antonio, God Shammgod heading to Orlando and Jared Dudley going to Denver (where he joins former Maverick J.J. Barea). Alex Jensen also left to take the head coaching gig at the University of Utah, leaving Dallas with some work to do. This is all on top of having lost Darrell Armstrong during last season under less-than-ideal circumstances which saw him arrested.
With multiple holes to fill on his staff, head coach Jason Kidd has been busy making new hires in recent weeks. Jay Triano, Mike Penberthy and Phil Handy have come to Dallas. Kidd also hired consultant Frank Vogel to take the top assistant spot in something of a reversal of roles from their time together with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now NBA insider Marc Stein reports that Kidd’s former teammate Popeye Jones will also be joining the staff.
Jones started his NBA career in Dallas the year prior to Kidd being drafted and the two played two seasons together. Jones then made a brief return to Dallas in the 2003 season. Jones was a solid role player in his combined stints in Dallas, averaging 8.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game across 255 games (195 starts). Word is that he will be coming in as something of the number three assistant with a primary focus on defense. While it was jarring to see so many assistant coaches depart in rapid succession, Kidd has responded well with a variety of intriguing replacements to lead the Mavs into the future.
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