Jason Kidd retires

[FArting]

Jason Kidd retired Monday from the NBA after 19 seasons, ending one of the greatest careers for a point guard in league history.
Kidd won an NBA title and two Olympic gold medals, is second on the career list in assists and steals, and was a 10-time All-Star. But he struggled badly in the playoffs for the Knicks shortly after turning 40 and decided to walk away with two years and more than $6 million left on the deal he signed last summer.
"My time in professional basketball has been an incredible journey, but one that must come to an end after 19 years," Kidd said in a statement released by the Knicks. "As I reflect on my time with the four teams I represented in the NBA, I look back fondly at every season and thank each every one of my teammates and coaches that joined me on the court."
His retirement comes two days after fellow 40-year-old Grant Hill, with whom Kidd shared Rookie of the Year honors in 1995, announced his retirement.
Kidd went on from there to have big impacts on every team he joined. He led the longtime-losing Nets to two NBA Finals in 2002-03, helped the Dallas Mavericks win the 2011 title, and was on the first Knicks team to reach the second round of the playoffs since 2000.
He averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.93 steals in a career that also included a stop in Phoenix. Kidd had numerous ways to make his mark on games, ranking third on the career list with 107 triple-doubles while finishing third all-time in 3-pointers made, despite being considered a poor outside shooter when he came into the league.
"Jason's value to the Knicks and the National Basketball Association cannot be quantified by statistics alone," Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald said. "Everyone here in New York saw firsthand what a tremendous competitor he is and why Jason is considered to be one of the best point guards, and leaders, the game has ever seen."


http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/jason-kidd-retiring-nba-19-seasons-19313904#.UazM-5wQOzo

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think of Jason Kidd every time I eat a French Fry.

Steve

 

[Griffin]

Remarkable career. Should be in the ring-of-honor shortly. And then HOF.

 

[Superbone]

I think of Jason Kidd every time I eat a French Fry.

Steve

Ouch!

(That's what she said.)

 

[slinslin]

Remarkable career. Should be in the ring-of-honor shortly. And then HOF.

Yes he was 3 time all-nba first team as a Sun and had his statistically best seasons here.

Too bad the Nets and possibly even Mavs might retire his jersey too, kind of sucks.

Huge mistake by Colangelo to not hold onto Kidd.

 

[elindholm]

I don't think there's a chance in hell that he makes the Suns' Ring of Honor. He got the Suns out of the first round only once in five seasons and trashed the organization as soon as he left. I'd be very surprised if the majority of Suns fans remember him favorably.

 

[Superbone]

I don't think there's a chance in hell that he makes the Suns' Ring of Honor. He got the Suns out of the first round only once in five seasons and trashed the organization as soon as he left. I'd be very surprised if the majority of Suns fans remember him favorably.

Apparently, this one-horse town doesn't know any better.

I still remember him yelling at then Suns coach Scott Skiles shortly after he was traded to the Nets during a game.

 

[Griffin]

I don't think there's a chance in hell that he makes the Suns' Ring of Honor. He got the Suns out of the first round only once in five seasons and trashed the organization as soon as he left. I'd be very surprised if the majority of Suns fans remember him favorably.

But all the people who were running the team back then are long gone. And I doubt Sarver would pass up the opportunity to sell a few more tickets to a Dallas/Suns game with a half-time induction ceremony.

As for the merit, in 4.5 seasons with the Suns: 3-time all-NBA first team, 3-time all-star, 3-time assist leader, 5th all-time in assists, made playoffs every season.

 

[HooverDam]

While his on court performance is deserving of Ring of Honor, I certainly don't think of Kidd as a Sun. I think of him as a Mav/Net.

Ever since the French fry incident I've more or less actively cheered against Kidd.

 

[BC867]

While his on court performance is deserving of Ring of Honor, I certainly don't think of Kidd as a Sun. I think of him as a Mav/Net.

I agree with you. Despite the good numbers, the Suns Ring of Honor should be for players whom we love, not whom we like. Players who gave us that "something special", as long as they have good-or-better numbers to go with it.

It's not the Phoenix Hall of Fame. And, as its name implies, it is about honor.

 

[HooverDam]

I agree with you. Despite the good numbers, the Suns Ring of Honor should be for players whom we love, not whom we like. Players who gave us that "something special", as long as they have good-or-better numbers to go with it.

It's not the Phoenix Hall of Fame. And, as its name implies, it is about honor.

Yep, btw if I'm predicting the next People in the Ring it's:

Al McCoy
Steve Nash
Shawn Marion
Amare Stoudemire

I think some people might poo poo the idea of Marion and Stoudemire but they both arguably achieved more as Suns than Majerle, Adams or Van Arsdale (from an All NBA/All star appearance point of view).

I wouldn't mind seeing either of those guys end their careers back here, if they'd take reasonable deals.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Yep, btw if I'm predicting the next People in the Ring it's:

Al McCoy
Steve Nash
Shawn Marion
Amare Stoudemire

I think some people might poo poo the idea of Marion and Stoudemire but they both arguably achieved more as Suns than Majerle, Adams or Van Arsdale (from an All NBA/All star appearance point of view).

I wouldn't mind seeing either of those guys end their careers back here, if they'd take reasonable deals.

I'd put Marion and Stat there too but there is a lot more to The Ring of Honor than all star appearances. Adams won Rookie of the Year and then played his entire career with us. Arsdale came to us via the expansion draft and is often referred to as The Original Sun so they both have special places in the hearts of most of us older fans. I don't really need to see either Shawn or Amare finish their career in Phoenix but they deserve the ROH IMO.

Steve

 

[Phrazbit]

Yeah... I dont see any way he ends up in the ring of honor. He was only here a few years, our best playoff trip with him was making the 2nd round (ironically while he was injured), he got traded because he beat up his wife, then trashed the team and the city after coming back for a game.

If Dennis Johnson's stellar but brief stay was not worthy of the ring then there is no way Kidd's was.

 

[Errntknght]

What I remember most vividly about the Kidd era was the utter failure of Bryan Colangelo to put together a team that would make use of the best fast break PG in the game, head and shoulders above anyone else. I remember we used say that Jason leads the Phoenix fast break - by fifty feet! To top it off he made Scott Skiles the head coach - a grind it out in the halfcourt guy if there ever was one. He couldn't have picked a worse coach -- okay, he could have pick Frank Johnsos who was an out and out idiot - which he soon did. Heck, JK probably threw the French fry at his wife out of sheer frustration. My wife soon learned not to bring up the Suns as a topic of conversation in those days.

Its guys like Bryan that give nepotism a bad name.

 

[mojorizen7]

My definition of a prototype stud PG.
Outstanding all-around player on both ends of the court.

 

[Mainstreet]

What I remember most vividly about the Kidd era was the utter failure of Bryan Colangelo to put together a team that would make use of the best fast break PG in the game, head and shoulders above anyone else. I remember we used say that Jason leads the Phoenix fast break - by fifty feet! To top it off he made Scott Skiles the head coach - a grind it out in the halfcourt guy if there ever was one. He couldn't have picked a worse coach -- okay, he could have pick Frank Johnsos who was an out and out idiot - which he soon did. Heck, JK probably threw the French fry at his wife out of sheer frustration. My wife soon learned not to bring up the Suns as a topic of conversation in those days.

Its guys like Bryan that give nepotism a bad name.

The Suns needed D'Antoni to coach the team with Jason Kidd.

 

[Mainstreet]

My definition of a prototype stud PG.
Outstanding all-around player on both ends of the court.

It seems Jason Kidd really turned the corner when he developed a three point shot after leaving the Suns. He became the whole package then. This became a thorn in my side.

It's still hard for me to believe the Suns had Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash on the the same roster in 1996-97.

 

[slinslin]

While his on court performance is deserving of Ring of Honor, I certainly don't think of Kidd as a Sun. I think of him as a Mav/Net.

Ever since the French fry incident I've more or less actively cheered against Kidd.

I don't see how anyone can see Kidd as a Mav...... He didn't play a single season there during his prime. He spent half his prime in Phoenix and the other half in New Jersey.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I don't see how anyone can see Kidd as a Mav...... He didn't play a single season there during his prime. He spent half his prime in Phoenix and the other half in New Jersey.

Well, he did win (co-) Rookie of the Year and an NBA championship in Dallas so it's not all that unreasonable to view him as a Maverick. Agreed though, he did play his best ball in Phoenix and New Jersey.

Steve

 

[Neo]

Besides the french fry incident, the thing I remember most from Kidd was his quadruple double against the Knicks. His otherwise great game was marred by 14 turnovers. That is what I remember from Kidd. Amazing play, with enough there to screw it up to keep him from being one of my favorite Suns.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I don't think there's a chance in hell that he makes the Suns' Ring of Honor. He got the Suns out of the first round only once in five seasons and trashed the organization as soon as he left. I'd be very surprised if the majority of Suns fans remember him favorably.

agreed. The guy took his game to a new level once in Jersey...or his game translated better at a LOWER level in the East, but Kidd, in the ring of honor? No freaking way as far as I'm concerned.

 

[earthsci]

Yeah...as good as he did in his 5 years here I see him as someone who was on the Suns, not someone that I still look at as a Sun like Walter Davis, Dan Majerle, Tom Chambers, Charles Barkley, Connie Hawkins & Paul Westphal (all players who played with multiple teams and whose numbers were retired by the Suns).

 

[Phrazbit]

What I remember most vividly about the Kidd era was the utter failure of Bryan Colangelo to put together a team that would make use of the best fast break PG in the game, head and shoulders above anyone else. I remember we used say that Jason leads the Phoenix fast break - by fifty feet! To top it off he made Scott Skiles the head coach - a grind it out in the halfcourt guy if there ever was one. He couldn't have picked a worse coach -- okay, he could have pick Frank Johnsos who was an out and out idiot - which he soon did. Heck, JK probably threw the French fry at his wife out of sheer frustration. My wife soon learned not to bring up the Suns as a topic of conversation in those days.

Its guys like Bryan that give nepotism a bad name.

If McDyess had not back-stabbed us we could have had him and Shawn Marion on the same team with Kidd... that would have been quite a fast break threat. As it was we averaged over 50 wins a year in a nasty West during Kidd's full seasons here.

 

[SirStefan32]

Maybe it's unfair to Kidd, but when I think of the Suns during his time here, all I can think of is boring pick and pops with Kidd and Cliff Robinson.

 

[Superbone]

Kidd's Suns years were considered the malaise years.