While Rod Thorn, the president of the Nets, was extolling the talents of the superstar point guard sitting to his right, Jason Kidd was whispering and laughing with Coach Byron Scott, the two sharing a private conversation on a very public stage.

Their small talk was almost as loud as Kidd's later statements about Scott.

Before he signed his six-year, $103.57 million contract, to which he committed on July 11, Kidd again denied reports published on July 10 that he had made an ultimatum to Nets management to fire Scott before he would re-sign.

Kidd said that he and Scott "respect each other" and that he hoped Scott would get a contract extension after this season. Scott has one year left on his contract.

"I hope he does get the extension, I do," Kidd said. "For a guy, two out of three years to get to the finals, he's doing something right."

Kidd also told reporters: "If there's any question about Coach's and my relationship, it's great and we want to push forward. That whole thing about me coming in demanding stuff, that's not my personality or it's not on my agenda. My agenda is to win ballgames."

Kidd said he chose to stay with the Nets and in the Eastern Conference so he could continue what he had built with forwards Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson, while also playing with the newly signed center, Alonzo Mourning.

"It could have been easy just to go to San Antonio and play with Tim Duncan and those guys after they just won the championship," Kidd said. "But the one thing I've always felt was I had some unfinished business and that's to win a championship in this league and win the championship as a Net."