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http://www.nba.com/2010/news/feature...s=iref:nbahpt1

A Kidd at heart: Mavs' playmaker, at 36+, on top of his game

Posted Mar 10 2010 11:43AM

The names, strung together, read like a list for a reunion, lacking only the big cheerful sign on a ballroom wall: "Welcome back, Class of 1994!"

In this case, we're talking about the NBA Draft class that graduated into the basketball job market that June. Some of the big men (and little men, too) who left campus that year: Glenn Robinson, Donyell Marshall, Lamond Murray, Eddie Jones, Jalen Rose, Aaron McKie, Wesley Person, Howard Eisley and a bunch of other guys who have slipped nicely into those "Whatever happened to...?" questions.

Then there is Jason Kidd, the No. 2 pick behind Robinson and a player who is defying both odds and precedents. The Dallas Mavericks' floor leader -- a fellow whose Hall of Fame credentials and general all-time-ness was secure several seasons ago -- is estranged from Father Time and seemingly in cahoots with Ponce de Leon as he motors along as an invaluable part of the league's hottest team.

Oh, Grant Hill, the No. 3 pick in '94 and Kidd's Co-Rookie of the Year that season, still is a key contributor down in Phoenix, as if drawing on reserves from all those games warehoused through injuries. Juwan Howard, the No. 5 pick, has been pressed into duty by the mishaps befalling Portland's big men, logging some serviceable minutes after averaging only 46 mostly minor appearances in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

But Kidd has played at another level, appearing in his 10th All-Star Game last month and posting numbers that are nearly indistinguishable from those he has put up throughout his career. Or in some cases, better: Kidd is averaging 9.4 assists and 2.46 turnovers this season, compared to his career marks of 9.2 and 3.09. He has led Dallas to its gaudy 12-game winning streak, a 44-21 mark overall and their current status as the Western Conference team most capable of keeping the Lakers out of the Finals.

Kidd also has been the Dallas player most responsible for integrating the talents of three former Washington Wizards (Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson) dropped into the Mavericks' laps over the All-Star break. He has done it with scant practice time, too, ignoring what some coaches or players would use as a crutch or alibi.

"We're too old to be practicing," forward Shawn Marion said after the Mavs beat Chicago 122-116 Saturday for No. 11 in their streak. They bumped it to 12 Monday in Minnesota. "The way we play, with J-Kidd out there forcing the tempo of the game and pushing the ball, and everybody trying to help each other, it's easier."

Marion has reunited with Kidd after benefiting from the point guard's play for two years upon his own arrival to Phoenix in 1999. "Eleven years ago. Huh!" Marion said."I always thought J-Kidd was unique, because he's the only point guard I've played with who is capable of getting a triple-double every night. And the way he does it is unbelievable -- most guards don't play both ends of the floor the way he does. He takes that challenge."

Any noticeable changes in Kidd's game? "He's shooting the three better now, but he didn't really shoot it a lot when we played together before," Marion said. "He was really aggressive attacking the basket then. Now he just ... it speaks for itself, the way he's playing."

By the time Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was Kidd's age, his playing days were long done and he was starting his seventh season as an NBA assistant coach. "I didn't have him when he was 26," Carlisle said. "But like all of us, with time we gain more wisdom, we gain a better understanding of the game. You get more of a command of the game, too. There are people who would say he's lost this or that physically, but he's got plenty in the tank, trust me."

Kidd laughed when it is noted that he's playing well at an age when most point guards are wearing suits or headsets. "I feel great. My body feels good, and mentally I'm fresh," he said. "They gave me the night off the other night [March 3 vs. Minnesota], which was nice. But I'm ready to go. I'm very lucky and thankful that I'm able to play at this high level at ... 36 1/2."

On March 23, Kidd will turn 37. But he's sticking with "36 1/2" as long as possible. "I feel 26 1/2," he said. "The biggest thing is the knowledge of the game. I know a little more than I did at 26. I'll take that any day of the week ... With the younger guys, they keep me young, they tease me. But my job is to teach Roddy [Beaubois] and J.J. [Barea] how to be successful. I enjoy that part of the game, too."

The beauty with Kidd these days, it's not just "do as I say," it's very much "do as I do." He has averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 10 assists, 2.2 steals and 37.5 minutes since All-Star Weekend, with one triple-double and six double-doubles. He has taken more pride, too, in Dallas' 12-1 record since the trade; the Mavs shot 32 percent and lost at Oklahoma City in their first game together but have purred since.

"When you get a new batch of guys, it energizes people a little bit," Carlisle said. "Jason has embraced the challenge of getting these guys integrated. We haven't been able to do a lot of play-calling because we haven't had a lot of practice time to get our plays in. So he's been a facilitator."

Said Kidd: "We're loaded with guys who know how to put the ball in the basket. We all enjoy sharing the ball and being part of a play that's successful. We've got guys who understand how to play ... It's been a perfect fit. These guys want to win. Coming from the situation in Washington, they wanted to fit in."

At this stage of his career -- with so many Draft mates retired, broken down physically, out of sight and out of mind -- Kidd has plenty of "old guy" stuff on his resume: the double-digit All-Star invites, 104 triple-doubles, 10,791 assists (second all-time), 2,317 steals (fourth all-time), 1,620 three-pointers made (fifth) and 1,157 starts (seven in NBA history).

But he also is mixing it up with the league's "new guys." Kidd, with 23, is one of only seven players this season to reach double figures in points and assists at least 10 times. The average age of the five guys behind Kidd on that list is 25.8 (Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Baron Davis).

The one guy ahead of him, with 37 such games, is Phoenix's Steve Nash; the other ageless point guard wonder.

"I've played with two Hall of Famers, basically," Dallas MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki said. "I've been very fortunate. What separates them from the rest of the point guards is they see plays develop. Some point guards get you the ball when you're open, but with Kidd and Nash, they just read plays -- their basketball IQs are out of this world -- and they see stuff going on. Obviously, there are some differences: Kidd is a bigger body, better post-up player and rebounder and defender. Nash is a better shooter. But their passing skills, they're both guys who are fun to play with."

Is Nowitzki surprised to see them both excelling so late in their careers? "Yeah, it's amazing," he said. "Both of them obviously take good care of their bodies. Kidd is in there lifting every day. Nash, he does the same thing. They eat right and do all the good things you've got to do to play long in this league. They both have fun playing -- I think that's an important thing. And they're both still chasing a dream, that's winning a championship."

In Chicago the other night, Kidd missed out on his 105th triple-double because, despite 11 rebounds and 15 assists, he took only six shots and made only two, scoring six points. Afterward, he shrugged it off.

"You have to gauge what the team needs," Kidd said. "Tonight they didn't need me to score -- guys were going and I recognized that early, so we made sure we got the ball to them. I can always find another aspect of the game to help: Rebound, play defense and try to do the little things ... That's the part of my career I came to grips with early. A lot of times I've missed a triple-double because of points. As much as I could play for stats out there, I could have taken our team out of winning the game by trying to score four more points."

Kevin McHale marveled recently that Larry Bird and Magic Johnson could dominate games on nights when they'd take just 12 shots. Kidd often is that kind of player.

"That's a very accurate and appropriate explanation for his greatness," agreed Carlisle. "A lot of times, it's not related to his scoring. Sometimes it's 1-on-1 defense on the ball. Sometimes it's help defense. Sometimes it's how he's able to instill confidence in teammates, younger guys, get them juiced up. He's had a big impact on Beaubois' play, because he's always encouraging him to be aggressive. And hey, when you're a young player and you've got Jason Kidd telling you to be aggressive, you're going to listen to that guy.

"That's one of the things that makes Jason one of the unique players probably in history."

Good article.