NBA Rumor Mill – Jason Kidd Back In The Fray?

Jason Kidd’s name continues to hold weight as the rumor mill continues to spin NBA betting nutbags crazy. The latest rumor has Kidd flying to Manhatten to meet with owner Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks have just $6.5 million to offer Kidd, but the 36 year-old’s intentions of signing in New York are completely understandable.

Kidd was an uber star when he led the New Jersey Nets to back-to-back Eastern Conference Championships and NBA Finals berths in 2002 and 2003, where Kidd’s Nets slammed in to the Lakers and Spurs and lost both series. He must’ve enjoyed his time in Jersey because Kidd still owns a home in the area, which would entice him to return to New York state along with the idea of donning the illustrious jersey of the Knicks and playing nightly in Madison Square Garden.

That doesn’t mean, however, that this is a done deal by any stretch of the imagination. The Mavericks can match any offer that any team offers Kidd in free-agency with ease with just over $67 million going against the cap in 2009-10. The question is whether or not they will.

I was one of few that lambasted the Kidd-Harris trade in 2008 that returned Jason Kidd to Dallas owner Mark Cuban. The thought then was that Kidd has the tangible leadership capabilities to propel Dallas to the throne of the NBA Finals, just as he did with the motley crew in Jersey. The problem was that Cuban ended up schilling out nearly $40 million to do so and lost Harris, who has emerged as one of the top-5 point-men in the league.

Harris is making under $9.5 million per year through 2013 and averaged 21.6 point and 6.7 assists last season. Kidd put up 9.0 points and 8.7 assists in 2008-09 and though he led Dallas in to the second round, that was largely due to Tim Duncan playing at about 70% health without Manu Ginobli to boot. Dirk Nowitzki needs a complimentary scorer and someone to assume the leadership role in Dallas. That’s no secret. But it’s safe to say that the J-Kidd experiment in Dallas is (or should be) over. He’s 36, Cuban. Get over it already.

The problem with Kidd going to New York, aside from the money, is that they’re +10000 to win the NBA Title next year and already have Nate Robinson who averaged 17.4 points and 4.1 assists on New York last season in 74 games. Kidd would put fans in the seats at MSG, but it wouldn’t hang any banners in the rafters. For the Knicks it would be a great pick-up, but if I’m Kidd I’m looking to put a ring on my finger as opposed to getting on board a sinking ship.