Source:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/dmoore/stories/
*********************************************************************
Only Dallas Mavericks Finals run will end Kidd deal debate
12:26 PM CST on Wednesday, February 18, 2009
*********************************************************************
No one thought it would take this much time.
A coach had to lose his job and the team had to peer over the cliff for it to
happen. But the Mavericks have finally shown signs of what they hoped to
become after the Jason Kidd trade.
The eve of this one-year anniversary is the perfect time to reflect on how
the deal went down and assess its impact. Thanks to the NBA, by the way, for
inviting Devin Harris and the New Jersey Nets to American Airlines Center to
commemorate the event.
Debate the merits of the exchange all you want and marvel over Harris'
ascension. It's fun. But remember, the Mavericks acquired Kidd for one reason
and one reason only: to return to the Finals.
If the team fails to do so while he wears a Mavericks uniform, the trade was
a bad one.
You can't find a soul in the franchise to make that admission these days.
They prefer to focus on the 6-2 run the Mavericks are on since coach Rick
Carlisle allowed Kidd to call the majority of the plays.
The stretch has energized all levels of the organization. It's the best Kidd
and his teammates have felt about what the team can accomplish since his
arrival.
"Yeah, I think so," Kidd said. "Being able to have the feel of who needs to
touch the ball, who needs to get going, that's the fun part of the game, I've
always felt. Not having to look over to the bench to get the call is a big
advantage for us.
"Everyone had to be patient. But this is definitely what I envisioned."
It's what upper management envisioned. Now, let's clear up a misconception.
The cryptic remarks of Avery Johnson have led some to conclude the former
Mavericks coach was against the trade and conflicted about losing Harris.
He wasn't. Johnson never had more than a grudging admiration for his young
point guard. Johnson did believe the Mavericks gave up too much to get the
deal done, but he was in favor of landing Kidd.
Owner Mark Cuban, general manager Donnie Nelson and Johnson held ongoing
conference calls to dig deep into the issue. Johnson's message, according to
Cuban, was clear and consistent over a series of weeks: "Devin isn't getting
us anywhere."
Cuban made a huge financial and emotional investment to return Kidd to
Dallas. Take that into consideration when he tells you this team is better
than it was one year ago.
"No question," Cuban said. "Things are so much easier for us.
"There are a couple of things we're not as good at yet, and I don't know the
reason. We tend to sulk after we miss a shot, which hurts us defensively.
We've got to change that. That's probably the one thing we did better last
year that we don't this year.
"But few people can impact the game like Jason Kidd has for us this year.
Sometimes, you just drop your jaw. There is nobody better when it comes to
winning time."
The price was steep. The Mavericks gave up a quality point guard who is
nearly 10 years younger than Kidd and two first-round draft picks. How can
the team maintain the trade made sense if they don't compete for a
championship?
Remember, these Mavericks went to the Finals with Harris at the point less
than three years ago.
"I think this team's been through a lot," Kidd said. "You go back to 2006. In
this business, there's no time for healing because once the Finals are over,
you go right back into it.
"This team has had two coaches. With everything that's gone on, for us to be
10 games over .500, that's pretty impressive in the Western Conference. We've
had some no-shows. But through all the growing pains, if somebody says at the
end of this journey, you're going to win a championship, I think we'd all say
it was worth it.
"That's what we believe. That's why we're playing."
That's why the trade was made.
And that's how it must be judged.
--
Only the strong survive- Iverson ⊕ ═█┘
⊕ ●╱ Ｗ
● ●︵ ● ●)) ３╯
<３\ /３⊕ ／３﹚ ３ \\
/>⊕ >/ ⊕ ╲> >>
========= http://www.wretch.cc/blog/AWEI3 =========
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 58.114.81.191