New York Knicks: Breaking Down Jason Kidd's Role with the Knicks

The Knicks were hoping to make a big splash in free agency by landing Steve Nash. Instead, they settled for another legendary point guard: Jason Kidd. 

At age 39, Kidd no longer has the quickness to accelerate through a sea of defenders, but he can still steer the Knicks' ship in the right direction.

Kidd's greatest contribution to the Knicks may come in the locker room. With his championship pedigree and Hall-of-Fame resume, he will command instant respect from Amar'e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and the rest of the Knicks' roster.

His competitive nature and professionalism will provide stability and direction for a team that's coming off a chaotic season. He'll be able to impart 18 seasons worth of wisdom on the team's younger players.

Kidd can also help the Knicks receive maximum return on their investment in Lin. Last season’s international sensation has reportedly agreed to sign a four-year $28.8 million offer sheet with the Houston Rockets on July 11, and the Knicks are expected to match it.

Who better to teach the young Harvard grad how to play point guard in the NBA than one of the greatest floor generals in league history?

In the twilight of his career, Kidd is ready to embrace that role. In an interview Friday on 98.7 FM ESPNNewYork, he said he hopes to help Lin understand that "you don't have to have the big numbers every night, you just need to be consistent. I hope I can be there to talk to him and help him out with that."

To some extent, Kidd's role on the court will be the same as it has been throughout his career—the facilitator.

He can no longer grab a defensive board and go coast-to-coast in the blink of an eye or break down a defense by beating his man off the dribble. But, as his quickness dissipated, his game evolved.

Kidd's three-point shooting has improved drastically since early in his career, which will allow him to make teams pay for double-teaming or collapsing on Anthony or Stoudemire. The wily veteran will rely on experience and guile to run the Knicks offense and get Anthony and Stoudemire, as well as the team's shooters, the ball when and where they need it.

He played with Anthony on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team and he and Chandler were teammates with the 2010-11 champion Mavericks. The Knicks hope he can find a way to make Stoudemire, Anthony and Chandler fit together offensively.

Unlike Lin, he has the cachet to distribute the ball as he sees fit—without having to worry about any backlash from one of the stars.

Coach Woodson has not indicated whether Kidd will start or come off the bench. He may choose to use Kidd like Mike Krzyzewski did during the 2008 Games in Beijing: let him start the game and establish an offensive rhythm, then replace him after a few minutes with the quicker Lin. Either way, he’ll be limited to 20-25 minutes per game.

The more interesting question is whether Kidd will be on the floor to close games out.

"I'm not 25 years old and I don't need the fireworks when my name is called (for) the starting lineup," the 10-time All-Star said in the interview. "I just want to be in there at the end of the game to try to help the team win.

"The last six minutes of an NBA game is where you make your name, so hopefully I'm in there trying to help my guys win."

While the Knicks could certainly use his experience on the court in the closing minutes, it will be difficult for Woodson to keep the fan favorite Lin on the bench during crunch time. The Knicks are paying Lin over $7 million per season and, though his defense is far from stellar, he's more capable than Kidd of keeping the quicker guards in front of him.

Don't be surprised to see both point guards on the floor together for stretches of time, especially while Iman Shumpert is recovering from knee surgery. Lin played shooting guard in college and, with Kidd's three-point accuracy and gritty defense against bigger guards—he was able to frustrate Dwyane Wade in the 2011 Finals—he can play some shooting guard as well.

Kidd's days of leading the league in assists and racking up triple-doubles are long behind him, but he understands that championships are won with attitude and experience as much as talent.

The final challenge of his career will be to use those attributes to guide the Knicks to a title.