Mavericks coach Jason Kidd gets brutally honest on missing press conference

It has been a chaotic few days for the Jason Kidd-led Dallas Mavericks, from trading away franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to dealing with multiple frontcourt injuries. On Monday, tensions in Dallas escalated further as the Mavericks fell 129-128 in overtime to the Sacramento Kings.

During the game, fans voiced their frustration, with some even calling for general manager Nico Harrison to be fired — only to be escorted out of the arena. To make matters worse, Daniel Gafford, the team’s lone healthy center, exited with an injury, leaving the Mavericks even more depleted as Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell were already sidelined.

After the game, Jason Kidd unexpectedly canceled his postgame press conference, raising eyebrows. Before Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors, he addressed his decision.

“We lost a tough game,” he said. “We lost another player. I just needed some time to regroup and refocus and figure out how to put these pieces back together.”

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison defended the controversial Doncic-for-Davis trade, stating that the move was made to position Dallas as a contender over the next four years.

However, the plan quickly hit a snag as Davis suffered an adductor strain in his Mavericks debut, an injury expected to keep him out for a significant period.

Jason Kidd addresses Mavericks’ depleted center rotation

The Dallas Mavericks want to play big, but injuries have decimated their center depth.

The latest blow came when Daniel Gafford suffered a right knee sprain, which will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Meanwhile, Dereck Lively II is out for months, Anthony Davis is expected to miss multiple weeks with a left adductor strain and Dwight Powell is also unavailable. Adding to the injury woes, forward PJ Washington is sidelined as well.

READ: Dallas Mavericks Injury Report: Latest on Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II's status ahead of Warriors game (Feb. 12)

As the Mavericks adjust to life without a traditional center, Jason Kidd had a simple but telling response:

"Everyone is going to play center,” he said.

With no true big men available, second-year player Olivier-Maxence Prosper is expected to take on a larger role, standing as the team’s tallest active player at 6-foot-8. While the Mavericks are thin in the frontcourt, they still have depth in guards and wings to try and compensate.