Parker says thanks to Dallas If Tony Parker had been allowed a spot on the mythical NBA trade committee that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wants to establish, this much is certain: He would have given a big thumbs up to the swap that brought Jason Kidd back to the Dallas Mavericks from New Jersey. Yes, the Mavs added a Hall of Fame point guard, albeit one in the twilight of his career. But the cost was steep, especially when viewed through the prism of the Spurs-Mavs rivalry. To get Kidd, Dallas essentially parted with two players who have been perennial thorns in the Spurs' side -- Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop. Here is Parker verbatim following Wednesday's practice: "To be honest with you, I'm really happy for that trade. Diop was doing a good job on us. And Devin Harris, most of the time, he played good against us. So I thought it would be good for us. No disrespect to Jason Kidd, he's a great point guard, but those guys that left always gave us trouble." In that, Parker was simply verbalizing the conventional wisdom floating around the Spurs' locker room in the wake of the Kidd trade. Harris is one of the few point guards on the planet who can keep up with Parker's speed. Diop was a capable big man, useful for banging on Tim Duncan. Now, both are in the Eastern Conference. (Incidentally, Parker agrees with his coach on the swap the Lakers swung to pry Pau Gasol from Memphis. He called that deal a "Christmas gift.") As for the question of whether the Spurs are poised to enter the trade market before Thursday's league-imposed deadline, the answer is still a definite maybe. Once again Wednesday, Popovich declined to rule out the prospect of a minor deal before D-Day. But he also didn't sound like the Spurs were exactly drooling over the available prospects. "Oh yeah, it's amazing, the thrill and elation we feel at some of the possibilities," Popovich said, with an overdose of sarcasm.
The Mavericks aren't scared of the Spurs anymore, it seems to be the other way around -- Manu publically saying thanks to Golden State for getting rid of Dallas, and now this? Can Dallas still contend with San Antonio? We'll see on Thursday. Parkers play this season has got me not too worried about him, moreso Manu.
In other words Parker isn't impressed with Kidd being in Dallas. Just some trash-talking by Tony Pizzle, you can tell. This should motivate Kidd, which is always a positive, so keep it coming. I would really love for Dallas to beat SA. The last 3 games won by the Mavericks aren't very impressive considering the weak teams they faced. Beating SA is a definite confidence booster.
This is what I was thinking when we pulled the trigger on the trade, and Tony Parker has just put it into words. I don't know if Jason Kidd can match up with the PGs in the West in the playoffs. Dallas has got to go through Chris Paul or Deron Williams or Baron David or Steve Nash or Tony Parker, and I don't think Kidd has what it takes to contain these guys. Devin Harris put pressure on both sides of the court against these guys because they have to guard his driving ability and on the defensive end he was a handful. I think if Dallas doesn't go far in the playoffs, it'll be because the opposing PGs are burning Kidd. Also, Diop was a defensive presence. When people drove, they knew he was going to contest and that of course instills fear into them. He also played the bigs of the west pretty well, and I don't know if Magloire can provide the same services. The guy can't even jump over a tissue.
Tony Parker should be thanking Kidd for not joining the Surs. Parker could have had a very different path in his career. A very different one. Parker could very well be eating his own words come game time. Another thing that separates Kidd from good players is his competitiveness much like Michael Jordan. Expect Kidd to come out aggressive against the Spurs. 100th triple double on the way.
