Jeff Van Gundy will have Yao Ming ready to rumble in Houston. And most of the coveted free agents - Jermaine O'Neal and Brad Miller (Indiana), P.J. Brown (New Orleans), Elton Brand (Clippers), Karl Malone (Utah), and Juwan Howard (Denver) - appear to be avoiding the East like the plague. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/6103985.htm Posted on Tue, Jun. 17, 2003 Stephen A. Smith | See Nets stumble, see Kidd take off By Stephen A. Smith Inquirer Columnist SAN ANTONIO, Texas - For 5 minutes, 10 seconds on Sunday night, the New Jersey Nets displayed the kind of ineptitude that immediately turns aspiring champions into pretenders. It started with 8:55 remaining in their attempt to stay alive in the NBA Finals. One missed jump shot after another. Two botched free throws at pivotal moments. Meanwhile, San Antonio was on a 19-0 title-clinching run. With 3:45 left in Game 6, the ending was painfully clear. After New Jersey went 6 for 25 in the final 12 minutes of the game, only two things mattered. The Spurs were the NBA champions. The Nets, as a result, could spend next season without Jason Kidd. Five minutes, 10 seconds. That's all it took for Kidd to enter the postgame news conference treating the specter of free agency like a long-awaited vacation, and for a franchise to wonder how long it will be before basketball purgatory returns to the swamplands off the New Jersey Turnpike. The Nets, once a laughingstock, are a Stephon Marbury blockbuster trade and two seasons removed from dormancy, but after nights like Sunday, amnesia becomes an acquired trait. The Nets brass noticed Kenyon Martin's 3-for-23 performance. They witnessed Kerry Kittles and Lucious Harris become ghosts, vanishing as the pressure mounted. They recognized that Richard Jefferson can't shoot, that Dikembe Mutombo can't play offense. The Nets would prefer to forget. However, with Kidd's $100 million sweepstakes imminent, the effects of Game 6 will permeate their thoughts for some time to come. New Jersey's 88-77 loss may have been predictable, but the way it occurred was inexcusable. A double-double by the 37-year-old David Robinson and a near quadruple-double by the league MVP, Tim Duncan, didn't create the indelible mark that Kidd's supporting cast left behind. "We didn't keep our poise," Kidd said afterward, understating the obvious after the Nets' colossal collapse and second consecutive NBA Finals defeat. Now, New Jersey is left wondering whether it will be able to keep Kidd. If you're a Nets fan, be worried. Be very worried. That's the feeling you get when your team is a bridesmaid. Can anyone really see the Nets winning a title in the near future? Robinson, the Admiral, may have sung his swan song, but Duncan will be back with the Spurs. Shaquille O'Neal owns three titles and plans to be back in better condition. The Sacramento Kings, with a healthy Chris Webber, can beat anyone. The same will be said of the Dallas Mavericks if they acquire Miami's Alonzo Mourning via free agency. Jeff Van Gundy will have Yao Ming ready to rumble in Houston. And most of the coveted free agents - Jermaine O'Neal and Brad Miller (Indiana), P.J. Brown (New Orleans), Elton Brand (Clippers), Karl Malone (Utah), and Juwan Howard (Denver) - appear to be avoiding the East like the plague. "I'm definitely not interested in being a bridesmaid," Kidd said. Considering the Eastern Conference, he can't be blamed. Jermaine O'Neal is the best center in the East, and Mutombo actually is considered up there. The 76ers could use a few shooters. The Pistons and Celtics could use some rebounders and low-post scorers. The Raptors need a healthy Vince Carter. The Bucks could use some defense and a sane coach. The Magic need Grant Hill. The Pacers could use some focus and a good recruiter. By replacing Paul Silas with Tim Floyd, New Orleans could use our prayers. Kidd has to know all of this better than anyone. He grew up in Oakland, Calif., and played in Dallas, then in Phoenix. After being traded by both, he now gets to be free, coveted and told how much he's loved. The wild, wild West? Or the moribund East? Pretend there's a choice, if you like. Although Kidd sounds like a former Sixers coach we all know, his ultimate goal is not about playing the right way. It's about winning a ring. If he had to scratch and claw his way to a title playing horrendous basketball, he'd do it. Yet Kidd has fallen flat in two shots at a title, and a championship contender may come calling. One willing to pay him more than $90 million. One with the best skilled big man in the game, in a conference Kidd considers home. When such a scenario presents itself, all you can do is reflect before making a sound decision. In Kidd's case, it comes down to 5 minutes, 10 seconds. A time when shots were missed, poor decisions were made, and the Nets imploded. Forget the surprise if Kidd leaves East Rutherford. Be surprised if he stays.
i really hope that the free agents go to east teams, i do not want the gap between east and west te become even bigger. i would not mind if jermaine o'neal goes to orlando, or elton brand. Kidd shoudn't go to Spurs. The point gaurd of the spurs should be able to shoot. and that is not kids strong side, he needs to run. and i do not think he will be as effective in SA as he is in NJ.
My concern is that the topmost West gets further and further from the Rest of the West, meaning the Rox!
