the problem with the barkley, pippen, and hakeem triumvirate is that they were all on the downsides of their careers. T-Mac is at his peak, and Yao has yet to peak. So Kidd would be the only one over the hill. But I agree that Kidd/TMac/Yao may still not be able to win if we can an athletic shotblocker/defender off the bench.
I don't want to rehash the past, but anyone who didn't understand that Pippen was the worst fit ever for a Rockets team that had two inside players (Dream and Charles) just doesn't understand basketball. Pippen was basically relegated to a "jump shooter", which he wasn't and never was. The middle was clogged, and he was asked to shoot threes . Bottom line is Les Alexander wanted to make a splash to sell tickets and generate publicity, and he did. But Pippen was a misfit from day one. Never mind though, this will derail the thread, so back on point: JUST SAY NO TO KIDD!
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jason_kidd/index.html You guys are nuts. Look at his numbers this past season.... PPG - 14.4 APG - 8.3 RPG - 7.4 http://www.nba.com/playerfile/steve_nash/index.html compared to Steve Nash this past season.... PPG - 15.5 APG - 11.5 RPG - 3.3 And he is only one year older then Nash. If they bring that greek kid Spanolious(sp?) over how good of a mentor would he be And look at the numbers for the past few seasons for both players. Jason Kidds would get us to the finals IMHO. Shoot he took the NJ Nets to the freakin' finals the year after their worst season in franchise history (he should have gotten the MVP over Duncan that year ) The only reason his assist numbers are down is because they lost all their jumpshooters in K-Mart and Jefferson for the year. Nash's assists have gone up due to Shawn Marion shooting lights out and Amare' dunking all the time. I pull this trigger if they can get away with it and surround them with a few young, athletic guys for cheap...
Jason will be the best fit for running the Rocket offense, relieving TMac's ball handeling duty. But with his saraly, is he able to land in Houston? No, he must be Kidding.
I also say no to Kidd. I think we should take Carolss Arroyo or Damon Jones. Also good will be Ronald Murray as a completion but his rather scorer.
I guess I'm in the minority but I'd be all over us getting Kidd for a relatively decent price. Add Kidd and a decent, athletic PF (whether by the draft, free-agency, or trade), and I think we're among the top 3 in the west. For those saying Kidd is washed up and too old, did yall watch him play this year? His knee didn't look like it was giving him any problems after he'd been back a couple weeks. How many triple-doubles did he put up? There were a couple points in the season where during week stretches he nearly averaged a triple-double. He's still one of the best point guards in the league. I cant remember the number of times I'd look at the boxscore and saw he had anywhere from 10-13 rebounds. I know you shouldnt rely on your rebounding troubles from a PG but he'd obviously help us in that regard alone. He always seems to be where the ball is. Then look at his decision-making, court vision, and passing - still among the best in the league....he knows how to run an offense (and the fast-break, which we blew a ton of this year) and doesnt need to score alot of points to make a difference in a game. Obviously a big problem for us is our guards inability to get the ball into Yao...problem solved. And the guy still plays solid defense. So as long as his salary wouldnt handcuff us for the long-term, I say we go for it.
If Kidd wants to get his ass a ring, he has to do away with his contract SOMEHOW (buyout, forfeit it, I don't give a crap how) and then go to the team of his choice and sign a sensible contract with them. THAT's the price that must be paid for bandwaggoning onto a championship-caliber team. Look at Karla. So Kidd, you must choose: Money, or winning. Sorry bro, life ain't fair, but that is the price you must pay for being stupid enough to not go to the Spurs when you had a chance to. Hope Jumana is happy with her NBA TV gig. Whipped loser...
Kidd doesn't longevity, but he will definitely make the Rockets better next year. So the question is is he worth the price of a two year rental? Why the heck not? Can't be worse than what we did for Maloney, Mo Taylor, Moochie...
I guess I am in the minority, but as I said in my other thread, I think we should get Kidd if he is available without losing talent. You have to be a risk-taker to take this decision, but the reward could be huge. And Les has taken similar risks in the past, so...
I agree. Kidd is a short-term move that could end up really hurting down the road. But I might take that risk.
I can't believe this. The rockets are finally coming out of their cap troubles and are looking to have cap flexibility, and people are wanting to take on an injury risk primadona with a huge cap killing type contract? Ugh.
I vote a hearty FOR 1. Who would get more pleasure out of beating Dallas the way we NEED to beat them next year? 2. There should be a point guard later in the draft that could serve as a great apprentice for a veteran like Kidd. 3. The "big three" would make the Rocket's the most popular NBA team other than the NBA champs. 4. Van Gundy needs a veteran leader on the court that can make good decisions and keep everyone involved. 5. I'm sure he would consider restructuring his contract, he's made more money than he could ever spend, what better place to end a career in which he's won every prize other than the big one. Just say YES to Jason Kidd.
Can't restructure contracts in the NBA. Even if he's cut he still counts against the cap. As far as the other points ... they are irrelevant, the rox have more pressing needs than those.
I'd love Kidd if the money situation worked out. But taking on 3 max players when Kidd will be 802/yrs old when his contract expires is risky, to say the least. I hope it can work. Work being the operative word. If CD makes it work, I'm all for it.
I still go no. But if it happens I'm not going to be like $#@% we got jason kidd. I mean its jason kidd if he comes here thats cool... I'd just rather go after that headcase in Indiana.
If at all possible... TRADE FOR HIM!!! If the Nets accept any trade offer from the Rockets that doesn't involve T-Mac or Yao the Rockets should do it. Money shouldn't even be a problem, didn't Les say he cares about winning over making money? If so then we shouldn't even worry about the money side of this issue. I'm pretty sure any team can go over the salary when resigning it's own players so when Yao is due a new max extension it can be done. As far as getting players to fit around them. It can be done, they will have a pay roll around 70 million I guess, but it won't be the first team with that payroll. He's not THAT old. 36 when his contract runs out, at 36 John Stockton was still dishing double digit assists a game, Jordan was still winning championships. C - Yao PF - MLE or Rookie SF - T-Mac SG - Wesley PG - Kidd That's an outstanding lineup, having three of the top 10 or so players in the NBA. I doubt New Jersey would trade him though, all they really need is another big man and just like that, they're a top 3 team in the Eastern Conference again.
I hate that contract too - but remember, Kidd is still a top 5 PG one of the reasons he was so out of it this season, was that he intentionally posponed his surgery until late in the summer in retaliation for management's trading away Kittles and Martin. Kidd felt that if the team was not going to be competitive, then he was going to get himself together on his timeline
I think he'd be an asset until the last year or two of that contract. And it's not like his game is built on athleticism anyway, so he might still be valuable. We're never going to be under the cap with McGrady and Yao...so it's not like that's an issue. My big progrem with him is that he doesn't shoot the 3. I don't like guards who can't hit the 3. But...his ballhandling is so stellar that it'd probably be worth it.
Would getting Kidd help us attract free agents who would sign for cheap? I would think a PF seeking a championship would look very long at a lineup with Yao, TMac, and Kidd. I suppose it all depends on the particulars of the trade.
