#5 Jason Kidd
Player File
Jason Kidd is a 6' 4" point guard
who came out from California into the NBA Draft in 1994. This will be
his 9th season in the league.
Birthday:
March 23, 1973
Birthplace:
San Francisco, CA
High School:
St. Joseph of Notre Dame, Alameda, CA
Drafted:
2nd overall in the 1994 Draft, by Dallas.
Contract: Signed through the 2003 - 2004 season.
NBA Career:
Dallas '94 - '96; traded with Tony Dumas and Loren Myers to Phoenix for
Sam Cassell, Michael Finley, A.C. Green and a 2nd round draft choice in
1997 or 1998 on December 26, 1996; Phoenix '96 - 01; traded with Chris
Dudley to New Jersey for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman and Soumaila Samake
on July 18, 2001.
Selected Honors:
Five time NBA All-Star: 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002. Four time All-NBA
First Teamer, in consecutive seasons, from '98 to '02. Three time All-Defensive
First Teamer: '98-'99, '00-'01, '01-'02 (and second team in '99-'00).
Co-Rookie of the Year for '94-'95 season. Assist Champion three seasons:
'98-'99, '99-'00, '00-'01. Played on Team USA in 1999 Pre-Olympic qualifying
team and in the Olympics in 2000 (winning a gold medal).
2001 - 2002 Regular Season Stats:
Games Played:
82
Minutes PG:
37.3
Points PG:
14.7
PCT: .391
Free Throw PCT:
.814
Rebounds PG:
7.3 (career best).
Assists PG:
9.9
Blocks PG:
0.24 (career low).
Steals PG:
2.13
Turnovers PG:
3.49
Nicknames:
We can't stop coming up with them. There's "Captain Crunchtime,"
"The Savior," "The Choreographer," "Rushmore,"
"Dr. Jay," and
more.
Known For: Sixth-sense court vision, impossible passes, rebounder and assist maker, never say die mentality, defensive intensity, hitting the clutch shot, leadership and toughness.
The Real Deal: The real MVP of the NBA in 2001 - 2002 (not Tim Duncan). Kidd almost single-handedly reversed the fortunes of an inept, unpopular franchise and brought them all the way to the holy land of the NBA FInals. Kidd is a savant with the basketball, finding seemingly out-of-play teammates with impossible passes for easy baskets, and possesses the ability to run a fast break by himself, start to finish: crash the defensive boards, drive down the cour and make the right pass to a teammate for the score. Kidd is an above-average defender, especially in crunch-time. Sometimes he tries to take too much of a risk in search of an easy basket, leading to more turnovers than desired, and he could be a better (that is, a higher percentage) shooter, but his leadership and determination more than offset any failings.
Joe's Take: Every Nets fan should be eternally grateful to GM Rod Thorn for bringing Kidd to this franchise. In a brilliant move that traded a sullen Marbury for Kidd, the Nets went to the NBA Finals for the first time, and along the way we all were rewarded with a gift from the heavens: exciting NBA basketball. I don't have to expound on the wonder that is Jason Kidd. Everyone knows what he means to the franchise. But can Jason find even greater success with the new characters in this passion play? More importantly, has the franchise done enough to convince Kidd to stay around? My fondness for Kidd was cemented for life after Kidd and Wesley smacked noggins in the playoffs, with Kidd looking like a prizefighter afterward, and Jason getting stitched up and returning to the court to show the young Nets team he wouldn't be denied, not even after a blow to the head. This promises to be a hell of an exciting season. With a year of experience under their belts, a legitimate NBA center, and Kidd at the controls, is this the year the Nets go all the way?
Champagne's Take: Shortly after the beginning of last season I can well remember trying to convince my blasé-about-basketball friends and relatives, who were suddenly saying to me, "Hey! How about those Nets!", that not only was my team winning, it was actually an entertaining team to watch. For a few weeks, maybe a month or two, this Kidd-led team was our little secret. Nets assistant coach Eddie Jordan understood what Jason could do, knew the Nets were young, suggested the fast-break Princeton offense to Scott, and the Nets took off like a rocket. Game after game, Kidd blew minds with his passing – in his eighth year in the league he wasn't just brilliant, he was inventing new ways to distribute: the bowling ball pass to Lucious Harris, the skimmer to Kittles, and off-the-glass 'oop pass to Kenyon Martin. The Nets fell short in the Finals, but Kidd had already given Netsfans a season to cherish, rehash, and remember forever. He may have a new center who doesn't handle the ball as well as his old one, but he's got an old pal in Rodney Rogers coming in to spell Richard Jefferson at small forward, so assist-wise, Kidd's game should stay high. The only question about his performance this season is out of his hands: if Chris Childs doesn't get fit, will Kidd get any rest?
Jason Kidd stats and bio: click here.
2002 - 2003 Nets Roster
Brandon Armstrong - G
Chris Childs - G
Jason Collins - C
Lucious Harris - G
Richard Jefferson - F
Anthony Johnson - G
Jason Kidd - PG
Kerry Kittles - G
Kenyon Martin - F
Dikembe Mutombo - C
Rodney Rogers - F
Brian Scalabrine - F
Tamar Slay - G
Aaron Williams - PF/C
Archive | Backlash | Bio | Calendar | Champagne's Blog | Diatribe | Game x Game | History | Home | Joe Netsfan's Blog | Media | Opponents | Players | Playoffs | Search | Specials
© 2002 Shawn Belschwender and Michael Kozlowski
