The blog is back tonight from Continental Airlines Arena, where a snowstorm and Eva Longoria are breezing through.
I didn’t speak with Eva, who is married to Spurs All-Star Tony Parker. But I did speak with Nets coach Lawrence Frank, who doesn’t seem like a guy wondering whether he’s going to be the second person to get divorced from Jason Kidd this season in a potential trade before the Feb. 22 deadline.
Kidd is out tonight against San Antonio and tomorrow in Toronto with a lower back strain that might keep him out of the All-Star Game in Las Vegas, too. Kidd is expected back for the Nets’ first game after the break next Wednesday, but said in a statement he hasn’t made a decision on All-Star.
The real question is, how long after the All-Star break will Kidd still be a Net?
Anyway, Frank wouldn’t bite on questions about whether he’s eager to see how rookie point guard Marcus Williams runs the team in Kidd’s absence. Williams looks like the real deal, and even though Kidd is a future Hall of Famer, Williams’ presence could make the Nets feel more comfortable about trading Kidd than they otherwise might be.
“I don’t want to make it about Marcus Williams, because you’re talking about a Hall of Fame player who’s not playing the next two games,” Frank said. “That’s not even fair to Marcus.”
But isn’t he curious to see, even for just a couple of games, how the team responds with Williams replacing Kidd – which, let’s face it, is going to happen one of these days no matter what?
“If he plays well, I don’t think you can overestimate it, and if he struggles …,” Frank said, without finishing the sentence. “Look, we don’t need to put any more pressure on him than there already is. Marcus has made really good strides. … It’s not like I’m interested to see Marcus respond in a starting position. I’m more interested to see how our team responds to being without its captain.”
Based on the fact that the Nets started the second quarter 0-for-13 from the field and were scoreless in the period until Vince Carter hit a technical foul shot with 5:29 left to snap a 20-0 run by San Antonio tonight, maybe they shouldn't be in any rush to trade the Hall of Fame point guard just yet.
The Nets are doing what they’re supposed to do, which first and foremost is to see what could be had for Carter, who can opt out of his contract next summer. Kidd’s name has come up in some trade talks, most notably with the Lakers, but nothing has come close to piquing the Nets’ interest.
I spoke recently with someone plugged into the Nets’ situation who said they’re still very conflicted about whether they have enough – once Richard Jefferson comes back from ankle surgery – to make a run. There’s not much time to figure it out, with only one more game – next Wednesday at home against the Hornets – before the deadline.
My firm belief is that if they’re not sure what to do with Kidd or Carter, they’ll stand pat. Nonetheless, I’m a lot more interested than Frank, my fellow Indiana University grad, in seeing just how much Kidd will be missed with Williams in his place.
On another note, if Kidd decides to ask out of the All-Star Game to rest his back, he’s technically required to fly to Las Vegas for the festivities anyway. If the Nets feel strongly enough that flying will hinder Kidd’s recovery, the league will give him a pass.
I also stopped by to chat with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who was overflowing with his usual assortment of punchlines:
· On the minor trade the Spurs completed today, sending forward Eric Williams, a second-round pick in 2009, and cash, to the Charlotte Bobcats for forward-center Melvin Ely: “It’s not like we traded Manu [Ginobili] for Vince Carter or Tony Parker for Jason Kidd. He’s taller than me, he’s stronger than me, so I’ll give him a shot.”
· On whether assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo has some good restaurants lined up: “P.J. always has restaurants lined up. The only thing is, they’re always Italian. I’d like to throw in something different once in a while. I tried to take him to an Asian place in Washington, and he almost quit.”
· On whether he’ll try to make any more trades before the deadline: “No, we’re a veritable juggernaut now and I don’t want to change that.”
· On Kidd missing the game: “Kidd’s out? [Expletive!]” Popovich then put his hands on his head and walked into the locker room, knowing that the Spurs have lost to the Lakers without Lamar Odom, the Jazz without Carlos Boozer, and the Rockets without Yao Ming (twice).