→ popstarkirby:to mock the Mavericks xD 02/19 09:42
Source: http://www.star-telegram.com/nbainsider/story/1210071.html
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In Jason Kidd-Devin Harris debate, you were right
Posted on Wed, Feb. 18, 2009 / By JAN HUBBARD
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The humorous part of the argument is that a year later, both sides were
right. Avery Johnson, Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban were right and so were Rod
Thorn and Lawrence Frank.
The Jason Kidd-Devin Harris trade has worked out fine for the Mavericks and
the Nets. Kidd has been the engine of a team that has gone 29-14 since a
difficult 2-7 start under a new coaching staff with a new system.
With total freedom that he had never experienced as a professional, Harris
has thrived in New Jersey, although he has tailed off a little from his
torrid start. Early in the season, he ranked as high as fourth among NBA
scorers, but he has dropped to 10th at 21.8 points per game.
He still is excelling, however, and last weekend, he played in his first
All-Star Game. He makes his only visit to Dallas with the Nets tonight, when
they meet the Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
The Nets are obviously happy with Harris, even though their 24-29 record at
the All-Star break was only slightly better than their 23-30 record at this
time last year. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said repeatedly that he is
thrilled with Kidd. So by any objective measure, the trade was win-win.
Many, however, disagree. With a bundle of points and the All-Star berth, the
Harris bandwagon is bursting at the seams. Because of Harris’ scoring
average and age, it has become popular to mock the Mavericks. Even some
people who were adamantly in favor of the trade at this time last year have
changed positions.
Those people, however, had it right the first time. And that includes
Johnson, who took away play-calling duties from Harris after 20 games last
season, only to see Harris go to the Nets and flourish with complete freedom
from Frank, New Jersey’s head coach. Johnson has since planted stories that
he actually opposed the trade, but he did not and was correct to support it.
Johnson’s only objection on the Kidd trade was that perhaps the Mavericks
gave up one too many No. 1s, and he was also correct about that. That 2010
No. 1 would come in handy as a trade tool now, although Cuban had little
choice if he wanted to get the deal done.
But the notion that Kidd has not been as good for the Mavericks as Harris has
been for the Nets is simply incorrect.
Consider that while Harris leads Kidd in scoring average, field-goal
percentage and free-throw percentage, Kidd leads Harris in assists, rebounds,
steals, blocks and 3-point field-goal percentage.
Harris has averaged 35.8 minutes per game and Kidd 35.4 minutes. Harris has
missed six games because of injuries; Kidd has been more durable and has
played in every game since his arrival last year.
The notion that New Jersey won the trade battle because Harris is 25 and Kidd
is 35 is also missing the point. It is outrageous to think that the Mavericks
somehow didn’t notice the age of the two players. They were well aware of
the age difference, and like the rest of the world, they knew that Harris
would play longer than Kidd.
For the Nets, Harris was and is a great building block, especially for a team
struggling to get to .500.
But for the Mavericks with Dirk Nowitzki at 30 and Jason Terry at 31, the
emphasis is on right now. Their goal was to win a title and for some reason,
they have been criticized for that.
What are they supposed to say? That they hope to be a mid-level team?
In trading Harris, the Mavericks also will not have his $9 million salary
on the books when the premier free-agent class of 2010 is available.
There is little doubt that if they choose to be players in that market,
they will be in better position to bid for a star player by not having
Harris’ salary on the books.
So ultimately, the deal has worked for both teams. And those who thought
Dallas made a good trade by acquiring Kidd should be patting themselves on
the back.
They were right.
Closer look
How Devin Harris and Jason Kidd rank in eight statistical categories among
NBA point guards this season:
Harris Kidd
Category Avg. Rank Avg. Rank
Points 21.8 1 8.8 20
Rebounds 3.2 14 6.3 1
Assists 6.5 9 8.4 6
Steals 1.6 5 2.2 2
Blocks 0.2 7 0.6 1
FG pct. 44.1 13 41.6 16
FT pct. 81.9 13 79.7 18
3 pt. pct. 31.6 18 39.1 10
Note: Kidd does not have enough two-point field goals or free-throw attempts
to be among official qualifiers. His ranking indicates where he would be if
he had enough attempts.
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