Give Kidd His Due

Friday Night marks the return of Jason Kidd to the Izod Center when the Dallas Mavericks play the New Jersey Nets. Kidd is averaging about 10 points and 8 assists per game. At age 35, he's clearly on the decline but still has flashes of brilliance from time to time. But the question is: How will J-Kidd be received when Gary Sussman announces him to the crowd as the enemy?

I know he left in a huff... Asking to be traded when the Nets season started going south in January. I know things also didn't end nicely between him and Vince Carter, they were reportedly not talking in Kidd's final days as a Net. I know that he is commonly thought to be the one of the main reasons that Byron Scott got fired. Lawrence Frank is a good coach, but he never got the Nets as far as Scott did. All that being said, I think any Nets fan (who is a real Nets fan) has to give Kidd a standing ovation Friday night. Again, not for the way he left, but for what he did when he was here.

Kidd was traded to the Nets in the summer of 2001, easy to forget after all that happened that year. Before Kidd arrived, the Nets had won only one NBA playoff series. That was in 1984 when the Nets surprised the defending NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers. I remember that because for a long time, that's all I had to hold on to. When Kidd arrived at exit 16W, the Nets were instantly transformed into a contender. They reached the NBA Finals 2 straight years only to lose to the Lakers and Spurs. They had a buzz. People cared about the Nets. For once this was a 2 basketball team area. In fact, the Knicks were having some down years and the Nets kinda owned the town. I say "kinda" because this will always be a Knicks town. But for once, I had a chance to crow in the face of all the Knicks taunts I had to take for years.

Who could forget all the exciting alley oops Kidd would throw to Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson? My personal favorite memory was Game 4 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals in Boston. After a crushing loss in Game 3 when the Nets blew a 20 point fourth quarter lead, Kidd led the Nets to a crucial win to even the series at two games apiece. The lasting image for me was Kidd holding up 2 fingers on each hand. It was especially meaningful for Kidd who had to endure racist taunts in Boston, as did his wife Joumana. They went on to win that series and advance to the Finals. If you think about it... The Nets achieved in the 2000's what the Knicks achieved in the 1990's. They went to the NBA Finals twice and lost and had various other playoff appearances. Kidd was the straw that stirred the Nets drink.

So for the folks who show up at the game Friday night. Give Kidd a hand. He deserves it!