Yikes. From the Daily News, Frank Isola delivers the story that 36 year-old Jason Kidd will sit down with Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni tomorrow to discuss the potential of Kidd latching on with the Knicks.
Kidd, who helped the Nets reach back-to-back NBA Finals before being traded to Dallas two years ago, is giving the Mavericks the first chance to re-sign him. The future Hall of Fame point guard will speak with Dallas officials before he talks to the Knicks. It is believed that Kidd also will talk to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Knicks could sign Kidd to the mid-level exception or try to negotiate a sign-and-trade with Dallas. Since the Mavs traded Devin Harris two seasons ago for Kidd, Dallas figures to make a strong push to re-sign Kidd or at least get compensation for having mortgaged its future.
The Knicks' interest in signing Kidd is twofold. Team president Donnie Walsh is looking for an experienced floor leader as well as a player who could help recruit LeBron James should the Cavaliers' superstar and league MVP become a free agent next summer.
Kidd would be an upgrade over incumbent starting point guard Chris Duhon, but there are obvious risks attached to signing a 37-year-old player. And the Knicks also have to ask themselves why Kidd is so interested in joining a team that isn't vying for a championship. The obvious concern is that Kidd simply wants to spend his twilight years living and going out in Manhattan.
Really? Because I couldn't care less if Kidd wants to spend his late 30's macking honeys at Duvet. What bothers me is his willingness to infect what is otherwise becoming a young, likable team poised to blossom into a contender in 2010.
The fact that Kidd is on my short list of stars I'll never root for (off the top of my head: Kidd, Pierce, Carter, Mourning) is my problem. If Walsh can land the aged point for the MLE and keep him for just one season, I can see the logic. Utah holds the Knicks' draft pick next summer, so it's in New York's best interest to win some damn games and knock down those lottery odds. If that's what Donnie's got in mind, then I'll survive. I'd prefer someone like Ramon Sessions (who Isola mentions), Bobby Jackson, or Jarrett Jack, but that's a product of my own beef. Hell, I'd probably take Stephon Marbury over Kidd. At least he's funny.
What frightens me is the notion that Kidd is "a player who could help recruit LeBron James should the Cavaliers' superstar and league MVP become a free agent next summer". That implies that Kidd would be around next summer, in which case I may cry. He's a dreadfully streaky shooter, doesn't move nearly as well as he used to, and is also Jason Kidd. The same Jason Kidd who's smirkingly torched New York for years (including their last playoff visit), single-handedly made Dallas uncool, and...you know.
Long story short, I can't see why New York would grab a falling star when there are young, wholesome point guards on the market. Nor do I see the appeal for Kidd in joining a non-contender in his twilight. If this gets too serious, I may resort to starting rumors. Potential future P&T headlines:
- Kidd To Puppy: "I'm Gonna Eat You!"
- Kidd Rents "Slumdog Millionaire", Sleeps Through It
- Kidd on Darfur: "No Biggie."
- Kidd Rescues Baby Polar Bear, Makes Scarf
We need to prevent this. If you are a hitman, bounty hunter, or just a bored vagrant anywhere in the Tri-State Area, Posting and Toasting is willing to pay a healthy fee for your craft. Email me.