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Nets Notebook: Mark Jackson, Jason Kidd share compliments – Metro US

Nets Notebook: Mark Jackson, Jason Kidd share compliments

Mark Jackson Mark Jackson is having tremendous success with the Warriors this season.
Credit: Getty Images

Before the Warriors won by 21 at Milwaukee Tuesday night, head coach Mark Jackson had never been part of a 10-game winning streak as a professional.

The closest he came was during the 1989-90 season when Jackson and the Knicks won nine straight from Dec. 9-30, 1989. He had a few seven-game winning streaks during his years with Indiana, which challenged the last of the Bulls’ six championships teams and eventually overcame the Knicks and made it to the 2000 NBA Finals.

But none of it concerns him.

The Queens product is more focused on praising of his players. The former Bishop Loughlin and St. John’s standout praised Stephen Curry for being a top-5 point guard, David Lee working his way out of an early season shooting slump and Andre Iguodala’s defense helping the Warriors allow 91.8 points per game during the team’s fourth 10-game streak of the Golden State era, which began in 1962 when the franchise along with Wilt Chamberlain moved from Philadelphia.

Perhaps the thing that concerns him most is the criticism Jason Kidd received in the wake of re-assigning assistant coach Lawrence Frank due to the philosophical differences.

“Too much was made of it,” he said. “I think it was clownish, a difference of opinion. I’m disappointed in the way it was handled. If you have a problem then you shouldn’t be my assistant.”

If that wasn’t firm enough by Jackson, he also managed to get a musical reference into his comments about Frank’s departure from the bench.

“I’ve never seen any of the Pips try to lead,” Jackson said. “That’s Gladys’ role. Let Gladys be Gladys.”

Jackson, who also took a head coaching job without being an assistant, felt Kidd didn’t need to become an assistant coach before moving to the head coaching role because of his accomplishments as a player.

“It’s a no-lose situation if I’m an assistant coach and I get credit when we win,” Jackson said. “But when we lose, Jason can’t coach a lick.”

As for Kidd, he returned the praise from Jackson, though he spoke before Jackson gave his passionate defense.

“Mark is my role model going from playing to becoming a head coach and to being a very good head coach,” Kidd said. “I’ve talked to him throughout the season and so I’m happy for his success and he’s giving us — guys who have retired from playing — an opportunity to do something and that’s hopefully become a coach like him.”

Nets doctor says no serious damage for Williams

Team doctors aren’t often made available to the media but Nets team physician Dr. Riley Williams III was on Sirius XM NBA radio Wednesday to discuss the latest ankle injury for Deron Williams.

The good news for the Nets and their fans was that he did not believe there was any serious damage for Williams, who is dealing with ankle issues for the third in five months and will have missed at least 15 games by not playing in the next three games.

“I don’t think there’s any serious concern about Deron over the long term,” Williams said on SiriusXM NBA radio. “He certainly doesn’t need any kind of serious procedure from us. Everything he has are things that should heal up. But you guys talked about, for our team especially, it just seems like it’s been one thing after another with these small nagging injuries that unfortunately have made it tough to get everybody on the court together.”

Follow Nets beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.