Jason Kidd: Worst Acquisition In Mark Cuban Era?

Well I'm back at it again. The Dallas Mavericks' season doesn't start for another threee months, but I thought this topic needed to be addressed—as I know it will be all season with the Mavericks.

Jason Kidd is now a shadow of his former self. At, 35 the window is slightly closing on a magnificent career for Kidd, but how many more years can he give the Mavericks, who are not getting any younger?

Don't get me wrong. I want nothing more than the Mavericks to succeed with Kidd at point. But he already was on a team in New Jersey that for several years on paper was better than the Mavericks. Injuries to Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson really derailed that team, and when they did reach the finals in 2002, they were totally over-matched by the Shaq Daddy and a hungry Kobe Bryant.

Mark Cuban needed Kidd to be the answer for the Mavericks. But Kidd played only 34 games with the Mavericks, including that horrendous playoff series against the Hornets when he tangled with Jannero Pargo.

That, my friends, was the breaking point for me. Jason Kidd was beat on that play—and that trade is something Mark Cuban will never get off his back.

Giving up a Devin Harris was not a wise decision. Sure he will never be the passer that Kidd was but Kidd is the last of a dying breed.

Not only did they give up Harris—who is a better shooter, defender, and is quicker to the ball than Kidd—they also gave up the first round pick in the June 2008 Draft and also another first-round pick. Not to mention Dsegana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Moe Ager, the saga that is Keith Van Horn, and Nick Fazekas.

Diop was a pivotal part in the Mavericks beating the Spurs to reach the Finals in 2006. He is also my favorite Maverick, by the way, and I love the parody that Jerry Stackhouse did with him. 

Diop is now back in Dallas, and one of the younger members of a Mavericks team with an average age of 30. I do think that Brandon Bass will step up, and Gerald Green will learn more fundamentals and help this team feel young again. Also, I hope and pray that Josh Howard will silence the critics and prove that smoking marijuana doesn't affect his game.

I mean seriously Mark Cuban is a very smart man when it comes to doing good for his team, but making a desperate trade for an aging Kidd wasn't the answer. Plus, the last two drafts for the Mavericks have been sub-par. Another dumb decision for Mark Cuban was letting go of fan favorite Steve Nash.

Cuban is not shy of bringing in talent, like Dennis Rodman, Antwan Jamison, Antoine Walker, Tim Hardaway, Nick Van Exel, Keith Van Horn, Jerry Stackhouse, or Austin Croshere.

Granted, most of those players on that list were aging and past their prime—but Mark Cuban is a businessma,n and trading for Kidd will be one trade that he will regret. I hope when he purchases the Chicago Cubs, he doesn't forget the Dallas Mavericks.

The age difference between Kidd and Harris is 10 years. What was the real reason for making that trade? Harris deserved his shot and is still very young. I would have to think the Mavs' lack of success with Kidd in such a short time was the reason for Avery Johnson's firing, but I'll speculate on that later.

I'm not off the Mavericks bandwagon yet, but in the dominant Western Conference going 21-20 after half the season with Kidd at the helm will not bode well with the D.F.W. area—trust me.

I do foresee Brandon Bass being a dominant player for the Mavericks, but they also need to get a rookie point guard in there to learn from Kidd—and. no J.J. Barea is not him.

With the Lakers being the defending Western Conference Champs, the up-and-coming Jazz and Hornets, the Spurs getting older and probably wiser, the Trailblazers one Greg Oden away from becoming a contender, the Rockets, Nuggets, Warriors, Suns and yes the Mavericks are on the decline. But hey, getting a talent like Josh Smith would not look that bad for the Mavericks.

Good luck and may the all the breaks fall the Mavericks way in the 2008-09 N.B.A. season. One last thing—maybe Cuban should of pulled that Andre Kirilenko for Josh Howard trade last offseason.

At least Howard could have made Jerry Sloan a little more relaxed by giving the head coach a good batch of the munchies from time to time!