Jason Kidd

Kidd still has tremendous value on the basketball court and was a big factor in Dallas’ run to the NBA championship. He still has exemplary court vision, is an effective physical defender, and has developed one of his greatest weaknesses – three-point shooting – into a reliable weapon. But he’s pushing 38 now and is well past his prime as a fantasy contributor. Look for the Mavs to pick their spots with Kidd and hand more of the point guard minutes to J.J. Barea – assuming the free-agent is re-signed – or Rodrigue Beaubois. But don’t discount Kidd completely – even at age 37, he was a valuable source of assists (8.2 apg).

Kidd continues to defy expectations – and his age – during his second tour of duty with the Mavericks. He followed up an impressive 2008-09 campaign by matching it in 2009-10, scoring 10.3 points per game, handing out over nine assists, and – as usual – grabbing far more than the average guard's share of rebounds (5.6 boards per game). That said, it's clear he's lost a step, which is to be expected at age 37. He relied on the three-point shot far more than in years past, canning a career-high 176 on the year. And though his court vision and anticipation enables him to snag passes – 1.8 steals per game – he has no end of trouble dealing with the league's quicker point guards. For that reason, Kidd was expected to cede some portion of his playing time to speedy youngster Rodrigue Beaubois this season. But Beaubois broke a bone in his foot while practicing with the French national team and will miss all of training camp and possibly the start of the regular season. That could mean Kidd's 35-or-so minutes per game will be safe at the start of the season, but decline as the year drags on and Beaubois works his way into game shape.

Kidd had a better 2008-09 season than anyone could have expected, emerging as a beloved team leader for the Olympic team that won gold in Beijing, then turning back the clock and playing well enough with the Mavs to earn a three-year contract extension that will have him drawing checks from Mark Cuban until after Kidd’s 39th birthday. Fantasy-wise, what can we expect from Kidd this year and beyond? The same things you’d expect from any other superstar on the wrong side of 35 – a marked, across-the-board decline in numbers. He won’t score much – his 2008-09 average of 9.0 points was a career-low. He doesn’t rebound like he did in the past; Rick Carlisle doesn’t ask Kidd to crash the boards much. Even his assist totals – the number most NBA fans associate with J-Kidd – dropped last season to a still-healthy 8.7 per game. This season, Kidd will quarterback a Dallas team loaded with finishers – Jason Terry, newly-acquired Shawn Marion, and of course, Dirk Nowitzki. So the assists should be the last thing to go.

Kidd, 35, enters the final year of his contract and is looking for one more big payday. Motivation is always an important factor when evaluating a player for your fantasy team, and Kidd’s got a purpose. He remains one of the league’s top playmakers and is the active leader in triple-doubles. His output dipped a bit when he went to Dallas, as he was not required to hit the boards or look for his shot as frequently. New Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle said he wants to run an up-tempo style and likes the idea of Kidd leading the break. Kidd’s shooting percentage from the floor isn’t good, but it’s more a matter of being a pass-first player than poor shot selection. As Kidd gets more comfortable with his Dallas teammates after a full training camp, he’s likely to retain his customarily high assist totals with so many good scorers in the mix. Health-wise, Kidd has played 80 games each of the past three seasons and continues to play 37 minutes a night.

Kidd continues to defy age and remains one of the elite point guards in the league. He averaged 36.7 minutes per game last season and will get similar run this year as the Nets try to re-take the Atlantic from Toronto. The Nets like Kidd’s backup, Marcus Williams, but it’s not his time yet. The club flirted with trading Kidd at the deadline in February, but held on to him, then re-signed Vince Carter in the offseason; team president Rod Thorn is looking to win now. One thing to be wary of here could be Kidd’s participation in the FIBA Americas Championships for Team USA. While his addition to the team was integral to its success, there has been a tendency for players who compete in these national tournaments during the summer to suffer some fatigue during stretches of the regular season.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Kidd is outstanding, but Kidd is also getting up there in age. This season, the Nets are bringing in the most capable backup he’s had since he’s been in New Jersey, which might cut into his minutes and overall fantasy numbers, but could pay big dividends by keeping him fresh for the playoffs. Yeah, thought so – that’s more or less what we wrote last season. The backup point then was Jeff McInnis. This year it’s UConn rookie Marcus Williams, thought by many to be the most polished guard in the 2006 draft. We still think it’s the right approach, and assuming Williams isn’t beset by injury like McInnis was last season, we’ll expect Kidd’s minutes to decrease from last year’s 37-plus per game. That shouldn’t impact his numbers too much, though; with Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and the improving Nenad Krstic on the receiving end, Kidd should continue to pile up the dimes.

Kidd is the prototype point guard. Sure, Iverson might score more. Arenas is quicker. Shawn Livingston and Deron Williams and Chris Paul are younger. And Steve Nash is the reigning MVP. Jason Kidd just does the things you want a floor leader to do, and he does them as well as anyone. Last season could have been a lost year for Jason Kidd. He was slow to recover from injury, and didn’t really hit full speed until late December. By then, the Nets were badly short-handed due to injury and shaky personnel moves. And yet, Kidd posted season stats of 14.4 points, 8.3 assists and 7.4 boards, 1.86 steals and two three-pointers per game. This season should be even better. Kidd is healthy heading into the season – and nearly as importantly, so is Richard Jefferson. The Kidd/Jefferson/Vince Carter trio on the perimeter should create matchup nightmares for the rest of the league, and new arrivals Marc Jackson and Robert Traylor will combine with Jason Collins and the emerging Nenad Krstic to provide the frontcourt size New Jersey was lacking last year. One thing to consider: in Jeff McInnis, Jason Kidd has the most capable backup he’s had in years. That could mean a decrease in minutes.

Word is that Kidd is out until December: if he were starting the season healthy, I would put him No. 2 behind only Marbury. If Kidd's weary knees stay healthy (he had microfracture surgery in late-June) he's a triple-double threat every time out, and could contend with Steve Nash for the NBA assist lead...if he can find anybody to pass to. Richard Jefferson is still around, but Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles are gone, so it will be up to Ron Mercer, Eric Williams and Brian Scalabrine to be ready for Kidd's pinpoint passes and convert them into scores. That said, Kidd does have the ability to score, and may be called on to do just that more often this season, but that may hurt his already mediocre shooting percentage. The seven rebounds a game are more than you'll get from any other point guard, and he'll help you with some steals as well. Kidd can still dominate, but will his body and his team let him down?

A perennial MVP candidate, a top 10 fantasy pick, and the top fantasy point guard. Draft Kidd and be confident you'll be rewarded with over nine assists, six rebounds, two steals and 15 points although you'll still have to endure the low FG%.