Updated Jan. 29
A kingmaker has now officially put himself out there.
Jason Kidd has done all the right things to secure a trade out of New Jersey. He's played hard and been so productive in notching a league-leading 11 triple-doubles that it's been easy to overlook a shooting percentage that has slipped under 37 percent.
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| Jason Kidd is ready to look his best in a new jersey. (AP) |
He's 34 years old. He's got a surgically repaired left knee and he's waxing poetic like a retiring surfer about the wave he has ridden in Jersey now being spent.
Contenders normally wouldn't trip over themselves to acquire an aging guard who can't shoot straight, especially when his demand going public hurts his current team's bargaining position. Fortunately for the Nets, this is not a conventional player or situation.
It's the guy deemed the most valuable player on the U.S. National Team that won the FIBAs this past summer despite the fact he attempted one shot per game. It's the player other superstars would surrender millions to have join their team.
New Jersey GM Rod Thorn knows what he has and is under no pressure to appease Kidd immediately. This could've been prevented had the Nets fared better on a road trip in which they blew fourth-quarter leads at Golden State and Minnesota, but they crumbled and are in obvious need of a facelift. Expect this to drag out the way the Allen Iverson situation did in Philadelphia last season.
It might take at least three teams to get a deal done, but New Jersey is looking for expiring contracts, draft picks and one or two young players who will be ready to blossom when the team moves to Brooklyn in 2010 and won't surrender its top commodity for anything less.
Because it makes sense only for a team in contention to take on the financial burden of acquiring Kidd, this situation will differ from Iverson's in that only a handful of teams will seriously inquire about what it may take to get him. That said, phone calls will still go out to teams like the Clippers, Sonics and Knicks, who do have pieces available that can help facilitate a deal.
Rumors are going to start to fly, some of which you can immediately discard, like the one making the rounds that Denver has offered up Iverson.
Another, that a move for Devin Harris would have to wait until the Mavericks point guard mends, also makes no sense. Why would New Jersey pass on exactly the type of player they covet just because he won't be back until mid-February? As it stands now, Mark Cuban has no desire to deal Harris, considered Dallas' long-term solution at the point. If anyone is likely to be moved out of Dallas, it would be veteran Jason Terry, who was dangled in talks with the Clippers during the offseason.
In L.A., Andrew Bynum is obviously off limits, but there's no reason to believe Jordan Farmar is. After all, can you imagine the tantrums Kobe Bryant would throw if he found out Kidd was available and the Lakers didn't pull the trigger? Oh wait, you don't have to. We've already seen what he's capable of.
Ultimately, this might become a bidding war between the Lakers and Mavericks, the two teams most desperate to capitalize on their window of opportunity.
In the race to the 2008 postseason, Kidd looks to be the major domino. This won't happen overnight, because at this point, the Nets have time on their side. However, as the days pass and teams get increasingly desperate approaching the Feb. 21 trade deadline, someone will come up with an offer Thorn will pull the trigger on, giving Kidd a new wave to ride.
The week's Power Rankings:
| Power Rankings | ||||||||||
| Current | Team | Previous | ||||||||
 | 1 | Celtics · Trends | 1 | |||||||
| The 6-0 start, before a loss to Phoenix, was the same as 2007-08, when Boston went on to win it all. ... Rajon Rondo leads the league in steals as Celtics hold seven of first eight to 90 points or fewer. | ||||||||||
 | 2 | Lakers · Trends | 3 | |||||||
| Who needs help? Kobe Bryant pours in 41 with just one assist in win over Grizzlies. ... D.J. Mbenga is averaging 12.5 rebounds in games when Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum both sit. | ||||||||||
 | 3 | Suns · Trends | 12 | |||||||
| Key to win at Boston: Jason Richardson outscores Ray Allen 34-16. ... Room for improvement: Amare Stoudemire is among league's worst in assist-to-turnover ratio (8-24). | ||||||||||
 | 4 | Magic · Trends | 2 | |||||||
| This is Vin-sanity: Journeyman Matt Barnes averages 15.5 points, 10.0 rebounds in wins over Suns, Pistons. ... A 28-point drubbing at Oklahoma City? C'mon. | ||||||||||
 | 5 | Heat · Trends | 8 | |||||||
| Sign of improvement: Club beats Nuggets for first time since 2004. ... High-scoring Dwyane Wade doing one thing wrong: 18.2 percent on 3s, including 0-for-3 in lone loss. | ||||||||||
 | 6 | Nuggets · Trends | 4 | |||||||
| Pressure on J.R. Smith to perform after suspension; Nuggets head list of rumored Stephen Jackson suitors. ... Why defensive-minded Jackson? Nuggets can't stop Josh Smith in loss to Hawks. | ||||||||||
 | 7 | Bulls · Trends | 15 | |||||||
| Bulls bump, deny LeBron en route to possible game winner? Unheard of. ... NBA's early most improved? That's easy. It's Joakim Noah. | ||||||||||
 | 8 | Cavaliers · Trends | 6 | |||||||
| LeBron goes for 33 at Garden. His last visit as Cavalier? ... One explanation for 4-3 start: Mr. No Contract for 2010 is third in league in turnovers. | ||||||||||
 | 9 | Hawks · Trends | 7 | |||||||
| What a week: Jamal Crawford goes for 27, 26, 25 in wins over Blazers, Kings, Nuggets. ... Club learns valuable travel lesson: Avoid layover in Charlotte whenever possible. | ||||||||||
 | 10 | Mavericks · Trends | 9 | |||||||
| Only loss since opener: Overtime at New Orleans. ... J.J. Barea (12 points vs. Lakers, 12 assists vs. Raptors) is helping Jason Kidd keep minutes reasonable. | ||||||||||
 | 11 | Rockets · Trends | 11 | |||||||
| Nothing shameful about either loss (at Portland, overtime vs. Lakers). ... Who needs Yao? Carl Landry and Luis Scola are averaging a combined 27.8 points and 16.0 rebounds. | ||||||||||
 | 12 | Trail Blazers · Trends | 10 | |||||||
| Already two home losses, but slate has been tough (Rockets, Nuggets, Hawks, Spurs). ... That didn't take long: Andre Miller promoted to start in three-guard look. | ||||||||||
 | 13 | Spurs · Trends | 5 | |||||||
| Tony Parker and Tim Duncan already are nursing injuries; that cannot be good. ... Spurs start George Hill, Keith Bogans, Richard Jefferson, Michael Finley and Theo Ratliff -- and still beat Raptors. | ||||||||||
 | 14 | Raptors · Trends | 18 | |||||||
| Chris Bosh doubly perfect: 9 for 9 in win over Hornets; 6 for 6 this season on 3s. ... No shame in 1-2 trip to New Orleans, Dallas, San Antonio. | ||||||||||
 | 15 | Thunder · Trends | 19 | |||||||
| Russell Westbrook already is one of game's best distributors (double-digit assists in half of six games). ... Can franchise get transferred to East? Early wins vs. Pistons, Magic. | ||||||||||
 | 16 | 76ers · Trends | 13 | |||||||
| Nobody more predictable: Wins over Bucks, Knicks, Nets; losses to Magic, Celtics, Pistons, Suns. ... In French, Dalembert means "black hole" -- four assists, 18 turnovers. | ||||||||||
 | 17 | Jazz · Trends | 16 | |||||||
| This never used to happen to Jazz: Home loss to Kings. ... Good news in 3-4 start: Andrei Kirilenko is back on his game -- 15.0 points, 52 percent shooting in November. | ||||||||||
 | 18 | Hornets · Trends | 17 | |||||||
| New Orleans is Saints territory; Hornets are battling through seven of first 11 games on the road. ... David West adjusting to life alongside Emeka Okafor; rebound numbers way down. | ||||||||||
 | 19 | Bucks · Trends | 28 | |||||||
| Moving up and chance for more: Four of next six vs. Warriors, Nets, Bobcats, Grizzlies. ... Old school: No team is better at drawing charges; Andrew Bogut has seven in five games. | ||||||||||
 | 20 | Clippers · Trends | 24 | |||||||
| NBA notices three-game Clippers win streak: Chris Kaman honored as Western Conference Player of the Week. ... Baron Davis' first victory in Oakland as ex-Warrior was a doozy: 118-90. | ||||||||||
 | 21 | Bobcats · Trends | 20 | |||||||
| You figure him out: Gerald Wallace goes for 24 points, 20 rebounds vs. Nets; 3-for-14, four turnovers next game vs. Hawks. ... Early test looms: Magic (twice), Pistons, Blazers, 76ers are next five opponents. | ||||||||||
 | 22 | Pistons · Trends | 21 | |||||||
| Road map to NBA lottery: Early losses to Thunder, Bucks, Raptors. ... Remember Chauncey? Rodney Stuckey is shooting 36.5 percent, 27.3 on 3s. | ||||||||||
 | 23 | Wizards · Trends | 14 | |||||||
| Gilbert Arenas: 21 or more shots four times, seven or fewer assists six straight. ... 102-90 has ugly ring to it: Same score in losses to Cavs, Suns. | ||||||||||
 | 24 | Pacers · Trends | 22 | |||||||
| Danny Granger tweets: "Feels like somebody beat my heel with a hammer!!!" That's not encouraging. ... Can't win this way: All-Star is shooting 38.7 percent. | ||||||||||
 | 25 | Kings · Trends | 29 | |||||||
| Worst kind of break: 30-a-night scorer Kevin Martin fractures wrist. ... Another first for Israeli Omri Casspi: 12-point, 10-rebound double-double vs. Warriors. | ||||||||||
 | 26 | Knicks · Trends | 26 | |||||||
| Bad combination: Club leads league in 3-point attempts, but is 26th in accuracy rate. ... Chris Duhon averaging 6.3 assists, but needs to pass more; he's missed 15 of last 17 shots. | ||||||||||
 | 27 | Warriors · Trends | 23 | |||||||
| Ultimate inconsistency: Losses to Clippers, Kings by total of 41; then 41-point win over Timberwolves. ... Don Nelson going small again -- by necessity; Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf are both injured. | ||||||||||
 | 28 | Grizzlies · Trends | 25 | |||||||
| Three is enough: Allen Iverson leaves club to tend to family matter, return is questionable. ... Improbable hat trick: Losses to Kings, Warriors, Clippers in same week. | ||||||||||
 | 29 | Timberwolves · Trends | 27 | |||||||
| Defenseless club allows 35, 36 assists in consecutive games. ... Here's another problem: Al Jefferson shooting 42.5 percent after 49.7 last season. | ||||||||||
 | 30 | Nets · Trends | 30 | |||||||
| Where's first win coming? No softies this week: 76ers, Magic, Heat. ... Losing Devin Harris to groin injury maybe not bad thing: He was shooting 32.3 percent. | ||||||||||
