Trades, trades, and more trades

So the Mavs pulled the trigger and traded for Kidd, after a couple other blockbuster trades also went through, with the Suns getting Shaq and the Lakers getting Gasol (for basically nothing- unbelievable). We haven’t seen so many big names get traded mid-season in a long time, so it’s pretty exciting.  

But I want to focus on the Kidd deal. Here’s my prediction, for the record: it won’t help Dallas. They won’t win a championship with him (unless they get some more help), and they won’t have any more success than they would have had with Devin Harris (although granted, that part is impossible to know).  

So, that being said, I’ve decided I’m still ok with the deal. I agree with Bill Simmons of ESPN.com who always gripes about how no one in the NBA has the balls to attempt trades like this, so when someone finally does step up and do it, even though I don’t think it will help them in this case, I think it’s a good thing to at least try something. If you feel like your team is missing something, you might as well shake things up a bit. And upon further examination, the Mavs really didn’t have to give up all that much to get Kidd. They kept Dirk, Howard, Stackhouse, and Terry somehow, while giving up a bunch of scrubs. So from that standpoint, you have to be ok with it for the Mavs. 

Now here’s why I don’t think it helps them, even though I support the fact that they pulled the trigger and took a chance. 

Now, apparently I am the only person who thinks this, but I’m just not sold on Jason Kidd as a team leader. I just came up with this theory this week, but I think he is a unique point guard who has the ability to pile up individual stats (like assists and triple doubles) that APPEAR to be beneficial to the team- how can assists be anything other than unselfish, right?- but that really, he is more skilled at piling up stats without really accomplishing anything. I could be wrong, and many will disagree with me, but that’s the way I see it. He’s been a malcontent for most of his career, and color me unimpressed with the fact that he went to two Finals and lost both times. Going to the Finals in the East is not even really an accomplishment. 

But the way I see it, if he’s so great, why can’t they score points and win games, in the East, when he has two of the best wings players (Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson) in the entire league? They should be one of the top 5 teams in the conference without breaking a sweat. Why are they out of the playoff race then? What has Kidd ever won? Nothing. He’s famous for getting lots of triple doubles, but that is an individual stat. He gets a pass on that since he’s a point guard, and apparently the only selfish stat anyone can have is points per game, but I am seeing through the b.s. and calling him out. He plays an unselfish position selfishly. Wake me up when the team he is on plays above their heads rather than below.  

I’m not criticizing his skills. At least not his passing and rebounding. I just don’t see how having a point guard shoot 2-13 will help them win a playoff game. And I don’t see how this helps the Mavs down the road. They have a young core with Nowitzki and Howard. It seems like keeping a young, improving point guard like Devin Harris would keep them in the hunt for years to come, and they’d only need to tweak things here and there.