NBA Free Agency 2012: Signing Jason Kidd Helps Jeremy Lin and New York Knicks

The New York Knicks will reportedly bring Jason Kidd to the Big Apple, according to Marc Stein of ESPN, and that couldn't have been a better move for New York.

The contract won't be official until July 11, of course. In that time, it could turn into a sign-and-trade instead, per the same report by Stein.

Kidd is about as experienced a point guard as there is in the NBA, especially from the pickings that were available in this year's free-agent market. In 18 seasons in the NBA, Kidd has averaged 13 points, nine assists and 6.4 rebounds per game.

The 39-year-old has built himself a Hall of Fame resume with 10 All-Star appearances, five All-NBA first team selections, as well as four All-NBA first team defensive selections. He's led the league in assists per game fives times and knows a thing or two about distributing the basketball.

Kidd is easily one of the great all-time, all-around point guards the NBA has ever seen, but how does he help the Knicks?

Instantly, the Knicks have a viable floor general to come off the bench now that it appears Baron Davis' days in the NBA might be coming to an end thanks to a gruesome knee injury. Granted, Kidd can't carry a roster like he used to, but he can certainly produce off the pine as he proved last season with the Dallas Mavericks when he averaged six points and five helpers per game.

Not to mention, his ability to shoot from the perimeter.

To take it one step further, he would be a great complement to the Knicks' current rising star, point guard Jeremy Lin. That is, if the Knicks match whatever offer Lin receives, which according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, New York's general manager Glen Grunwald will do just that.

Lin is as inexperienced as Kidd is experienced, so naturally the Knicks will look for Kidd to take the 23-year-old under his wing. Kidd has already stated he would love to mentor Lin, per the same report mentioned earlier in this piece by Marc Stein of ESPN.

We've seen that Lin can score the basketball pretty well, but he still needs to prove he can be a distributor playing alongside a greater cast of characters like Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.

What's most paramount for the Knicks' point guard is learning to run a successful pick-and-roll with Stoudemire in order to help make New York's power forward more helpful to the team's offense. New York tried to help that along by going after Stat's former teammate, Steve Nash, but to no avail.

Also, Jeremy Lin must learn how to deal with pressure from opposing defenses, something he struggled with mightily when he faced some of the NBA's elite teams.

Nobody could teach Lin to do those things better than Kidd. We're talking about a guy who has championship experience in three finals appearances and one title. He's played in different systems with different players throughout his career and there's nothing he hasn't seen.

If Lin wants to get better—and he does—he should certainly learn a thing or two (or more) from the Hall of Famer.

The addition of Kidd makes all the sense in the world. It gives the Knicks depth off their bench and ensures this team won't miss a beat, even with their starting point guard getting a breather. Kidd's ability to alleviate the pressure of playing the crazy minutes Lin had to play last season will be vital to this team's success moving forward.