The Truth About the Devin Harris/Jason Kidd Trade

Alright, we get it. The Mavericks traded Devin Harris for Jason Kidd. Devin Harris has emerged as an All-Star, and while Kidd has been good, he hasn't led the Mavs to anything that Harris hadn't.

It happened a year ago. Can we please get over it?

Perhaps I should explain. Can we (and when I say 'we,' I mean the sports media) get over the tendency to rub it in every single Mavericks fan's face when Devin Harris does anything good?

I mean, seriously. We get it.

When Devin Harris torched the Mavs for 41 and 13 Dec. 19, everyone trumpeted the fact that Harris did it against his old team. ESPN's Daily Dime heralded it, and every blog talked about how Mark Cuban should be ashamed, even though he repeatedly said he would do it again.

Deadspin ran a whole paragraph about how Mark Cuban screwed up the trade.

It's not too big of a deal, after all, a revenge game is always news, especially with a performance like that.

Feb. 18. Dallas hosts the Nets. Jason Kidd explodes for 12 points (including three three-pointers) in the first quarter, and another 11 in the third quarter. For Kidd, that's a pretty good line. Especially when it came on 7-10 from the field, including 5-6 from downtown.

Did it get any play? Nope. They didn't even mention it on the Daily Dime, and if you think it made any headlines, not to mention the ESPN home page, then you would be wrong. Dead wrong.

Fast forward to the other night, when Devin Harris made one of the most amazing halfcourt buzzer-beaters I've ever seen, to win the game.

What to the blogs mention? How Mark Cuban is crying after seeing that. Give it up.

Just because Cuban stands by his trade, doesn't mean that every time Harris does something good, it needs to be thrown in the Mavs' face.

When Shaq has a good game, does anyone mention the Heat? What about when Garnett or Ray Allen won the title last year? Did anyone mention the Wolves or Sonics? No, because it's in the past.

But think about it for a second. Garnett especially was a steal. He's an older guy, a hall-of-famer on the downside of his career, traded for a younger, future player on Al Jefferson.

Now, I realize that the Celtics' gamble paid off in the only way possible, with a an amazing season ending in a championship. But they can't all go down like that.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Nets didn't make the playoffs last year. The Mavs did. The Mavericks are 34-23 this year. The Nets are 26-32 in an inferior conference and division. How is this still a discussion?

Devin Harris and Vince Carter are the primary scoring options for the Nets. Do you think Devin Harris would be a main option with Howard and Dirk? No.

Devin Harris as your primary scorer is not a winning combination, as we've learned. Hell, after the trade they went 9-16, while the Mavs went 16-13.

So why does Harris get all this credit? When the Lakers were floundering with Kobe as their primary scorer, everyone was bashing Kobe for not helping his team win more while he filled the stat sheet.

Why are the Mavs getting beaten up for this? They are the better team. Sure, it could have been nice to see what Harris would have done under Carlisle, but we'll never know.

He probably wouldn't be an All-Star, where he would be competing with Paul, Williams, Billups and others.

In the East, he's only competing with Rondo and Mo Williams.

I don't mean to make this sound as if Harris is a bad player, or that I'm not a fan, he isn't, and I am a fan. But I'm just sick of Tony Cubes and the Mavs getting vilified.

Cubes went all-in on the Harris trade to win a championship. While it may not have panned out, you have to have a certain respect for someone who's willing to shove his chips in the table and go for it. The Celtics did it, and they were rewarded with a title, as was their franchise player, who stuck with the team through the miserable years.

It's a rare thing these days, and while you may win, and you may lose, more often than not, the ride itself is worth it.