dunkside

As soon as their season is over (be it at the hands of the Celtics or in 5 games against the Cavs), the Magic should focus all of their efforts towards one goal: getting Jason Kidd. Right now they are not a real contender. They haven’t played like one after they lost Jameer Nelson. They got a decent replacement in Rafer Alston, but the difference is huge. Without Jameer (including the game in which he was injured) the Magic went 23-13 for a 63.8% winning percentage. With Jameer they were 36-10, winning 78.3% of their games. With Jameer they’d probably already be playing the Cavs in the ECF and giving them some trouble.

Follow me! I know the road to the Finals.

With Jameer coming back next season and Alston still being under contract it would seem a little weird to bring another PG  in Kidd. But Jameer is more of a shoot first PG. Kidd could play PG on offense (with Jameer as a SG) and SG on defense. He can’t guard small quick PG’s but he can still do a nice job on SG’s. The Magic had some trouble finding a starting SG. With Kidd and Jameer as starters and Alston, Courtney Lee and Pietrus on the bench they’d have a very strong back-court.

And here’s where Kidd could help the Magic:

One of the Magic’s biggest problems in these playoffs was controlling the tempo of the game. More than once they were up by 15-20 points by the 3rd quarter only to see that difference (and sometimes the game) slip through their fingers. Stan Van Gundy complained that even though he told them to push the ball, they walked it up the court and played at a tempo that suited their opponents better. Kidd could help in this aspect. He still is one of the best PG’s at pushing the tempo and getting people open shots.

Speaking of getting the ball to open teammates, there was a disturbingly common sight these playoffs: Dwight Howard open under the opponents’ basket waving his arms and jumping around like a madman while his teammates seemed to ingore him and failed to get him the ball. Kidd would make sure Dwight Howard gets the ball. In fact getting Kidd would at least double the number of alley oops Dwight got per game, and that’s scary. By keeping him involved in the offense, Kidd would help Dwight stay motivated on the defensive end for the entire game. Second DPOY award in a row for Dwight? You can book it.

Kidd will also bring leadership. He’s a veteran, and he’s a true leader. He’s been to the finals twice and he knows what you need to get there and what you need to win. He has tons of playoff experience, so when needed he will bring a calming influence. Even if Shaq was right and Stan Van Gundy is a master of panic, Kidd won’t let the Magic get startled.

Kidd knows he only has very few years left to compete for a title, so he will be very motivated and he will be on his best behavior (he has a little bit of a reputation of a coach killer). He will also be willing to take less money in order to compete for a title, and he’d probably want to have a big enough role on the team so he won’t feel like he’s riding another guy’s coattails, which would happen if he were to join the defending champion.

Financially, the Magic would have to pay the tax to bring Kidd. But they should, cause this would really improve their chances to get a title. They would probably have to pay it anyway to retain Hedo and Gortat. However, with the economy going down and him not having a season as good as his last, they won’t have to break the bank to keep Hedo. (Well, unless GM Otis Smith ends up bidding against himself like he did when he acquired Rashard Lewis.) Kidd will probably take the MLE (or even less) to join a contender. If the Magic can split the MLE between Kidd and Gortat that would be great. If Gortat gets an offer for the MLE from another team and the Magic match it, maybe they can work out a S&T for Kidd, perhaps involving Alston and his expiring 5 mil deal. Battie will have an expiring deal and the arrival of Kidd would make JJ Redick expendable if he wasn’t already. This is where Otis Smith has to earn his paycheck: improve the roster and without increasing the payroll by much; bring in Kidd without losing Gortat or Hedo and maybe turn Alston and Battie into some front-court help.

Player analysis, Team analysis Jason Kidd, Orlando Magic

The Kidd to Dallas trade seems to have finally been closed. No more players blocking the trade for fear of losing Early Bird rights that won’t be used, no more players sticking a foot in their mouth. Unless David Stern elects to help out the Spurs one more time and disallows the trade on grounds that one of the players involved in the trade (Keith Van Horn) hasn’t been heard of for a while and is presumed to have been abducted by aliens.

No need to insist on the players involved or why it took so long, as it’s been well documented all over the net. What this trade means for the Mavs is that their window suddenly becomes much smaller. Assuming they can get 2 more good years out of Kidd after this season, which is doubtful, it will still mean Dirk and Josh Howard will be in their prime when Kidd retires/signs for less money while playing a smaller role. So if Dallas can’t win a title with Kidd, they may end up wasting some of Dirk’s and Howard’s best years looking for a PG.

But the Mavs felt they needed to make this trade, and after they proved they seriously lacked leadership in losing the 2006 finals and then getting mauled by the Warriors in last season’s playoffs, it’s hard to argue with their choice. Kidd may not be the same player as a few years ago, but he’s still a damn good PG and a leader. And he really wants that ring.

For the Nets, however, this is far more interesting. First, it means that they gave all those 60 million to Vince Carter for nothing. I hope they don’t expect him to lead the Nets from now on, or they’ll be in for a really rough awakening. Their best hope is to find a taker for his contract and get some expirings and maybe a late 1st round or some 2nd round picks. This is how low Vince Carter’s value is, which is a shame considering he has MVP caliber talent. Too bad he doesn’t have a heart.

Then, it means they are finally accepting the truth: they suck and they have no chance, not even in the East. Once they accept that, through a series of smart moves, they could position themselves well for the FA market of 2010 (when Lebron, Wade and Bosh become unrestricted FA), which will coincide with their move to Brooklyn.

If they tank a couple of seasons, they could end up with a few young stud players on rookie salaries and enough cap space to bring a superstar. This would make them contenders at a time when the current contenders’ windows of opportunity are closed (Suns, Mavs, Celtics, Pistons, Spurs) . As history has shown, it’s not only about having a good team, but having it at the right time (the 2004 Pistons would have no chance against the 1996-1998 Bulls or the 2000-2002 Lakers).

Player analysis Dallas Mavericks, Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets, Vince Carter

Kidd has finally publicly requested a trade after more than a year of speculation that he is sick of playing with Vince Carter would like to play for a contender. Since his trade demand, a former All Star who rescinded his trade demand (Gasol) and the carcase of a great player who hasn’t asked for a trade (Shaq) were traded. Even Kidd’s teammate, the sucktastic Jason Collins was traded. But, as Basketbawful also noticed, Kidd is still a Net and his trade demand seems to have been ignored. Adding insult to injury, the only rumor that made sense so far (a trade to the Mavs) was promptly squashed by Mark Cuban.

So while everyone and their dog agrees that Kidd deserves to be traded to a contender after what he gave the Nets (led them to consecutive finals), lets not forget why Kidd is stuck on a team going nowhere. In 2003 Jason Kidd was a free agent and the recently crowned champions, the San Antonio Spurs, had cap space. They also had a young promising PG, Tony Parker, whom they knew they’d probably lose down the road, but hey, Kidd was the best PG in the league. So the Spurs offered him a max contract. Gregg Popovic and Tim Duncan wined and dined Kidd. The Spurs even managed to get a TV job for Kidd’s wife, Joumana. They did everything in their power to try and lure Kidd to San Antonio.

But according to the CBA rules, the Nets could offer more money than the Spurs: 103 million compared to “just” 90 million. After spending some time thinking about it, Kidd took the Nets offer. Maybe it was the money. Maybe he wanted to be the man instead of being second fiddle to Tim Duncan. Maybe he really thought the Nets would have a chance after consecutive Finals appearances. But it was probably about the money.

Now, instead of having won 2 or more titles with the Spurs, Kidd finds himself asking for trades and having his requests ignored. And he’s probably dreaming every night about what could have been. Every time he watches Vince take a 30 feet fall-away jumper he must be thinking about Tim Duncan taking a baby hook or that 6 feet jump shot off the glass that he never seems to miss. Was it idiotic from him to refuse a contract with the Spurs ? Well, let’s just put it this way: the only other player I can name right now that refused a contract with the Spurs was Stephen Jackson.

Player analysis Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan