Sometimes “Mother knows best,’’ and Jason Kidd’s mom wanted her son to stick it out and play at least one more season for the Knicks.
Anne Kidd told The Post yesterday at Kidd’s introductory press conference in Brooklyn she was shocked when the future Hall of Famer informed her of his retirement. Kidd retired 11 days ago with two years left on his Knicks contract and was officially introduced as the Brooklyn Nets head coach yesterday.
“I was totally shocked,’’ Anne Kidd said. “He told me he’s retiring and I was like ‘Don’t retire.’ I thought he had a little bit more in him to play.’’
Kidd, 40, had signed a three-year deal with the Knicks only last summer but fizzled in the playoffs. “I was all ready for two more years of him playing ball with the Knicks,” Anne Kidd said. “But he saw a great opportunity.’’
And she believes he’ll do well in his new career. “I feel he’ll be very good,’’ she said while holding a dozen white roses, a present from the Nets.
“He’s got a lot of patience, a lot of knowledge and he listens. Those are three important things, so he’ll do fine.’’
Anne Kidd, who raised Jason in Oakland but now lives in Texas, has been in Manhattan visiting for a month. She attended her first Garden contest last month — the Game 5 victory over the Pacers that turned into their season’s last home game. She will miss seeing Kidd compete on the floor.
“I loved watching Jason play basketball, so he can play on any team and I’d love it,’’ Anne Kidd said.
She said her son always had a desire to beat the Knicks, especially when he was with the Nets in Jersey. “Everybody always talked about New York being the place to play — at the Garden,’’ she said. “That’s like the ring. For him to play there, it was great. That was always something we teased him when he was playing for the Nets back in the day. Playing in the Garden, he was going to beat them. He’ll have that same mindset as coach.’’
* If Knicks owner James Dolan or coach Mike Woodson is upset Kidd has joined enemy lines practically overnight, they haven’t shown it. Kidd said that both, along with Carmelo Anthony, called to congratulate him on his new position. “[Woodson] just wished me luck,’’ Kidd said. “We talked briefly. He felt I could do a good job and I thanked him for that.’’
Asked to compare the Knicks and Nets rosters, Kidd said: “When you look at Melo, he’s one of the top players in the league, and Deron [Williams] is one of the top guys in the league. They’re very similar. Both have great big men. It’s about the role players and understanding how to play the game the right way. Eventually, hopefully, Brooklyn will get that edge.’’