LeBor...er...Lebron gets 37 and none of the other 'Brons crack double digis.
ABC/ESPN and the NBA execs are collectively idiots. I swear 1 out of 4 televised games feature the Cavs (who's Finals appearance last season was a fluke by the way). Watching the Cavs on any given night is like watching the Boys JV team with ONE McDonald's All-American. Yea, it's that bad.
Also, I know ABC/ESPN needs better ratings for its NBA games, but Jon Barry needs to tone down his enthusiasm for Lebron James, talking about, "If you saw in the Lakers game the other night, he made a conscious and terrific effort on defense in the fourth against Kobe.....awesome defense.....MAN-CHILD! Nobody is stopping him!"
The growing feeling among league executives that the Dallas Mavericks are the most likely winners in the Jason Kidd trade sweepstakes is even stronger now.
Reason being: Within 24 hours of Kidd saying that it's time for him and the New Jersey Nets "all to move on" in separate directions, New Jersey and Dallas engaged in advanced trade discussions with Portland on a three-way deal that would land Kidd back with the team that drafted him in 1994.
Such a trade would involve at least a dozen players, cash sweeteners and future draft picks. In a breakdown of the most noteworthy principles, Portland would land Mavericks guard Devin Harris and possibly Mavs forward Brandon Bass, New Jersey would receive draft and financial considerations, Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse and a trio of young prospects from Portland (Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye and Jarrett Jack) while the Mavericks would score Kidd.
The talks were very active Tuesday, as reported Tuesday night on ESPN2's "NBA Coast to Coast" by ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard. But dialogue between the three clubs had cooled Wednesday to the point that sources close to the situation described them as "pretty much dead."
But another source insisted that the deal still has life and noted that the "pretty much" disclaimer leaves open the possibility that the dialogue can be reheated to Tuesday's levels, especially since the league's Feb. 21 trading deadline is still three weeks away. And what most observers considered to be one of the biggest obstacles for New Jersey and Dallas to either moving or acquiring Kidd -- finding the third team they needed to broaden the deal -- might be less of an impediment than anticipated if Portland could be recruited so quickly.
Some reluctance from the Blazers, sources said, is one of the factors that has stalled the talks. In addition to the short-term concerns about the ankle injury that has sidelined Harris, Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard told The Oregonian newspaper last week that "we're not making any trades" to break up a roster of youngsters that rebounded from Greg Oden's season-ending injury to rank as the biggest surprise team so far in a league filled with surprise teams. Sources say Portland has been shopping Jack on his own, but parting with three or four players is something else, with guard Sergio Rodriguez also potentially involved. Outlaw's development, furthermore, is one of the stories of the Blazers' season.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, might also have some hesitation, even knowing that Kidd has made it clear behind the scenes that a return to Dallas and the opportunity to play alongside Dirk Nowitzki is his preferred outcome, ahead of a move to Cleveland to play with Team USA teammate and close friend LeBron James.
Sources say Dallas is resigned to the fact that it won't be able to reacquire Kidd -- 1994-95's co-Rookie of the Year with Grant Hill as a Mav but who left town in acrimonious circumstances less than two seasons later -- without parting with Harris, who's a fan and Mark Cuban favorite as well as a 24-year-old point guard having by far his best season.
The initial scenarios discussed by the teams, however, also would require Dallas to part with either Bass or center DeSagana Diop. Both are critical role players in the Mavericks' system. Bass ranks as the most effective backup Nowitzki has ever had and Diop operates as one half of the center tandem with Erick Dampier that has been successful against San Antonio and Tim Duncan.
The Mavs, if the deal goes through, would be undertaking the aggressive renovation that many critics have been calling for since they followed up a 67-win regular season with a first-round exit to Golden State last season. Although there would obviously be some risk giving Harris' job to a quarterback who will be 35 in March, Dallas is undoubtedly seduced by the idea of enhancing the scoring abilities of Nowitzki and Josh Howard. Kidd's arrival would likewise address Dallas' team IQ and mental toughness issues after back-to-back epic collapses in the playoffs, first to Miami in the 2006 NBA Finals and then to Golden State.
Yet another potential snag here is that the Nets naturally hope to come out of a Kidd deal with at least one young star. The closest thing to a young star in the scenarios discussed so far -- Harris -- would be going to Portland.
But Outlaw is on the rise, too. Outlaw and Frye, furthermore, are athletic prospects who come with salary cap-friendly contracts in addition to the two future first-round draft picks New Jersey would also likely receive. It's believed that the Nets would immediately buy out Stackhouse and release him if the proposed deal wound up going through.
Yet it seems safe to expect that a Kidd deal involving these three teams will likely happen quickly or fade to all the way dead sooner rather than later. New Jersey has been dealing with speculation about Kidd's future dating to last February's trade deadline, when Kidd was nearly dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers. "But Dallas and Portland," said one source, "won't want this [trade speculation] to linger because then it starts affecting their teams."
I think this is a bad deal for the Mavs. Kidd is certainly tempting, and Dallas could use something a lil extra.... but what kind of offense is Kidd going to run if you lose Bass, Diop, Stack... and Harris is worth more to Dallas on the long term than Kidd will be.
I don't think it's lol. One's a young player on the rise and one is on the decline due to age. You have to evaluate the long-term effects. No doubt Harris sits a several notches below J. Kidd on the PG rankings *today*.
I don't think it's lol. One's a young player on the rise and one is on the decline due to age. You have to evaluate the long-term effects. No doubt Harris sits a several notches below J. Kidd on the PG rankings *today*.
Sorry dude but Harris will never be Jason Kidd.
Good player? Yes. Talented? Definitely. Potential? Tons of it. He's no Jason Kidd though.
I don't think it's lol. One's a young player on the rise and one is on the decline due to age. You have to evaluate the long-term effects. No doubt Harris sits a several notches below J. Kidd on the PG rankings *today*.
Sorry dude but Harris will never be Jason Kidd.
Good player? Yes. Talented? Definitely. Potential? Tons of it. He's no Jason Kidd though.
But the question is....."Is Harris the best young guard the Nets can get for Kidd?"
He may be.
Players like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, etc. aren't available.
But the question is....."Is Harris the best young guard the Nets can get for Kidd?"
He may be.
Thanks for helping me out there. I don't think Devin will end up being the special player Kidd was either.
It would just be pretty cool if Kidd came back home and helped us finally bring in a ring. But I'm a big Harris fan too. It's tough. If you have to give up Bass or Diop, that's REAL tough.
Spurs are looking hammered right now. I'm sure it's some rope-a-dope shit and I ain't buyin it. The only thing is....how long is Eva's wifey out?
The word right now is "indefinitely." Bone spur in his heel (that's gotta hurt). Jacque Vaughn running the show? Yikes. It's gonna be oog-lay in SA for a while.
And did you have some sort of a point, like maybe illustrating for us why it would be advisable for Portland to facilitate this Nets/Mavs deal?
If somebody's willing to take back Darius Miles' contract, that's one thing, but I just don't see disrupting their core of young dudes with small contracts at a point when the team has really gelled. Lotta GMs are probably pretty envious of the way things are going up there right now.
But the question is....."Is Harris the best young guard the Nets can get for Kidd?"
He may be.
Thanks for helping me out there. I don't think Devin will end up being the special player Kidd was either.
It would just be pretty cool if Kidd came back home and helped us finally bring in a ring. But I'm a big Harris fan too. It's tough. If you have to give up Bass or Diop, that's REAL tough.
Kidd gets more rebounds than Diop and Bass combined.
And did you have some sort of a point, like maybe illustrating for us why it would be advisable for Portland to facilitate this Nets/Mavs deal?
If somebody's willing to take back Darius Miles' contract, that's one thing, but I just don't see disrupting their core of young dudes with small contracts at a point when the team has really gelled. Lotta GMs are probably pretty envious of the way things are going up there right now.
I saw Portland last night. They have great young talent, but the bulk of their points seem to be coming from the perimeter. You live by the three, you die by the three. You have three potential franchise players in Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden. Guards are a plenty in the L. Jarett Jack, Travis Outlaw, and Channing Frye are nice scorers, but you need complete players to really compete.
I remember somebody asking Mark Cuban, why even CONSIDER a trade in giving up Dirk or Terry or Howard for Kobe, when their team is already among the NBA's elite. The answer was simple. Why not seek opportunities to further improve your team?
But the question is....."Is Harris the best young guard the Nets can get for Kidd?"
He may be.
Thanks for helping me out there. I don't think Devin will end up being the special player Kidd was either.
It would just be pretty cool if Kidd came back home and helped us finally bring in a ring. But I'm a big Harris fan too. It's tough. If you have to give up Bass or Diop, that's REAL tough.
Kidd gets more rebounds than Diop and Bass combined.
Technically he doesn't and that point is fairly ludicrous anyhow.
It doesn't matter, it's probably not happening anyway.
Comments
ABC/ESPN and the NBA execs are collectively idiots. I swear 1 out of 4 televised games feature the Cavs (who's Finals appearance last season was a fluke by the way).
Watching the Cavs on any given night is like watching the Boys JV team with ONE McDonald's All-American. Yea, it's that bad.
Also, I know ABC/ESPN needs better ratings for its NBA games, but Jon Barry needs to tone down his enthusiasm for Lebron James, talking about, "If you saw in the Lakers game the other night, he made a conscious and terrific effort on defense in the fourth against Kobe.....awesome defense.....MAN-CHILD! Nobody is stopping him!"
Jon Barry as court-side commentator =
Soooooo, you don't like Woody Barry cos he won't hold both Kobe's nuts in his mouth at the same time?
__________________________________________________________________________________
The growing feeling among league executives that the Dallas Mavericks are the most likely winners in the Jason Kidd trade sweepstakes is even stronger now.
Reason being: Within 24 hours of Kidd saying that it's time for him and the New Jersey Nets "all to move on" in separate directions, New Jersey and Dallas engaged in advanced trade discussions with Portland on a three-way deal that would land Kidd back with the team that drafted him in 1994.
Such a trade would involve at least a dozen players, cash sweeteners and future draft picks. In a breakdown of the most noteworthy principles, Portland would land Mavericks guard Devin Harris and possibly Mavs forward Brandon Bass, New Jersey would receive draft and financial considerations, Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse and a trio of young prospects from Portland (Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye and Jarrett Jack) while the Mavericks would score Kidd.
The talks were very active Tuesday, as reported Tuesday night on ESPN2's "NBA Coast to Coast" by ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard. But dialogue between the three clubs had cooled Wednesday to the point that sources close to the situation described them as "pretty much dead."
But another source insisted that the deal still has life and noted that the "pretty much" disclaimer leaves open the possibility that the dialogue can be reheated to Tuesday's levels, especially since the league's Feb. 21 trading deadline is still three weeks away. And what most observers considered to be one of the biggest obstacles for New Jersey and Dallas to either moving or acquiring Kidd -- finding the third team they needed to broaden the deal -- might be less of an impediment than anticipated if Portland could be recruited so quickly.
Some reluctance from the Blazers, sources said, is one of the factors that has stalled the talks. In addition to the short-term concerns about the ankle injury that has sidelined Harris, Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard told The Oregonian newspaper last week that "we're not making any trades" to break up a roster of youngsters that rebounded from Greg Oden's season-ending injury to rank as the biggest surprise team so far in a league filled with surprise teams. Sources say Portland has been shopping Jack on his own, but parting with three or four players is something else, with guard Sergio Rodriguez also potentially involved. Outlaw's development, furthermore, is one of the stories of the Blazers' season.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, might also have some hesitation, even knowing that Kidd has made it clear behind the scenes that a return to Dallas and the opportunity to play alongside Dirk Nowitzki is his preferred outcome, ahead of a move to Cleveland to play with Team USA teammate and close friend LeBron James.
Sources say Dallas is resigned to the fact that it won't be able to reacquire Kidd -- 1994-95's co-Rookie of the Year with Grant Hill as a Mav but who left town in acrimonious circumstances less than two seasons later -- without parting with Harris, who's a fan and Mark Cuban favorite as well as a 24-year-old point guard having by far his best season.
The initial scenarios discussed by the teams, however, also would require Dallas to part with either Bass or center DeSagana Diop. Both are critical role players in the Mavericks' system. Bass ranks as the most effective backup Nowitzki has ever had and Diop operates as one half of the center tandem with Erick Dampier that has been successful against San Antonio and Tim Duncan.
The Mavs, if the deal goes through, would be undertaking the aggressive renovation that many critics have been calling for since they followed up a 67-win regular season with a first-round exit to Golden State last season. Although there would obviously be some risk giving Harris' job to a quarterback who will be 35 in March, Dallas is undoubtedly seduced by the idea of enhancing the scoring abilities of Nowitzki and Josh Howard. Kidd's arrival would likewise address Dallas' team IQ and mental toughness issues after back-to-back epic collapses in the playoffs, first to Miami in the 2006 NBA Finals and then to Golden State.
Yet another potential snag here is that the Nets naturally hope to come out of a Kidd deal with at least one young star. The closest thing to a young star in the scenarios discussed so far -- Harris -- would be going to Portland.
But Outlaw is on the rise, too. Outlaw and Frye, furthermore, are athletic prospects who come with salary cap-friendly contracts in addition to the two future first-round draft picks New Jersey would also likely receive. It's believed that the Nets would immediately buy out Stackhouse and release him if the proposed deal wound up going through.
Yet it seems safe to expect that a Kidd deal involving these three teams will likely happen quickly or fade to all the way dead sooner rather than later. New Jersey has been dealing with speculation about Kidd's future dating to last February's trade deadline, when Kidd was nearly dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers. "But Dallas and Portland," said one source, "won't want this [trade speculation] to linger because then it starts affecting their teams."
Shit. Harris. Harris for Kidd should be enough. Dude is 24.
Get off that Winehouse!
I think this is a bad deal for the Mavs. Kidd is certainly tempting, and Dallas could use something a lil extra.... but what kind of offense is Kidd going to run if you lose Bass, Diop, Stack... and Harris is worth more to Dallas on the long term than Kidd will be.
and not goign to making 19 mill next year. Seems like a silly move for the Blazers too, though right in step with their past management.
Dirk
Kidd
JHo
Jet
Damp/Diop
Looks damn good with Eddie Jones, Devean George, JJ Barea and (Lord please don't strike me down for saying this) Juwan Howard off the bench.
I don't think it's lol. One's a young player on the rise and one is on the decline due to age. You have to evaluate the long-term effects. No doubt Harris sits a several notches below J. Kidd on the PG rankings *today*.
I don't know why Portland is even participating in discussions--they've got a good situation, so why mess with it?
Sorry dude but Harris will never be Jason Kidd.
Good player? Yes. Talented? Definitely. Potential? Tons of it. He's no Jason Kidd though.
But the question is....."Is Harris the best young guard the Nets can get for Kidd?"
He may be.
Players like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, etc. aren't available.
Thanks for helping me out there. I don't think Devin will end up being the special player Kidd was either.
It would just be pretty cool if Kidd came back home and helped us finally bring in a ring. But I'm a big Harris fan too. It's tough. If you have to give up Bass or Diop, that's REAL tough.
This is a chess game, not hopscotch.
thanks for chiming in there, stephen.
was i talking to you?
The word right now is "indefinitely." Bone spur in his heel (that's gotta hurt). Jacque Vaughn running the show? Yikes. It's gonna be oog-lay in SA for a while.
Was I talking to you?
And did you have some sort of a point, like maybe illustrating for us why it would be advisable for Portland to facilitate this Nets/Mavs deal?
If somebody's willing to take back Darius Miles' contract, that's one thing, but I just don't see disrupting their core of young dudes with small contracts at a point when the team has really gelled. Lotta GMs are probably pretty envious of the way things are going up there right now.
Kidd gets more rebounds than Diop and Bass combined.
Home?
The boy is from the Bay...
Yahmean?
And while you're doing the knowledge, tenderberries, peep that track 10 "What the Kidd Didd":
Payton > Kidd > Might Mouse
I saw Portland last night. They have great young talent, but the bulk of their points seem to be coming from the perimeter. You live by the three, you die by the three. You have three potential franchise players in Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden. Guards are a plenty in the L. Jarett Jack, Travis Outlaw, and Channing Frye are nice scorers, but you need complete players to really compete.
I remember somebody asking Mark Cuban, why even CONSIDER a trade in giving up Dirk or Terry or Howard for Kobe, when their team is already among the NBA's elite. The answer was simple. Why not seek opportunities to further improve your team?
Yeah man, his NBA home. We drafted that cat #2. Tied for RotY w/ G. Hill.
I know 'bout the Berkley days. I rooted hard for him and Lamond Murray for two years. Loved it when they beat Hurley & Duke.
Technically he doesn't and that point is fairly ludicrous anyhow.
It doesn't matter, it's probably not happening anyway.