'My God, The Refs Are Bad!' Luka Doncic Responds to Mavs Coach Jason Kidd Scolding

“It’s a lot of things, you know,” Doncic says. “I think J-Kidd, he’s got a point and I’ve got to stop doing that.''

DALLAS - Coach Jason Kidd has gone public in urging young superstar Luke Doncic to properly funnel his displeasure with NBA referees.

Luka knows is right ... but the Dallas Mavericks' best player is also among the NBA's most vocal when it comes to griping at the refs, as he established again this week, while positioned very near a microphone.

 “Oh my God,'' Luka said, way too loudly, "the refs are bad.”

Kidd is trying to help. ... but he's clearly frustrated that Doncic - for all his high BBIQ - hasn't figured out that stopping to gripe at a ref during an on-going possession is a poor idea.

“I would lean towards playing five-on-five a little bit more (than complaining),” Kidd said after Friday's dismal home loss to the lowly Pelicans. “You’re not going to get any calls. Officials, they tend not to stop the game to change calls. 

"So you’d have to understand ... that there’s a point in time in games, dead ball, to be able to talk to the officials.

In his Hall-of-Fame playing days, Kidd mastered the art of negotiation with refs - again, his BBIQ being off-the-charts high. And yes, Luka sees the problem.

“It’s a lot of things, you know,” Doncic said. “I think J-Kidd, he’s got a point and I’ve got to stop doing that.''

This is an issue that the organization has worked on with Doncic before; former head coach Rick Carlisle tried to preach the same lesson. As Kidd said, "While the game is going on, transition defense is one of the things that we’ve talked about, that we have to get better. If we’re lobbying for calls during live play, it puts us in harm’s way.”

And Doncic's Mavs - now dipping to 11-11 after a second straight loss this weekend, on Saturday at the hands of the Grizzlies (a game in which the ailing Doncic did not play) - are "in harm's way'' enough without bringing "five-on-four'' basketball into the equation.

It helps greatly that Luka Doncic recognizes the problem. Now, "the preaching and the teaching'' needs to become "learning.''