Jason Kidd is Coming Full Circle

Remember the Jason Kidd that was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks second overall in the 1994 NBA Draft? Even at age 20 he was a flawless, decision-making, tall point guard that was poised beyond his years. Kidd was the Derrick Rose of his time.

Kidd turned the Mavericks, a perpetual doormat of a franchise, into an instant threat to win any game on any night. He was the main facilitator for wing scorers Jamal Mashburn and Jim Jackson. What Kidd could do with the ball from the outlet hadn’t been seen since Magic Johnson in his prime.

The 1994-95 Dallas squad Kidd was drafted by, along with the following year’s 1995-96 team, also featured current Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks. Brooks was Kidd’s backup at point guard during both seasons. I’m surprised the telecast of the Western Conference Finals hasn’t spewed this connection ad nauseum. They usually eat this kind of stuff up?

Kidd is third all-time in regular season triple-doubles with 107 and is first in playoff triple-doubles with 11.  The primary taste of finals action Kidd saw came when he lead the Nets to back to back finals in 2002 and 2003.  Amidst both ascensions, he ultimately fell short of the pinnacle.

The most amazing reality is that Kidd has played the most post season games of any active player that hasn’t won a championship, while taking his team to the playoffs the last 14 years straight.  The odds of so many close opportunities missed puts the Atlanta Braves to shame.

All this being said, the point being asserted is that Kidd has come full circle.  Before this recent playoff run, the easy argument could have been made that Kidd was simply a shell of what he once was.  This can no longer be debated, as he can at age 38, amazingly still do a lot of the same things that made him such a hot commodity when he was drafted.

His decision-making is still at a level that is so elite, that I defy you to find anyone in the league that has the ability to captain the way Kidd is still able to.

Derrick Rose, while immensely talented with an NBA MVP under his belt at the youngest age there has ever been one, still has room to grow and makes far more mistakes running the point than Kidd has on average over his illustrious career.  This is not to say Rose won’t eventually go down in history as encompassingly superior, but it is to say that Kidd currently is a better overall manager of his team on the floor, with his cunning acumen and his refined awareness.

Russell Westbrook, another up-and-coming combo guard, can’t even be mentioned in the same sentence, due to his immaturity, defiance and selfishness.  Westbrook has a long way to go to be that true floor general everyone expects, and after viewing his latest chapter, I lead myself to believe he could eventually become a bust, based on his current potential, coupled with his deflation of a true winner’s attitude.

Chris Paul can be thrown in the mix, but he hasn’t reached the NBA elite.  It can be debated that the best help he has ever had is David West, but Paul’s skill set is not the same as Kidd’s.  Yes, Paul may be able to weave mismatches with slightly more efficiency and haste, but a player Paul’s size can’t match-up on defense versus a 6’4″ one guard.  Defense is where the advantage lies.  It can never be forgotten that they term one’s position based on their defensive match-up foremost and certainly.

Steve Nash may rival Kidd, as he features a couple of MVP’s, but his lack of size and defense has always been a liability.  The chemistry value that Nash has brought to every team he has ever suited up for cannot be glossed over, and his outside shooting, as well as his one-handed, floater game cannot be discounted.  The fact of the matter is, Kidd has lasted at an exclusive level longer than Nash in their shared, dwindling years.  Maybe if Nash and Dirk had stayed together, I’d be singing a different tune.

Kidd’s defense might not be as athletic as it used to be, but he has made up for that with the experience and savvy of anticipation and being in the right place at the right time.  His penetration skills might have regressed in his latter years, but he has made up for that with his exceptional three-point shooting, which has been near the top of the league during the last 5 years.

Kidd has now lead Dallas to the point of the only once charted, and that as an extremely less experienced team.  He is one step away from leading the team he was originally drafted by back to the Finals.  It would be only Dallas’ second Finals appearance, and the first in which they would be potentially favored.

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Let the attention now move from the great story of Kidd to the even greater story of these NBA Playoffs, Dirk Nowitzki.

In 2006, The Heat toppled the Mavericks in the NBA Finals.  If this same match-up ends up unfolding in about a week, no doubt the Mavericks will be looking to avenge, regardless of the star power of “the big three.”  You can boast three all-stars, but no one is going to guard the skill-set that Dirk boasts.  This much cannot be disputed.

Good luck with that, “Heatles.”  You can bring John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to the stage, but everyone will rally and cry in populous that no one has the game to match Elvis.