Mavs were confident they'd close three-year, $9M deal with Kidd but after all-day deliberations w/both teams Kidd has committed to Knicks
Expand

Frank Isola ‏@FisolaNYDN

Knicks add Jason Kidd and will either match Jeremy Lin or sign Raymond Felton
Expand

Howard Beck ‏@HowardBeckNYT

Was also told this morning that Kidd "so much wanted to get to New York." Guess that impulse won.

1m Howard Beck Howard Beck ‏@HowardBeckNYT

Had heard Kidd deal w/Dallas wasn't done-done, but it was assumed it was just details.

2m Howard Beck Howard Beck ‏@HowardBeckNYT

Nice save for Knicks. I still assume they match any offer for Lin as well.

Write it!

J.Kidd Welcome !
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/8133070/source-jason-kidd-agrees-deal-new-york-knicks

crzymdups wrote:If the Knicks let Lin walk to sign Felton, I'm going to scream.

If the Knicks sign Lin and then S/T him to the highest bidder
after securing Felton, I'm going to cheer like crazy.

Look: Kidd is obviously in decline and on the verge of becoming a one-skill player. And that skill isn’t necessarily three-point shooting, since Kidd shot just 34 percent — below the league average — two seasons ago and 36 percent last season. In Kidd’s defense, he heated up over the final months of last season after a frigid and perhaps lockout-induced clank-fest to start. But if Kidd’s three-point shooting falls off as he enters his 40s (!), he would only bring one reliable above-average skill on a night-to-night basis: his whip-smart ability to pass the ball around the perimeter. Kidd anticipates defensive rotations and tosses passes that are one step ahead of defenders or wrong-foot them entirely.

That’s a very valuable skill, especially if you surround Kidd with shooters. The Mavs have been a very good offensive team with both Kidd and Nowitzki on the floor over the last two seasons, and the numbers got even stronger least year — Spurs-level strong — when Kidd was out there with Nowitzki and another shooter, someone such as Terry or Carter. That is encouraging, particularly since the Mavs’ offense fell off so notably overall last season. The team’s numbers with Kidd on the floor and Nowitzki on the bench were almost Bobcats-level ugly, though it’s a good thing that the two will be back together next season.

But even those genius passing skills started to come with caveats last season. Kidd posted the highest turnover rate of his career, and many of those turnovers came on head-scratching, high-risk passes that smacked of desperation — the kind of desperation a player and team show, especially in transition, when they’re aware it will be hard to score in the half-court. And Kidd is a borderline non-threat off the dribble at this point. About 85 percent of his shot attempts were threes last season, up from 65 percent the year before, and defenses have begun adjusting to his reluctance to drive in a way that hurts the Mavs. Watch Kidd run a pick-and-roll with Nowitzki against a defense that is paying close attention, and you’ll often notice Nowtizki’s man will stay attached to Dirk’s hip rather than jump out and try to deny Kidd’s dribble attack. The message is simple: We know Dirk can kill us, and we don’t think you can hurt us in the lane. And too often at this point, those defenses are right. Kidd barely shoots from inside the foul line and drew just 28 free throws the entire season. As great a passer as he is, it’s hard to make productive passes when defenses don’t respect your scoring.

Defensively, the guy still has the brains, quick feet and size to defend point guards, shooting guards and small forwards — a valuable level of versatility. Kidd just doesn’t do it as well anymore, especially without Tyson Chandler around to act as a human helper wall. The brain is willing and able, but the body is starting to fail. Such is life for an NBA player nearing 40.

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012/07/05/jason-kidd-mavericks/