PORTLAND – Jason Kidd said he wants to stay put.
After Kidd vented his frustration Monday about the awful state of the Nets, a logical conclusion was that he wanted out. He insisted yesterday in the day that’s not the case. And then he showed last night what he is all about with another triple-double – his third this season, 90th of his career.
“I’m happy in New Jersey, happy being a Net,” Kidd said. “Nobody has asked for any trades or anything.”
Kidd (12 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds) knew why folks concluded he wanted a new zip code. Yesterday, he stood by the team that three weeks ago he called the “most talented” he has been on.
“I didn’t lie or make anything up,” he said. “That’s just the nature of the business. So you move on. You have another day to improve and get better.”
So Kidd, after a dismal 1-of-9 no-show in Utah, came back strong in a 41-minute show.
“The thing about this trip is we have a chance to come back at .500, so that would be something,” Kidd said. “If we can achieve that, then we’re going in the right direction.”
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The knee is sound. The reactions need work. But Nenad Krstic’s head needs a makeover. Krstic sounds more frustrated daily by his inability to sustain progress in a comeback from ACL surgery. A .506 career shooter is at .329. Krstic knows improvement is still a way off.
“I don’t have it right now,” Krstic said. “I’m trying to get better every day, but it’s really not working right now.”
Coach Lawrence Frank seems patient enough.
“It’s going to take time,” he said. “The guy’s coming back from a major injury. … Because of his work ethic he’ll get back to playing at a high level. As a coach, you have to do what’s in the best interests of the team. Over the course of time, it’s having faith in the process.”