Avery Johnson on Jason Kidd

Here are Avery Johnson’s thoughts from earlier today:

What does bringing Jason Kidd mean to this franchise?
“We’re ready to move forward. There are no guarantees with anything that you do. Had we not made a move, no guarantees. This deal, no guarantees, but I tell you what, we’ve got one of the best in the game at the point guard position. We know him. We know he’s not as young as he used to be, but at the age that he is now, he’s still one of the top point in the game and it’s worth every chance you have to take.”

Talk about his game.
“He’s an experienced quarterback. He’s been through a lot of big games, he’s been through a lot of playoff games, he’s strong, he’s durable, he’s big and he has a high basketball IQ. We don’t have a big window in our minds with this team. Just like San Antonio and Phoenix and the Lakers and Houston, lots of teams on down the line, it’s a short window. Some teams younger may have a bigger window, but we’ve just have a small window. We’ve had some success over the last two years, one year more in the regular season and another year in the playoffs, and that’s what we’re looking at.”

When you took this job, you said you wanted to bring an NBA championship to Dallas. Does this get you closer?
“We feel like a lot of the teams that I’ve mentioned that we were in the red zone. That’s my whole deal. Did we move from the 20-yard line to the 15? We feel we have, but in that red zone it’s tough. That’s all you can do. The competition is tough. At the end of the day and in the playoffs and for this last half of the season, you have to have great players that can make great plays. We feel we have a great player.”

What does this mean for Dirk and Josh and Jet and the other guys in your locker room?
“It means an awful lot, but let’s give those guys credit for what they’ve done to this point. I think they’re going to enjoy it, but they are good in their own right. We’re hoping with Kidd that they can do to even another level.”

Is trading players you’re close to the hardest part of the job?
“Everybody is excited about it, but it’s hard with Devin and Diop. Gana introduced me to Africa and Devin was like a son and a little brother. It’s not easy doing these deals, especially when you’re pretty tied to young guys.”