Tyronn Lue thoroughly enjoyed his time playing with Nowitzki and Kidd

Tyronn Lue only played 17 games in less than two months for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2007-’08 season. But thatKidd short stint with the Mavs left an indelible impression on Lue because it afforded him an opportunity to play with Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd.

“It was a great experience for me,” Lue said prior to the Mavs 103-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday at American Airlines Center. “To see the work Dirk put in, coming in the same draft in ’98 — me and Dirk — l just saw who he grew to be as a player.

“(He’s the) sixth all-time (leading) scorer, he’s going to be a Hall of Famer, he’s a champion, and just who he was as a leader of a team. And the way he did it by example, as far as working.”

That’s not all Nowitzki left Lue with during their brief time as teammates. Those conversations on and off the court between him and the Mavs legend were priceless.

“Also, how he was charismatic about everybody else on the team,” Lue said. “It wasn’t just him (saying) look at me. It was about everybody — the whole group. It was definitely a pleasure being around him.”

After Lue was waived by the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 28, 2008, the Mavs signed him on March 4, 2008. Lue subsequently averaged 3.8 points in 10.1 minutes and shot 47.4 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from three-point range for the Mavs while working alongside a Dirkcrowded group of point guards which included JJ Barea, Devin Harris and Kidd.

Lue retired as a player in 2009 and is now the head coach of the Clippers, and is also considered one of the best in the NBA coaching circle. In addition, he’s a big fan of Kidd, who is the head coach of the Mavs and guided them to the Western Conference Finals in his first year in Dallas last season.

“He’s done a great job,” Lue said. “I think the biggest thing is we knew this team could score, we knew they were dangerous offensively because of all the attention Luka (Doncic) brings and the passing and scoring.

“But defensively he got these guys to buy in, and last year to take the huge step that they took defensively was huge. And to get everybody to buy in to the defensive end, that’s what J-Kidd is.”

KIDD ON BIG 12 BOARD: Mavs coach Jason Kidd is one of 36 executives and leaders who have been named to the Big 12 Business Advisory Board.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, who has a long-standing relationship with Kidd dating back to their days with the New Jersey Nets, made the announcement earlier this week.

“I’ve known Brett for a long time,” Kidd said. “With him now in charge, we met for breakfast and we just talked and he asked if I had any interest.

“It’s more of an honor that he asked. It’s an incredible list, and I’m very honored to be asked to be a part of that.”Kidd

Singer/musician Garth Brooks is also one of the leaders named to the Big 12 Business Advisory Board. Kidd, meanwhile, isn’t exactly sure what all Yormark will have him doing as part of that prestigious board.

“We didn’t get into much of the details of what he’s looking for me to do,” Kidd said. “But knowing Brett, he’s going to do whatever it takes to make the Big 12 big or exciting.

“Now, with all the money that is now coming in to college sports — just different angles or different ideas — he’s put a pretty good board together, a vibrant board to bounce different ideas off of. He’s been successful in pretty much everything he’s done, so I don’t see him falling short in this task.”

BRIEFLY: Center JaVale McGee (neck strain) and forward Davis Bertans (right knee effusion) did not dress for Tuesday’s game. However, since he went through his first full practice of the season on Monday, Bertans is close to playing in his first game of the season. . .Clippers coach Tyronn Lue had this to say about Mavs point guard Luka Doncic: “I’ve never seen anyone like Luka. He’s a great player and he has the ball in his hands so much, he kind of dictates everything they do offensively.”. .Count Lue among those who has high praise for the Mavs for acquiring center Christian Wood over the summer. “I think you get a guy who’s seven feet and can pick-and-pop,” Lue said. “He also can roll and finish at the basket. You can switch and put little guys on him, (but) he can post them and also (grab) offensive rebounds. So it was a great pickup for a guy that can stretch the floor like he can, but also do other things offensively as well.”. .The 15 points the Clippers scored in Spencerthe first quarter Tuesday ties for their lowest scoring quarter of the season. They also were held to 15 points in the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 30. And the 32 points the Clippers tallied in the first half Tuesday is their lowest scoring half of the season, eclipsing their previous low of 39 points they scored in the second half of that game against the Pelicans. . .The Mavs’ players on the bench jumped off the bench early in the second quarter when Maxi Kleber performed a highly efficient volleyball block when Clippers guard Norman Powell drove to the paint. . .Entering Tuesday’s game, guard Spencer Dinwiddie had scored 82 points in the previous three games since scoring just two points in a home game on Nov. 7 against the Brooklyn Nets. “He’s confident,” coach Jason Kidd said before the game. “Again, being able to run that second group, he’s trying to play both ends in a sense of getting guys shots. He’s doing a really good job of that, and also looking to be able to be aggressive when he has the opportunity. It’s not easy to be able to do that in a sense of being the scorer and then playing so many minutes with Luka. So just being able to have that balance, I think he’s doing a great job in that role.” Dinwiddie contributed 16 points, six assists and two steals in Tuesday’s two-point win over the Clippers.

Twitter: @DwainPrice

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