COMMENTARY

By Sean Deveney

updated 10:27 p.m. ET Jan. 4, 2005

Richard Jefferson can see it. It's the first thing he thought of when he heard the Nets would be acquiring gifted shooting guard Vince Carter from the Raptors, dropping a five-time All-Star into the lineup with Jefferson and point guard Jason Kidd. Indeed, it was the cushy fantasy of the entire Nets organization when the improbable trade scenario came along -- get Carter, give up injured Alonzo Mourning, two draft picks and a pair of role players, and let the high-flying theatrics ensue.

Jefferson is pushing his leg into a pair of baggy jeans, smiling, thinking of the possibilities. "Jason with the ball," Jefferson says. "Me on one wing. Vince on the other wing. That's difficult to pick someone to guard. For us, that's the ideal situation."

Kidd creating turnovers and dashing the length of the court at top speed, Jefferson continuing his impressive improvement, Carter leaping and dunking like it was 1999 -- these are all ideals for the Nets. Reality mucks up ideals, though.

The Nets, and Kidd in particular, should know. After being courted by the Spurs, the 2003 champs, Kidd re-signed with New Jersey before last season, believing the Nets could remain a contender. But the past year changed that. The team was bought by Manhattan developer Bruce Ratner, and, instead of building on the core of Kidd, Jefferson and Kenyon Martin, the Nets dumped Martin and shooting guard Kerry Kittles last summer in blatant cost-cutting moves.

To make matters worse, Kidd had microfracture knee surgery in the offseason, and the 2004-05 season looked lost. Word spread that Kidd had hobbled into CEO Rod Thorn's office in July and demanded a trade to a contender.

Both Kidd and Thorn say no trade demand was made, but it was clear Kidd was not happy with Ratner (who wants to move the team to Brooklyn) and the direction of the franchise. Kidd told reporters before the season, "We know we're not going to win a championship this year. Or next year. Not with the caliber of guys we have right now." Thus, trade rumors involving Kidd have continued to pop up -- to Dallas, to Minnesota, to Los Angeles, to Seattle, to Portland -- and as the league's February 24 trading deadline inches closer, Kidd's name will be churned endlessly through the rumor mill.

The trade of Carter to the Nets was not made to appease Kidd; it was made to make the team better. Around the league, the feeling is that the Nets never intended to trade Kidd. One Eastern Conference general manager says, "It's been my impression that they've never tried to go out and trade him, and wouldn't have even if they had not gotten Vince. Maybe they would wait till his knee healed and then try. But up to now, it's not like they have been shopping him around."

After acquiring Carter, Thorn confirmed that, saying, "I would be very shocked if we traded (Kidd), I will tell you that."

Of course, it may be that Kidd is untradeable at this point. He is one of the great point guards in league history, with career averages of 9.3 assists and 2.1 steals. His ability to lead the fast break is unparalleled. But Kidd will turn 32 in March -- no spring chicken by guard standards -- and the poor shooting that always has been a problem for him is getting worse. He is coming off a type of knee surgery that has caused other players to struggle. Penny Hardaway never really recovered from microfracture surgery. Kerry Kittles has had it, and still has knee problems. Allan Houston and Chris Webber have had it, too. Kidd still has four years and $75 million on his contract, hefty totals for a player who might not return to peak form.

The Nets have been better since Kidd returned on December 6, winning seven of 13 games after a 4-12 start. They're averaging 90.2 points and shooting 42.8 percent with Kidd after averaging 83.4 points and shooting 41.2 percent without him. But Kidd's playing minutes still are limited, and even since his return, the Nets have not been able to run much -- they were outscored on the break, 143-135, in Kidd's first 13 games back. The team severely lacks rebounding, which makes fast breaks difficult to come by.

"I feel good," Kidd says. "This is a process, recovering is a process. Now, we have me coming back, and we are adding Vince. It's kind of like starting training camp all over again. That's not fun, but we have to do it."

The Nets have time. It's nearly impossible for any team to fall out of the Eastern Conference playoff race. New Jersey can be patient with Kidd's knee, continue limiting his minutes and hope that he is at full strength in time for a playoff run. The Nets can make up for their rebounding deficiency with Kidd and Carter, who can be one of the league's best pairs of backcourt rebounders. They can work Carter slowly into the offense -- Carter, too, has suffered through knee problems and has not been healthy for any of the past four seasons.

Carter should benefit most from playing with Kidd because even as he struggles, Kidd is the unquestioned leader of the Nets. Carter showed in Toronto he would be best suited to be a subordinate, not a leader. "Jason Kidd makes it easy on me," he says. "There is less stress out on the court, less stress on me after a game."

As for dunking, Carter knows he will have to throw a few down if the Nets are ever to reach that Kidd-Carter-Jefferson fast-breaking ideal. "We'll have to wait and see," Carter says. "It hasn't happened yet, and it is going to take some time. But when you play with Jason Kidd, you have no choice but to dunk. I'm looking forward to that."

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