Tim Hardaway had a lot to say when his son Tim Jr. suddenly fell out of the Dallas Mavericks ' rotation in the 2024 NBA playoffs, during which the Mavs made a run to the NBA Finals.
Hardaway Jr. had spent the previous four full seasons as one of the team's main contributors. The guard was also off to a strong start to the 2023-24 campaign, but as the season progressed, his playing time decreased. When the Mavs played the Boston Celtics in the championship series, Tim Jr. logged 48 minutes in four games.
During his appearance on the recent episode of the All The Smoke Podcast, Tim Sr. expressed his disappointment with Mavs head coach Jason Kidd and GM Nico Harrison.
"Jason and Nico are not telling nobody why he's not playing, what's the deal, and that's the hard part of it. If a coach comes to you or if a general manager comes to you and says, 'Hey, this is the reason why I'm not playing you,' we could take that. We're grown men, and we can take that," Hardaway said .
Tim wants honesty
Hardaway Sr. played 13 seasons in the NBA, and as a decorated pro basketball player, he knows the ins and outs of the business. However, the Miami Heat legend can't understand why J-Kidd wasn't honest with his son.
Tim and Jason played 17 head-to-head matchups in their NBA careers, and as elite point guards in the league during their era, they are no strangers to each other. The two even won the Olympic gold together.
"I played with you on the 2000 Olympic team, we got gold together, we're in the Hall of Fame together," Tim Sr. added. "We're all in this fraternity together, and you are coaching my son. And you don't have the dignity to go to my son and just have him in the room and talk to him and just say, 'Hey, this XYZ, this is why I'm not playing you.'"
Related: Tim Hardaway says Pat Riley is tired of Jimmy Butler: "I told some people, 'Pat's gon' talk this year'"
Falling out of Dallas' rotation
THJ averaged 17.3 points in 29.8 minutes per game before the All-Star break. However, his numbers dropped to 6.7 points in 15.4 minutes on the floor during the second round of the playoffs. By the time the Mavs played the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 Western Conference Finals, Hardaway Jr. had played just 7.7 minutes per outing and was scoreless in two games.
While Kidd didn't say why, many believe Tim Jr.'s shooting struggles and the emergence of Derrick Jones Jr. in the playoffs ultimately led to his removal from the Mavs' rotation. That said, Jason perhaps could've handled things better by telling them the truth.
The Mavs ended up trading Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons for Quentin Grimes during the offseason. For THJ, the Pistons will be his fourth NBA team. But at least he gets another lease on NBA life, as he is only 32 years old.
Related: "That motherf****r just took off from the free throw line" - Tim Hardaway recalls the first time he played against LeBron James
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