McGann sees some surgery coming for the Nets this offseason
Post Mortem
So we all stand at the precipice. Two straight finals. Two straight losses, and the stark reality that Jason Kidd may be leaving after all.
And maybe the starker reality that Eddie Jordan is leaving and Byron Scott is staying. Maybe it makes me sound too much like NetsNut, but Iíve never been a fan of Scottís substitution patterns or his ability to feel the flow of the game, the way Chuck Daly could. Heís not a strong strategy guy, either, and now it looks like his best strategy guy, Jordan, is headed to Washington. His on-court coach, Jason Kidd, could be headed out of town, either to San Antonio as a free agent, or to Sacramento as a sign and trade, if thereís anything to the rumor (for Mike Bibby and Hedo Turkoglu, which makes no sense for the Kings, frankly, and it was reported in the NY Post, which makes it really iffy). And there are some rumblings that Nenad Krstic may not make it across the ocean this summer to join the Nets. And the Nets pick 22nd in the draft, and are not likely to find immediate help at the point or up front there.
So I guess, starting with 2003-2004, weíre really going to see whether Byron Scott can coach or not. Luckily for him, he does have Rod Thorn as his GM, and undoubtedly, Thorn has a few tricks up his sleeve.
If Scott stays (which happens unless Kidd demands his departure, and I suspect that is part of his recent comments), Dikembe Mutumbo goes. In the final year of his contract, Deke will draw interest from teams looking to clear cap room in 2004-05, but only in exchange for someone elseís headache or injury-prone cap space hog. Scott hasnít figured out how to make the most of Deke in the rotation, which to me is more of a knock on Scott than Deke, as he showed flashes of his old self during the NBA Finals, despite months of rust from disuse.
Keep in mind, though, todayís headache is tomorrowís gritty court leader, much as Kidd was with Phoenix, so it is possible that the canny Thorn will find the right match, and rob someone else blind. Kerry Kittles falls into this last year, big dollar category, too, but seems a less likely trade candidate because he fits in well in the system and plays hellacious defense.
Others are headed out the door, too. Lucious Harrisí offensive skills have slipped, as he showed throughout the playoffs and the latter part of the season and seems unlikely to return as a free agent.
And of course, thereís the whole Kidd question. The worst-case scenario is if he leaves and signs with San Antonio. With the Nets already over the cap, thereís no cash for signing a big buck point (maybe, Gary Payton would take the mid-level exception at $4.9 million per year) even if one was likely available via free agency. The sign and trade possibilities are better (and if Thorn really suckers Sacramento into giving up Bibby and Turkoglu for Kidd, he really is an evil genius) but only a couple of teams are likely to meet Kiddís requirements.
Kidd, once the passion from the Finals passes away, has to realize that the Nets with him might well have won it all, had Kenyon Martin not gotten the flu before game five and had the team been better bench coached down the stretch in the final two games, not to mention Kiddís own uneven play in the series. The Nets did improve over last year, and at least looked like they belonged on the court with the Spurs. By adding some outside shooting, (címon, you know Reggie Miller would be great for one last shot at a title to replace Harris) and a mobile big man (Krstic does fill the bill, if the Nets can pry him away from his club in Yugoslavia) the Nets would be very close to competing with the teams in the West and be able to dominate the East. Despite the comparisons to the NFLís Buffalo Bills by the local media (boy, thatís original), if a team keeps going to the Finals, it will win one, eventually.
And of course, thereís the money and the fame. The Riverwalk is nice, but San Antonio is a tiny media market and Kidd will forever be overshadowed by Tim Duncan, a two-time MVP who is five years younger than he is. As a Net, Kidd has giant billboards in New York City, gets on the cover of video games, and his wife gets a good TV gig. Plus, of course, thereís more money. Does Kidd want to be the man, or go along for the ride?
My hunch is that he stays. But if he goes, life goes on. With Rod Thorn running the franchise, we wonít see a modern day version of Chris Morris loafing up and down the court, or any of the other nightmares that lurk in the back of the mind of long-term Nets fans. Even without Kidd, this is no lottery team, as Martin and Jefferson grow up (letís remember, they are both babies in NBA terms, and each continues to mature and improve their game), they will assume more of the burden, especially if they are teamed with someone as talented as Krstic at center. And Jason Kidd isnít the only point guard in the NBA capable of winning it all.
He does remain the best fit for this team, though, and he needs to consider where his career was before the Nets traded for him. If he jumps to the Spurs next year and they donít win (with a badly depleted frontcourt and no cap room after adding Kidd, a very real possibility in the brutal Western Conference) the blame will fall on his shoulders like nowhere else. He could go from savior in New Jersey to home wrecker for the defending champs.
At the end of the day, Jason Kidd is too smart for that.
- Mike McGann
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