By John Garces/sports editor
Jason Kidd is coming back to Dallas.
Facing growing pressure from a fan base tired of playoff exits, and in the wake of other Western Conference contenders making moves to better their title hopes, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apparently felt he had no other options.
I, for one, am not in favor of this terribly one-sided deal.
The Mavs, who brought Kidd into the league in 1994 as the third overall pick in the draft, have shown blind desperation in their quest for Kidd.
The original deal would have sent Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse to the New Jersey Nets in addition to Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop.
But it was killed when George refused to waive his no-trade clause, and Stackhouse chirped about some sort of pre-arranged deal that would have seen him shipped back to Dallas after a 30-day break.
Desperate to get their man, though, the Mavericks have brokered an even more one-sided deal to get him.
In addition to Harris, the team’s young “point guard of the future,” and Diop, the Mavericks are parting with Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, their first-round pick from a year ago, the rights to the semi-retired Keith Van Horn, $3 million cash and two first-round draft picks.
All for a soon to be 35-year-old point guard who has long seen his best years and spare parts named Malik Allen and Antoine Wright.
Cuban may think he needs to make a splash, specifically with one of the Mavs’ chief Western Conference rivals, the Phoenix Suns, bringing in a diesel named Shaquille O’Neal to pair with Steve Nash.
Nash is a former Maverick fan favorite who’s thriving in Phoenix after Cuban refused to re-sign him for alleged concerns over his playing style and his body breaking down.
But this trade seems like Cuban is doing something just to do something.
The Mavs are bringing in Kidd to provide the leadership they obviously felt was lacking in last year’s embarrassing meltdown.
But Kidd is having the worst shooting year of his career and has had a career-long reputation as a selfish player.
The question is not directed at Kidd’s leadership or play-making abilities, but on the logic behind the trade.
For example, who’s going to guard all the big men that roam the conference, specifically O’Neal, a known Maverick killer?
In addition, depth, which coach Avery Johnson has cited as a strength the team could use to its advantage down the stretch, is now virtually non-existent, with one-third of the roster now residing in the Jersey swamps.
Most Maverick fans seem to be joyously singing the praises of the returning star as though he’s the great savior of the team.
But some are shaking their heads in the corner over the ineptitude of this deal.
Mortgaging a team’s future to chase a title is a sign of desperation, not an attempt to better the team, no matter what Cuban, Johnson and company say.
Who’s kidding who here?
