Good for Jason Kidd. This is what he wanted, to escape New Jersey, where, at this time of year, there is bad weather, a bad smell (hey, you open those windows while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike) and, most importantly, a bad team. Now he is heading back to Dallas, with good weather, a good owner and a good team that certainly has a shot to win a championship. (I'm not really sure how Dallas smells, by the way, but I do sense a nice playoff run coming).
The Mavericks are sending five players, picks and cash to the Nets for the rights to the NBA's No. 3 assist man, and nobody can fault them for it. They are the latest in a line of top Western teams making bold moves. Two of those players, Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse, were key members of the team's nightly rotation , but Kidd is No. 15 on the ESPN Player Rater, and rest assured, nobody going to the Nets is ranked anywhere close to that. Fantasy owners expect Kidd to pile on the assists and rebound like a small forward, and he does that. Things shouldn't change very much out West, although Kidd should be happier now. He had two finishers, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter, averaging more than 20 points per game in New Jersey, and the same will hold true with his new team.
Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard currently are the main scorers in Mark Cuban's investment, and if anything, their production could rise a bit. Harris was leading the team in assists with 5.3 per game, and Kidd could double that by himself. Kidd is one of the top passers of this generation and gets the ball to the right places, and, of course, he can lead a fast break. His presence could reinvigorate Nowitzki, who is having his worst statistical season in four years.
Just know that if you are thinking of dealing the farm for Kidd in your fantasy league, changing uniforms won't change his shot. He is not a good shooter, in case you thought his .366 field goal percentage was a fluke. It's a bit low, even for him, but the best he has shot since 1999 is .414. So his percentage might increase a bit, but he's not Amare Stoudemire. Kidd contributes in 3s and ranks in the top 20 in steals, and for those who get extra points for triple-doubles, Kidd is your man. Those numbers shouldn't change much in Dallas, either.
Really, it's all good for the Mavericks. Harris was the starting point guard; Kidd replaces him. Jason Terry generally comes off the bench, and that should continue. Lest you think Terry's assists soon will drop, note that he was getting merely 3.3 per game. He's a shooter. Stackhouse was playing 24 minutes off the bench, but he hadn't played much in the past three weeks. It's unlikely the Nets will even keep him around; the rumor is Stackhouse will be waived and return to the Mavericks in 30 days. Maybe he'll be healthy by then.
Jose Juan Barea has been starting at shooting guard for Dallas, and Brandon Bass has emerged as a productive frontcourt player. The players who are leaving shouldn't be missed too much. DeSagana Diop was a shot-blocking presence, leaving the team with only Erick Dampier to handle those chores, but one doesn't halt a trade like this over something like that. Dampier simply will need to step up, especially when Shaquille O'Neal is a potential playoff opponent.
Nets fans shouldn't expect to see more than 20 minutes of Diop per night, especially with the recent revelations that Nenad Krstic is nearly ready to start playing major minutes. The additions of Devean George and Maurice Ager shouldn't add to Nets season ticket sales tomorrow. I wouldn't call any Mavericks (or Nets, for that matter) must-pickups because of any opportunities provided by this deal.
In New Jersey, Jefferson and Carter are left behind for a 23-29 team that actually is the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. How proud the team must be. Harris was drafted from Wisconsin as a point guard and could emerge as a better fantasy player with more minutes and more assists, but there's no guarantee. The Nets, even with distributor Kidd, were No. 28 in the league in scoring. Dallas should get to the top 10 after this deal.
Harris' 5.3 assists per game (incidentally, easily a career best) won't cut it in fantasy. And it's not like Harris suddenly will score 20 points per night, either, not with Jefferson and Carter demanding shots. Harris' first problem is to get healthy; he suffered a left ankle bone bruise in January and is expected to be ready to play after the All-Star break. His second problem will be if the slower Nets look to the future and bypass him as a starter for Marcus Williams, the second-year point from Connecticut who deserves a look.
Williams hasn't received many minutes this season, but Kidd wasn't sitting much. Darrell Armstrong is another option at the point, but he never was much of a shooter, and he's 39. He could see a bump in minutes, but it's unlikely he'll do a whole lot with them.
Source : Eric Karabell, sports.espn.go.comWho is Lennon Murphy? Well just another singer really, but she’s made news lately because she’s being sued by Yoko Ono. Yoko claims Lennon’s name, a tribute to John, is ‘tarnishing’ her late husband. Here’s the video for Lennon Murphy’s most popular song ‘My Beautiful’.
Update: If you’re looking to see a little more of Lennon Murphy you might be happy to know that she’s apparently a Suicide Girl as well. Which means there are probably more than a few nude pictures of Lennon Murphy floating around the net as well. Who needs Yoko to be famous anyway.
Source : www.youbetterwatchit.com
Ugotbling, the newest Myspace accessory site that offers free Myspace layouts, graphics, comments, codes, and fun Myspace stuffs, presents Valentines Day Myspace layouts, Myspace Valentine glitter graphics, and Myspace Valentine glitter comments that can easily be installed on users' profile or send out to their friends on Myspace.
Valentines Day Myspace layouts are premade layouts for Myspace with Valentine themes like Cupid, hearts, lips, kisses, and roses. They can be installed on Myspace profiles as full skins, backgrounds, for contact tables only, or for extended network banners only, depending on the preference of the user.
Myspace Valentine glitter graphics are pictures and images with captions that express romantic ideas for Valentine's Day such as flowers, greeting cards, Valentine gifts, Cupid's arrow, chocolates, hugs and kisses, and hearts. These Myspace graphics are designed with glitters and animation that will definitely add stylish effect to Myspace pages.
Myspace Valentine glitter comments feature sweet, romantic lines, designed to be sent out to Myspace users this Hearts' Day. Among the Valentine texts written on these comments are Happy Valentine's Day, I Love You, Be My Valentine, and Showing Some Love among many more. Like Myspace Valentine glitter graphics, these comments are also designed with glitters and simple animation for a more attractive appeal to other Myspace users.
As labeled by Ugotbling, these Myspace Valentine blings are perfect accessories for Myspace profile pages and cool stuffs to be sent out to Myspace users as comments this Valentine's Day. They are easy to install -- simply get the code, copy it, and paste it anywhere on Myspace profile.
Designed to be the #1 source of free Myspace layouts and accessories, Ugotbling is the perfect solution for MySpace users' customization needs, providing them with a wide array of contents and an easy-to-use code generation tool. With this application, the possibilities of creating a fun and personalized profile and web site are endless.
Source: Peerflux, www.goarticles.com
The 21-year-old was arrested in
To view more stories and news related to People please go to:
