FanHouse MalikAllen

When Scott Skiles took over in Milwaukee, there was a lot of hope that he would take the young roster and develop a defensive identity without his prototypical reliance upon players that are, say, less than dynamic.

You know the old expression, you want to make an omelet, you have to deal with Luke Ridnour and Malik Allen. Or something.

Anyway, as the Bucks defense improves, including a stout effort Sunday night versus the Knicks, the youth movement got a little boost from the injury bug. Luke Ridnour, the point guard Skiles traded for to run his offense, came down with back spasms during the Bucks loss to the Raps a few nights ago. The result was sparkplug point guard Ramon Sessions coming in to add 30 points and 17 assists in two games.

Many wondered why the Bucks added Ridnour when they had the explosive Sessions. But Ridnour has shown an ability to get Andrew Bogut involved and operate the offense. Sessions also has significant problems on the defensive end. Still, there has to be a balance between Sessions' explosiveness and Ridnour's savvy. Maybe this is the break that helps Skiles opt for the more dynamic rotation, just as Charlie Villanueva's production has increased with opportunities. Skiles needs to continue to give the young players with upside a chance to avoid being, well, Skiles.

In the end, something convinced Keith Van Horn to take the four million dollars to come out of retirement and "play" for the New Jersey Nets. Whether it was his love for the Mavs and Nets and Mark Cuban and Rod Thorn, respectively, or whether it was the four million dollars ... well, who can really say? Either way, it appears that the deal is [finally, almost!] sealed and Jason Kidd, who did not practice with New Jersey on Monday, will be heading to Dallas.

The Nets and Mavericks had to pass an unprecedented series of challenges by the NBA, but the final hurdle was cleared tonight, when Keith Van Horn consented to sign a $4 million contract that makes the trade work financially and report to New Jersey for what is estimated to be 30 days of work.

All that's left now is an official rubber stamp from the league.

The Nets will send Kidd and Malik Allen to the Mavericks for Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, Trenton Hassell and Van Horn.

In a separate deal, the Nets will dispatch Antoine Wright to Dallas for a $1.6 million trade exception to create the necessary roster spot for Van Horn.

So, in the end, Cubes gets the point guard that he thinks will put the Mavericks over the top. He also grabs, in what I think could end up being a sneaky steal, Wright from the Nets. The Nets get to reload on their point guard situation with the youthful Harris and pick up some cap flexibility. And Kidd doesn't have to remember 2008 as the most awkward year of his life. Is it a good deal? Well, the Nets got a good deal because Kidd wasn't taking them anywhere. As has been commonly observed over the last few days, though, the deal only works for the Mavericks if they win a title.

That's right! The trade "has legs" again, so sayeth Ernie Johnson. Well, the trade initially had about 14 legs, but then appeared to be practically torso-less, following the stubbornness of Devean George and the wordsmithing of Jerry Stackhouse. But things are not completely bleak for Jason Kidd, desperate to get the heck out of Jersey, as it appears that the deal is back on track, albeit with a few different parts.

Sources say Mavs swingman Trenton Hassell and the retired Keith Van Horn will be plugged into the trade in place of Jerry Stackhouse and Devean George. If the newly proposed deal goes through, New Jersey would receive 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, center DeSagana Diop, guard Maurice Ager, forwards Hassell and Van Horn, two first-round draft picks and $3 million in cash for Kidd and Nets forward Malik Allen.

Reportedly, there is a conference call scheduled with the league for Monday morning, at which time everything will be made formal, although given what happened last time, I would hardly expect Mark Cuban to come out and announce anything until the t's, etc. are crossed. And one would guess to, that he has made sure Donnie Nelson has Van Horn's approval to get traded.

This is basically the same deal for both teams, and there's probably a good chance that Rod Thorn has already spoken to Hassell about a buyout, although I am completely speculating on that issue. Hassell seems relatively unimportant, but he's a good defender, even if his contract is bigger than Stackhouse's long term. Again, we'll have more once the deal is finalized but it is also interesting to note that Kidd's response to David Aldridge's questioning was that his gut feeling had him in Dallas tomorrow morning. You know what my gut feeling says? Devean George is going to be super-popular in the Dallas metro area for the rest of the season.

After Mark Cuban just the other day said he wouldn't trade away half his team for Jason Kidd, it appears that he's done (or is on the verge of doing) exactly that. With the Lakers and Suns making huge additions -- both literally and figuratively -- to their rosters, it seems like Dallas just wasn't willing to wait and see if their roster, once healthy, could compete with these clubs for a title. Sure the Mavericks have their share of issues, but as I see it, the addition of Kidd doesn't help to solve any of them.

The Mavericks' problems this year have been a lack of depth and too many injuries, which together can make for a deadly combination. Just look at the Mavs' last game against the Sixers, where they managed to score only 23 points in the entire second half. That's what happens when Jerry Stackhouse, Devin Harris, and Erick Dampier all sit with injuries, and you're left with the likes of Devean George and DeSagana Diop in your starting lineup. But despite all that, Dallas still has a 34-17 record, currently good for third in the West. When considering the fact that both Harris and Stack -- two main rotation guys -- were both expected back in the next couple of weeks, it seems that the injury portion of Dallas' problems would have worked itself out rather quickly.

You might not actually hear about it anywhere on television this afternoon, since ESPN is reporting it, because of this Clement guy talking politics to some people, but Marc Stein is saying that the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets have reached a deal in principle that will send Jason Kidd Western-bound to a contender, and one that will seemingly make both parties happy (well, the Mavericks for the foreseeable future anyway).

Although sources say that the teams are still sorting out final details, this deal was described as "imminent" by multiple sources close to the process after negotiations moved to an advanced stage Tuesday night. The deal -- salvaged from talks on a three-way trade with Portland that developed and fizzled quickly two weeks ago -- has Dallas sending 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse, the expiring contracts of center DeSagana Diop and swingman Devean George and guard Maurice Ager to New Jersey for Kidd and forward Malik Allen. Sources say Dallas will also add the league-maximum $3 million in cash and send its first-round draft pick this June as well as a first-rounder in 2010.

But wait! We're not done! Stein also has sources in his ear that report that the Nets will immediately buy out Stackhouse's contract, making him a free agent.

Hold on! There's more! It turns out there is also a deal in the mix to send Antoine Wright to Dallas for the Mavericks second round pick in 2008. So, to recap, Dallas gets aging, wily, etc., triple-double machine point guard and makes a run at the Finals now. New Jersey on the other hand, somehow escapes salary cap purgatory and manages to get rid of their superstar without really making him angry or causing any backlash from his agent.

New Jersey has issues, as no one will argue. Jason Kidd has gotten into the habit of blaming everyone, and that's likely the proper stance. If he pays attention to West Coast press, maybe he'll add another reason to place fault in Rod Thorn's lap.

Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee reports the Nets personnel boss made only a nominal attempt to re-sign Mikki Moore, the big man who filled in for Nenad Krstic and performed admirably well.

Moore said Chicago offered him three years for $12 million, while Thorn called with a three-year, $10 million offer that was contingent on a quick response – "like 30 minutes," Moore said – that came before the Kings' proposal.

This isn't to say signing Mikki to a three-year, $13 million deal would have made things perfect in Jersey. But you know, Malik Allen and Jason Collins are combining for 36 minutes a night. Allen and Collins are combining to give Kidd and Friends 6.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Moore's dropping about 8/6 in 27 minutes for Sacramento -- not tremendous numbers, but consider how good he was when running with Kidd (he led the league in both FG% and post-dunk screams)... you can imagine the upgrade over the current scenario. (He's also hilarious entertainment on the court, which the Nets could probably use.)

It seems Lawrence Frank is coming around to realize how terrible his frontcourt has become, as Sean Williams and Josh Boone seem to be getting longer looks. But it's going to take a lot more than that to make Kidd happy again.