That’s the question that Dave D’Alessandro of the Star-Ledger is asking this morning after last night’s Nets/Warriors game in Oakland. D’Alessandro is pretty scathing in his assessment of Jason Kidd over the last few weeks:
We don’t know any other way to put this, so we’ll just come right out with it: Kidd doesn’t look like he wants to play.
Maybe we’re completely wrong about this. Maybe he’s tired, even though he told us yesterday that his body is fine for the mid-point. Maybe he’s just can’t shake the doldrums, recognizing that this ship is taking on water at every port of call. Or maybe it’s a manifestation of “this is who we are,” and he doesn’t know what the hell to do about it anymore.
But too often lately, he doesn’t look like he wants to be around these guys anymore. We can throw stats at you, but those never tell the entire story. This is the guy who can pile them up as well as anybody, but even if he doesn’t, he can still punch your ticket by making plays that don’t get recorded on the stat sheet.
Honest, we don’t care about 2-for-10 last night, or the way Baron torched him for the triple-double. They’re just numbers . But we did notice that he needed an entire half to get involved in the game on a night when Boone and Jefferson played their guts out with ankle and hip injuries. They had to motivate him. It’s usually the other way around.We don’t care about the fact that he had one assist and zero rebounds at halftime in Sacto. They’re just numbers. But we did notice that Beno Udrih used him like a turnstile, and that every time he was back the Kings ran the ball right down his throat. We also noticed something really strange as he inbounded the ball in front of the scorer’s table six minutes into that game: He wasn’t sweating.
We don’t care about the six turnovers in Phoenix, or how he was outscored 22-10 by Cassell in LA, where he had six more turnovers. But it was hard not to notice that Nash/Barbosa had him back on his heels, and that he was part of a defense that got just three stops over the last nine minutes in L.A.
We can’t state it any more clearly: During this trip, this team has not been competing, and has totally lost its focus. They rely on one guy to provide the edge and the focus, and Kidd hasn’t done it.
We don’t want to say that we don’t blame Kidd - dude gets paid a lot of money to play ball. Theoretically, he should be bringing it every night no matter what. But, he is human. Night in and night out he sees how painfully mediocre his team is and he doesn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. I’m sure part of him is still devastated from the disappointment of the Lakers deal from last year falling through and because major, superstar-laden trades in the NBA are so hard to pull off, he just doesn’t see his situation changing. It would be very hard to not let some sort of malaise creep in, especially after years of his team just not being very good.
To read the full article go HERE.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:20 am
alberto says:
Poor Kidd…He has it so rough…Do you think it is time to put him on suicide watch?
January 25th, 2008 at 11:27 am
dan says:
Its perfectly fine to make the argument, ‘hey he’s human, playing on a mediocre team is a legit reason to not try hard’, as long as you don’t also try to make the argument that a guy who doesnt bust his ass every night or try to elevate his teammates is one of the all time greats.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Mike says:
The Nets need to trade him, before is value around the league falls even further. The trade is really beneficial to both sides. The Nets need to rebuild, and Kidd clearly wants out. There are many teams out there that need a player liker Kidd. The Nets need to dump him for a young player and a few future picks. They are not going to get anywhere near his true value, but the salary cap relief to start rebuilding next year is what they really need.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:46 am
K-Dizzle says:
Much like Indiana and Chicago, Jersey better make this trade. Kidd was the engine on the Olympic team and everybody else on the team is on a good team except for Wade, who didn’t play, and Redd. It’s gettin painful to watch, but then playin with Vince probably drains a lotta guys. I love the look on Kidd’s face whenever Vince goes down
January 25th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Myrie says:
This article is about two things: Jason Kidd(1) and New Jersey Nets(2).
No big secret. Jason Kidds wants out of New Jersey and he is not motivated anymore. He knows the Vince still has good moments, he knows Richard Jefferson is having his best season, but moreso, he knows the team sucks and they will be nothing more than a 1st round K-O.
New Jersey will look to move him by the trade deadline. Maybe to Atlanta for a few young players. Kidd (I believe) wants to go to Orlando.
Even if Kidd gets moved, he doesn’t have much left in the tank. I still believe he is the best point guard in the league, but not for much longer. I could see Kiki moving him to Minnesota for some young bodies.
The Nets on the other hand have no hope. They have a frontline that cannot produce. They can barely rebound. Which is critical because the perimeter guys can’t shoot. Where is Kerry Kittles and Keith Van Horn when you need them? Lucious Harris for that matter too….
Rod Thorn has to know he’s go to make some changes. Team is going nowhere…..except to BK.
January 25th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Kobeef says:
If it wasn’t for the fact that Wince Carter was signed untl 2011 I’d say the nets would be willing to move Kidd - but nobody is taking Vince’s contract and I can’t imagine the Nets parting ways with Kidd and building around Vince…uhg that would suck.
Myabe if they could get a team to take them as a package deal..but there aren’t many teams looking for a 34 year old PG and 31 year old SG combo at a combined $35million/year.
January 25th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
GEE ...First the fat boys break up and now this?!?! says:
LOL @ the he wasn’t sweating line.
Dang I hate this for the dude. DIME don’t think I forgot you all still need to put him on the cover and really tell the people whats going on with Kidd.
I feel it’s safe to say many of us have been on the losing side of things and it often does take someting out of you. There are a lot of times where you don’t want to go full throttle or you know regardless of how hard you go, others won’t have your back.
The world knows Kidd still has it as far as playing, indeed he might want or need something to better motivate, but at least he is consistently contributing and that is if he is sweating or not.
He is older and it does wear on you when you have been playing so hard for so long and you seem to be falling back rather than going forward.
Should he play harder. No. Do what you are doing. It ain’t Kidd, it’s those around him.
A lot of us know and hope he gets traded sooner than later.
January 25th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Mike C says:
Speaking of last night’s game, was it just me or did anyone else get annoyed when Carter was all smiling and joking around with Baron right after he missed that terrible, off-balance runner near the end of the game? I just can’t picture Kobe or AI, or anybody else with any competitiveness for that matter, act like that at the end of a hard-fought game. I would’ve been really disturbed if I was a Nets fan..
Anyways, I think the Lakers should make a deal for Kidd. As good as Fisher and Farmar have been for them thus far, I think they need Kidd to push them over the top. Even with Bynum back healthy, I just don’t see this group, as they are currently constructed, to come out of the West. Also, since the Nets are in a free-fall right now, I think they’ll jump on a Kidd for Farmar, Kwame’s expiring contract, and 2008 1st rounder deal. If that deal can somehow go through, the Lakers will become the definitive favorite to win the title..
January 25th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Brown says:
Mike C, that’s probably the most realistic trade scenario I’ve heard for Kidd yet. Myrie, come on man, Atlanta or Minnesota?! Actually Atlanta does kinda make sense now that I think about it, but who would they trade? Maybe Acie Law and Shelden Williams, all their expiring contracts and a (protected) draft pick.
Mike C, last night was the perfect example of why Raptors fans hate VC, and weren’t sad to see his ass shipped out of town. He doesn’t take the game seriously, and is always goofing around. There was a game in Chris Bosh’s rookie season where the Raps were getting smoked, Bosh was on the bench and Vince came out of the game and tried to joke with Bosh, but Bosh wouldn’t even talk to him. Vince doesn’t care whether his team wins or loses. He played enough to get his max contracts, point blank. I’d rather have a team that competes than to have a waste of talent like Vince on my team, making jokes when the game is on the line. I don’t even do that shit in pick-up ball.
January 25th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Mike C says:
Brown,
I don’t even care about the Nets and I was ticked off about Vince’s demeanor at the end of the game. I mean couldn’t he have at least PRETENDED to be dissapointed after he just failed to get his team a W in what was an close, intense game? Especially when they were so close to ending a long losing streak??
Say what you want about Kobe and his selfishness, but in my past 12 years of watching almost every single Laker games, I’ve never seen Kobe react so indifferently to a loss in a close game. I know last night’s game was just a regular season game in January, but still..
No wonder Kidd wants out..
January 25th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Mike C says:
It should also be mentioned that, at his apex, VC was the more advanced version of a young MJ. He was basically Jordan with even more hops, power, and size. He also had that gigantic hands like MJ, but with a better shooting touch. I’d say that, along with LeBron, Vince Carter was once the most physically gifted player in NBA history, with a ceiling that was higher than Kobe’s. It’s just a shame that we didn’t get to see the player that he could/should’ve become..
January 25th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
dagwaller says:
I wonder if the Nets would be better if they had an extra 5 mil a year to pay free agents? Could’ve helped land Kapono, for one. If only they had an extra 5 mil lying around…maybe they could ask the guy that just wants to win (Kidd, presumably) to take a pay cut? It makes me laugh when guys ask for a max contract, knowing full well that there’s a salary cap, and then expect the GM to put better guys around them. 20 million a year for questionable effort and some of the worst shooting the NBA has to offer. Classic.
January 25th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Dave says:
On VC: Talk to people who knew him back from his HS days in Daytona Beach, FL and they’ll tell you he was always an arrogant little pansy — the “victim” of an overbearing, manipulative mother. Marvelous physical skills, with a higher ceiling than practically anyone who’s every played the game, but messed up in the head.
January 25th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Mike C says:
dagwaller, I understand where you’re coming from, but nobody in their right mind will ever throw away 5 mil like that! Are you crazy??
I don’t care how rich some of these NBA players are, none of them will ever sacrifice 5 mil unless it guarantees them a championship. And adding Kapono won’t even add 3 wins to the Nets, much less a ring.
January 25th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
dagwaller says:
Mike, you’re right. No one will give up 5 mil, even if it will guarantee 3 wins and a better chance in the post season.
But that’s what makes me sick - guys that pretend to care that much. Kapono would probably add 3 wins - his ppg and 3% would do it alone. That doesn’t even take into account the amount of space he would create.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Brown says:
Um, have any of you guys actually watched Kapono play this year? He’s not exactly lighting it up coming off the Raptors bench.
January 26th, 2008 at 3:16 am
dagwaller says:
Good point, Brown. But:
A: Jason Kidd isn’t exactly lighting it up;
B: Kidd can get as many triple doubles as he wants. Kapono’s team is a lot better than the friggin Nets.