Reply With Quote
I'm glad the Kidd signing never happened.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.2cfb3f9.html
Buck Harvey: What Duncan saw in Kidd will come back at him soon
Web Posted: 02/18/2008 12:38 AM CST
Buck Harvey
Express-News Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS — Tim Duncan ran up the court Sunday evening when he reached out with an elbow and did something he never does. He pushed an opponent out of bounds.
Jason Kidd smiled, pushed back and the two kept going. In an All-Star game, this is the playful gesture of friendship.
They've always liked each other, and Kidd showed that during the 2000 Olympics. Then, after Duncan missed the Games because of an injury, Kidd honored him in his own way. He wore his practice shorts backwards, just as Duncan always did.
They were kindred spirits not only in practice gear, but also in their basketball beliefs, and that's a reason the Spurs went after Kidd in the summer of 2003. If they put together two superstars who connected, didn't they have to be better?
The Spurs were wrong; they were lucky Kidd turned them down. But this quality inside of Kidd is still there, even at 35 years old, which is why his return to Texas this week will press the Spurs more than most think.
Kidd isn't perfect for Dallas, just as Shaquille O'Neal isn't perfect for Phoenix. But as it also is with Shaq, Kidd has something that Duncan respects and understands.
Some of that came out Sunday night, although LeBron James obscured nearly everything but Ray Allen's ever-gorgeous jumper. James came close to a triple-double, and he said this meant a lot "because we really wanted this win."
Unable to get a win in June, one in February has to do.
Next to that, Kidd was an invisible teammate. He shot only twice, with one an airball, which is typical for him. Also typical were his 10 assists and four steals, prompting Doc Rivers to say what all of Kidd's coaches have said.
"When you have Jason Kidd on your team," Rivers said, "you can nearly draw up anything and run it."
That's what the Spurs were thinking in the summer of 2003. They had just won a le with Tony Parker, but they weren't sure Parker would overcome his shooting yips. Speedy Claxton saved Parker then.
So the Spurs brought in a chef from Houston, and they recruited Kidd, and they offered all the money they were allowed to offer. Duncan liked the idea as much as anyone.
But if Kidd were a Spur today, a few others wouldn't be. His current contract is equal to those of Parker and Manu Ginobili combined. Add all three of those together with Duncan's, and the rest of the Spurs roster would have to split less than $10 million.
As Kidd struggled in New Jersey, Parker surged to two more les, including the MVP of last summer's finals. Kidd has never learned to shoot. Parker has, and he's a decade younger.
Then there's Kidd the anti-Duncan citizen. It never ends well for him in any city.
About a year after he turned down the Spurs, he regretted doing so. This season he called in sick to a game because he wanted either a trade or a contract extension.
Forget the backward shorts. Can anyone imagine Duncan doing the same?
So things might have gone badly in San Antonio, too, and they might in Dallas. After all, they did once before for Kidd.
Now he replaces Devin Harris, a talented guard on the cusp as Parker was, and he isn't made for the slower Mavericks' offense. His shooting will allow the Spurs to sag, and the Mavericks will lose Gana Diop, a big man who leaned on Duncan. Kidd, ultimately, changes a team that matched up well with the Spurs.
But those in Phoenix repeat what they say in New Jersey. When this guy wants something badly, when he has something to prove and play for, he can overwhelm. Kidd sees the game, and he can play with an emotion and fire that changes everyone.
He also gets along with big men, and he did in the second quarter Sunday night. Then Kidd was caught in a switch, and he ended up defending Dirk Nowitzki.
They bumped and joked. "I kind of wanted him to score," Kidd said. "Because you've got to be nice to your teammates."
Duncan should get ready, then.
He will be pushing Kidd for real before the season is over.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[email protected]
I'm glad the Kidd signing never happened.
You know, I can understand biased fans hating on Parker and the whole Speedy Claxton debacle...but when SA writers hate on Parker (Ludden snidely comented like this also), it gets annoying. What exactly did Claxton save Parker from? How does Speedy playing well in about 2 or 3 games, overshadow what Parker did against the Lakers in 03 and the first 2 games in the finals?
Because the Spurs would have probably lost out on Manu
Who says the Mavs did the deal to keep up with the Spurs?
First 3 games.
Claxton saved the day as I remember correctly he was hitting shot after shot while TP was unable to do so and many thinks that Pop should keep Claxton longer in game 4 and 5.
In game six TP was sidelined as Claxton was droving to the basket, making FT and shots. It was great performance by a reserve.
I ed about it then and I certainly don't mind saying again. Signing Kidd would've been THE worst mistake the Spurs FO would've ever made.
To mortgage the team salary cap flexibility and hamper its ability to surround Duncan with good shooters and complimentary players just to sign Kidd would have been straight-up IDIOTIC. Especially when it was fairly obvious that Parker had a tremendous upside. He may not have been the consistent scorer and shooter back then that he is now, but he was still a better shooter than Kidd even then! Not to mention a one-man, fast break unto himself. I didn't understand it then and can't understand it now.
The ironic thing is the Mavs are now set to do the EXACT SAME THING, only five years later.
Back to the Spurs dalliance with Kidd, I remind everyone that this courtship produced two other bad front-office decisions. First, let's also not forget the Spurs passed on Josh Howard in the 2003 NBA draft. It seems the Spurs were unwilling to take on any new rookie contracts in order to clear out cap space needed to sign Kidd. So they passed on Howard to instead draft Barbosa and traded him to PHX. Clearly, the second biggest mistake that resulted from the Kidd pursuit.
Finally, there was the situation surrounding Stephen Jackson, which preceeded all this Kidd stuff after the Spurs had just won the le. Recall that Jax had just become a free agent and the Spurs gave him a "low-ball" offer, thereby allowing him to leave. Their third mistake. Are we still having this annual conversation about a young swingman if Jackson was still on the team?
As you can see, even though Kidd turned down the Spurs, there was some fallout from this courtship.
how the is this going to come back to duncan?
duncan has won 2 rings since then
the author of this article
I still liked the idea of having Kidd. Yes the Spurs have had success without him but that's not to say the Spurs couldn't have gotten 3 championships with him instead of 2.
that was a good chuckle, buck.
Because then we woudn't of been able to resign Manu. We would of lost out on Parker's emergence.
A powerful backhand?
Lamest article from Buck by far..
F@ck Huck Barvey!!
Had Kidd Gone To Dallas 4 1/2 Years Ago This Article Would Have Seemed More Relevant Forum
^^^ That would be quite a forum.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
