Anthony Gruppuso – USA Today Sports Images
If you asked the majority of New York Knicks fans how their team would fare coming into the 2013 NBA Playoffs, most of them would have told you that the Knicks were going to get past the M...
Anthony Gruppuso – USA Today Sports Images
If you asked the majority of New York Knicks fans how their team would fare coming into the 2013 NBA Playoffs, most of them would have told you that the Knicks were going to get past the Miami Heat and compete for an NBA Championship. Now that we are in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks and those fans are nowhere to be found.
Now the Knicks are heading into an off-season where they need to figure out what they are going to do. They have a ton of money tied up in Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, which really limits what they can do in free agency. However, they also have a great deal of aging players that are past their primes that they have to make decisions about, one of which is Jason Kidd.
Once upon a time, Kidd was a player that could lead the league in triple-doubles and would find himself in the conversations about the best point guard in the league. Now at 40 years old, though, those days have long since passed for Kidd. During the regular season he played in 76 games and played 26.9 minutes per game. He averaged just six points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting just 37.2 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from long range.
Kidd wasn’t good in the regular season by any measure, but he was even worse in the playoffs. In 12 playoff games he averaged just 0.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and two assists per game on 12 percent shooting and 17.6 percent three-point shooting. Moreover, he didn’t hit a field goal or even a free throw over the Knicks’ final 10 games in the postseason.
Now there are reports that the team is prepared for Kidd to return for next season. That couldn’t be a worse idea for this team. The Knicks have to inject new life somehow into this team and an over-the-hill Kidd isn’t the answer. If any decision is to be made about him, it should be to urge him to retire. He’s done as an effective NBA player and it’s time he and New York realized it.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.