The Juice: Mavs, Nets need to get deal done
Jason Kidd wondered what the next move in the game of "chess, checkers or whatever they're playing out there" in the Western Conference would be. In his eyes, you saw the hope it would be him.
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| Devean George uses his 'early Bird rights' to block the trade and then goes 0-for-11 Wednesday. (AP) |
On Wednesday night, he's still waiting. Devean George has put the deal in a holding pattern, exercising the veto power in his "early Bird rights" as a veteran under contract through a qualifying offer.
Cuban agreed to part with Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, George, Maurice Ager, first-round picks in 2008 and 2010 and $3 million to spring Kidd and Malik Allen out of New Jersey. Jerry Stackhouse, also headed to New Jersey in the deal, was expected to be bought out, allowing him to return to the Mavericks in 30 days once he clears waivers.
George probably took one look at New Jersey's roster and wondered where his minutes were going to come from behind Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Bostjan Nachbar and Antoine Wright, who is similarly looking to improve his earning potential for the free-agent period next season. Although he previously said he wouldn't stand in the way of any trade where he would be guaranteed playing time, this move didn't fit those parameters.
If he's unwilling to relent, Dallas and New Jersey will have to go back to the drawing board and find a way to tweak the deal to make it work. George was a player the Nets were interested in primarily because his salary comes off the books. Because so many players involved in this particular deal, it stands to reason the two sides will try to come to some agreement before coming to the conclusion that the deal will die.
This deal, whose particulars were first detailed in the Feb. 1 edition of The Juice, was made with the sole purpose of bringing Dallas its first basketball championship. In one sense, the Mavericks are jumping into the arms race that has developed this month in the Western Conference, but I believe it's much more than that, hence this rumor being out there before Pau Gasol or Shaquille O'Neal changed locales.
The Mavericks have been saying all season that they "like their team," but in the same breath, Avery Johnson has repeatedly said that there's times he hasn't recognized them. Leadership has often been questioned about this bunch, starting with Dallas' crumbling in the 2006 Finals to its collapse at the hands of Golden State last spring. Dirk Nowitzki is the reigning MVP, but his leadership skills haven't been the most valuable of attributes. There have been times when he's not vocal enough on the floor and other occasions when he's too harsh, pointing fingers in a manner teammates haven't appreciated. Nowitzki is a stand-up guy, but he's not the ideal leader.
In bringing Kidd in, this is one area of concern the Mavericks were immediately alleviating, so if the trade can't be salvaged, it's going to be hard for anyone to be able to say with a straight face that anyone associated with the Mavericks likes his team more without the player it reached an agreement to acquire.
Kidd quit on the Nets when they refused to respond to his criticism that they were playing too soft, but would be re-energized by joining a championship contender. Asked if it made him anxious that O'Neal and Gasol had received the equivalent of pardons while uncertainty loomed if he would be able to get out of New Jersey, he bit his tongue and just said he anticipated life going on one way or another, but clearly, his just got more interesting.
Kidd's leadership skills, when he’s motivated, have never been questioned. He's not being brought in to take the final shot; he's being brought in to run the final play. Anybody who thinks the Mavericks would be giving up too much needs a reality check. You have to give up something to get something in this league -- unless you're dealing with Memphis -- so being able to add a player of Kidd's caliber while still holding on to Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry would leave them with plenty of ammunition, especially if Stackhouse does return.
If the Mavericks stay put and do nothing, they'll be swallowed whole by San Antonio, Phoenix and the Lakers. No one can guarantee what the future has in store. When you have pieces that are good enough to win with now and can galvanize them by bringing a player like Kidd on board, you owe it to your fans to do that. Cuban owes it to Dallas to get this deal completed.
It's in the best interest of the Nets to work this out, too, because it puts them in a good place financially -- picking up Diop's expiring deal -- while being left on the hook for only a portion of Stackhouse's deal once they buy him out. Harris is a point guard a young team can build around, blessed with game-changing speed and unlimited upside, while the draft picks and the cash should also expedite the team's rebuilding process.
