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Kidd: "I'm 100 percent to stay"

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Can Doc Rivers save the Hawks? | UNC questions swirl around Brown and Karl | Peep Show

A simple request for the NBA's best point guard: Make up your mind already.

Will Tim Duncan be receiving the ball from Jason Kidd next season?

Jason Kidd, one of the most decisive players in the NBA on the court, has been the most indecisive off it this season. After spending months leading us on with talk of recruiting trips, feuds with coach Byron Scott, Tim Duncan and playing the field, Kidd seemingly reversed course Wednesday, claiming he intends to re-sign with the Nets this summer.

At least we think that's what he said.

"I've said my intentions are to stay in New Jersey," Kidd told the N.Y. Post. "That's my No. 1 choice. We'll play it out and see what happens. I'm 100 percent to stay. That's it. So we'll see what happens."

We called the Pentagon for translation, but had no luck. Nor could the CIA independently confirm it was actually Kidd, and not a double, speaking to the Post's Marc Berman.

Of course, you understand the confusion. Unless you're using Michael Jordan's dictionary, "100 percent" usually means it's a done deal -- Kidd's decision is set in stone. We have no idea what "so we'll see what happens" is doing right next to "100 percent." If his decision is 100 percent, why do we have to wait?

Kidd's circular reasoning on the whole topic has a long and distinguished history. For those of you trying to get to the truth, here's a look at a few other things Kidd has said over the season about his pending free agency.

Mar. 5: "Why be in a rush?" Kidd told the San Antonio Express News. "I'll take my time and the right time will present itself. ... A lot of changes will take place probably this summer. You just don't know how it will play out."

Feb. 8: "San Antonio happens to be one of the teams ... that I feel that I can help that team win a championship," Kidd told the media at the All-Star game. "But we have to see come July 1. ... It would be hard to turn down playing with a big man like Tim Duncan. ... But I'm happy with the guys that we have in K-Mart [Kenyon Martin] and R.J. [Richard Jefferson] right now. But come July 1, I will see what the Alamo has to offer."

Jan. 27: "In free agency, everyone is going to look around," Kidd told the Denver Post. "Denver's a place that has had success, not this year, but in past years. They have a great facility. They'll land somebody. Playing in the Western Conference, I've gotten to see Denver. Denver's nice. You definitely have a home-court advantage (with the altitude). . .I am going to look at all my options and see what happens. Nobody knew that New Jersey would have so much success. You never know what can happen."

Nov. 13: "We know that we both [Kidd and Duncan] will be up at the same time and we will explore at the end of the season if we can play together," Kidd told the N. Y. Times. "We've talked about that [playing together] but we don't know if that would ever come true."

Nov. 1: "As of July 1 you will be like a high school kid, being recruited," Kidd told the N.Y. Times. "That should be fun because my family has never gone through that before. It will be kind of good for them to see what actually happens in that period. . .We'll give New Jersey every opportunity not to have to go through the courtships. The big thing is to look at it as my last deal."

Sept. 26: "I would love to be an East Coast guy," Kidd said. "I think there's so much flavor in the East. It's fun. I like the East, and hopefully I don't have to go too far. Hopefully, if everything does work out, I can be there for the rest of my career." New Jersey? "I have enjoyed being here in New Jersey, and this is my No. 1 choice. That will be my answer all year long."

Now that we've gotten that cleared up, you can understand why GM Rod Thorn wasn't exactly doing back flips over Kidd's latest "revelation."

"It's great to hear," said Thorn, "but until it happens, it doesn't mean anything."

Rod, you are 100 percent correct.

Kidd: I Intend To Stay

Fred Kerber / New York Post

Can Doc Rivers save the Hawks?

No one was shocked by the Hawks' decision to let GM Pete Babcock go Wednesday.

Pete Babcock

Babcock, a great guy with a lousy record of trades and draft picks over the last few years, handled the news with class. He had spent the last 13 years as the team's GM. Only Jerry Krause and Elgin Baylor have been with their teams longer.

"The great thing about the NBA, there is easy accountability," Babcock told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "You win or you lose. There's no gray area. If I had a choice, I would finish my career here. ... [but] we were't winning, simple as that."

Babcock is now famous for doing the unthinkable -- admitting he made a mistake or two over the last few years. He didn't blame the Hawks' string of losses on injuries, rule changes or free agents who didn't want to come. He took the heat for his own mistakes.

"We stuck with our plan, and I was wrong -- across the board," Babcock said just before the All-Star Game.

As Insider noted last week -- one GM actually called me to ask why I wrote Babcock's obituary before he actually was fired -- every move Babcock made the last few years blew up in his face:

Trading Steve Smith for Isaiah Rider.

Signing Alan Henderson to a long-term deal.

Swapping Dikembe Mutombo (and his expiring contract) for an injured Theo Ratliff.

Drafting DerMarr Johnson ahead of Desmond Mason, Hidayet Turkoglu or even Jamal Crawford.

Exchanging Lorenzen Wright and the draft rights to Pau Gasol for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Passing on Tony Parker in the 2001 draft.

Swapping Toni Kukoc and the Hawks' 2003 lottery pick for Glenn Robinson.

The list keeps going and going.

Hawks president Stan Kasten is now looking for fresh blood. Former Grizzlies GM Billy Knight will take over the reigns in the interim. While Kasten said Knight would be a candidate for the full-time gig, he didn't seem convinced Knight was his guy.

"I'm a big Billy fan," Kasten said. "He's very well qualified to do the job, at least through the draft." How's that for a vote of confidence?

Could Doc Rivers replace GM Pete Babcock in Atlanta?

AJC columnist Terence Moore is pushing for the Hawks to hire Doc Rivers as both coach and GM. The Journal Constitution, citing a source close to Rivers, claimed, "Rivers is a quick 'yes' from returning to the franchise that he never should have left after his playing days."

Apparently, the frustration over Grant Hill and problems with Magic GM John Gabriel might push Rivers back to Atlanta.

But whether it's Rivers, Knight or someone else, the new GM isn't in for an easy ride.

The Hawks are capped out for the next two years. Someone has to decide whether Jason Terry will be worth the big contract he's angling for this summer. There's a good chance the Hawks won't even own their first-round pick -- Milwaukee gets it unless it's one of the first three overall. And someone is going to have to figure out how to get Robinson, Abdur-Rahim, Ratliff, Terry and the rest of the Hawks to start playing together. The talent is there, but the chemistry is non-existent.

Of course, the Hawks do have a 2.9 percent chance of winning the lottery. Given their backcourt needs, LeBron James would be the answer to most of their problems, and Babcock knows it.

"I told Stan that what will happen now is that we'll win the lottery, and we'll get a certain player who will sell out the building every night," said Babcock.

Hawks' free fall dooms Babcock

Jeffrey Denberg / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Rivers perfect fit as both GM and coach

Terence Moore / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Players know they could be next targets

Michael Lee / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

UNC questions swirl around Brown and Karl

Sixers coach Larry Brown and Bucks coach George Karl did their best to deflect questions about the North Carolina coaching gig on Wednesday.

Brown, who along with Kansas coach Roy Williams is considered the frontrunner, said he's happy in Philly. That is, at least until the end of the season.

Larry Brown thinks the Tar Heels need him

"I'm a coach, I went to school there and, in the past, they've dealt with Carolina guys," Brown told the Philadelphia Daily News. "They've kept it in the family. I think that's only natural. I don't have any control over [the speculation]. If you guys [reporters] didn't ask me all the time, I wouldn't have to answer. I have a lot of interest in the success of that program, the school. I love it. I want to see it do well."

Well, then, what kind of coach do the Tar Heels need Larry?

"They need me," he told reporters with a smile.

But ...

"I have a job," Brown said. "I'm happy here. I have a lot of things going for me. I'm involved with a team that's really making progress and doing good things, and I'm going to focus all my energy that way. I haven't been contacted. I don't know what the process is going to be."

Allen Iverson, who's had a love-hate relationship with Brown since he arrived, doesn't want his coach to leave Philly. "I just hope they hurry up and hire another coach."

Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider said Brown would be "out of his mind" to take the job.

"What's he going to do, go around recruiting at this stage of his life?" Snider told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I'm sure Larry's here."

Karl also politely deferred questions about his interest.

"I wouldn't pursue the job this time," Karl told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I'm not going to let it become a distraction. We've got (six) very good, winnable games left. Anybody who knows me knows I'm going to take that very seriously."

Three years ago, Karl openly campaigned for the Carolina position. However, Bucks owner Herb Kohl refused to let Karl speak with UNC about the opening. That won't be a problem this time around. Karl insisted a UNC escape clause be placed in the two-year, $14 million extension he negotiated in 2000.

In other words, Karl is free to go. The question is, will he?

"I think if given the chance he'd seriously consider it," one source close to Karl told Insider on Thursday. "He loves the school, and I think he's burned out here. He's ready for something different. I'm sure he'll hate the recruiting part of things, but he'll love the teaching aspect. I think he's a more serious candidate than people are giving him credit for."

Don't be blue, Brown a good fit for Heels

Sam Donnellon / Philadelphia Daily News

Iverson to U.S. team? Brown to stay put?

Phil Jasner / Philadelphia Daily News

Sixers Notes | Snider to Brown: Stay

Ashley McGeachy Fox / Philadelphia Inquirer

Karl's dream job remains a dream

Michael Hunt / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Peep Show

Michael Jordan

Shooting Guard

Washington Wizards

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

74 19.8 5.8 3.8 .444 .811

Washington Wizards: Is a fourth comeback for Michael Jordan out of the question? "I'm going to be trying to step away from the game as far as I can," Jordan told the Sacramento Bee. "I'm not going to be looking for a pickup game or two. Really, I'm going to get back to that 249 pounds I was when I first started this whole travail." Speaking of travails, Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon has given up on the Wizards. "The Wizards trail Milwaukee by, for all practical purposes, three games (because of a tiebreaker) with eight to play, five of them on the road. You know what that means, don't you? It means there are three more home games to see Jordan play professional basketball ... well, at least three more games to see him play for the Wizards."

Detroit Pistons: Coach Rick Carlisle is concerned about the team's trouble finishing off bad teams. A loss at home against the Raptors on Wednesday night really stung. "To be playing at a playoff level, you can't have these types of lapses," Carlisle said. "We've had a lot of them over the past week or so. We are going to address those things and make some improvements quickly. We've had some great comeback victories, but if you put too much pressure on yourself and keep putting yourself in those situations (it's tough)."

Bruce Bowen

Small Forward

San Antonio Spurs

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

75 7.3 2.9 1.4 .468 .398

San Antonio Spurs: Who would ever have thought Bruce Bowen, a defensive specialist, would be leading the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage? Bowen's 44.7 percent from behind the arc is just a tick ahead of Grizzlies' sharp-shooter Wesley Person.

Indiana Pacers: Ron Artest added to his reputation Wednesday, receiving a technical foul for pushing Ricky Davis out of bounds ("I tried to shove him, just to make him go out of bounds," Artest said) and for flipping off Cavs fans late in the fourth quarter ("I got hit with a quarter, but I don't care. I'm stronger than a quarter. I was just playing to the crowd"). Artest's latest outbursts could lead to yet another suspension. However, Darius Miles doesn't have a problem with Artest's antics. "He's their Dennis Rodman," Miles told the Indianapolis Star. "He's their John Salley. He's their Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn and all those big guys the Bad Boys had all in one. I don't see anything wrong with it. He's a hard-working player. If Ron Artest wasn't on that team, I don't really think they'd be as physical and have the defensive presence that they do have."

Chicago Bulls: The team is on pace to tie eight other teams for the third-worst road record in 35 seasons of an 82-game schedule. The team currently has a 3-36 road record. Their last two road games of the year are against the Pistons and T-Wolves. In all likelihood, the team will go 3-38 away from the United Center this season. The Cavs are also on pace to go 3-38 on the road. The bigger irony is that the Bulls actually have a winning record at home (23-14). Only the 1990-91 Kings, who went 1-40 on the road and 24-17 at home, will have a larger discrepancy between home and road records in 82-game schedule history, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Kings' offense dazzles Wizards

Martin McNeal / Sacramento Bee

This Race Is Barely Worth Running

Michael Wilbon / Washington Post

Lapses in play concern Carlisle

Joanne C. Gerstner / Detroit News

Bowen nabs league lead in 3-point percentage

Johnny Ludden / San Antonio Express-News

Pacers win; Artest loses it

Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star

A familiar road ending

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

[Diesel]

I thought Crawford went before DJ.

[DJ_Money]

DJ was #6. Crawford was #8. I'm surprised he didn't bring up how we passed up on Mark Madsen, too.

Crawford has put together a couple streaks of good games, that's about it. Turkoglu is buried on the bench in Sacramento, I hope nobody (Krause) is dumb enough to give up a 1st for him. Mason is the only guy out of those three I regret passing on.

[cyman3]

id prob still pick him over Crawford...

Not to mention, him over ALEXANDER (who was considered to be the best SCORER out of that draft)

[CHORO44]

Turkoglu is the real deal, if he didn't hurt is wrist early on Jim Jackson wouldn't have been signed.

I rate Crawford and DJ even.

Mason...I don't know he's althletic and works hard but his jumper is BROKE. I think this was DJ's year and he would have exceeded everyone's plays save for Hedo.

Hedo, IMO is the most diverse and talented of the group.

[KB21]

Turkoglu plays too out of control. He lacks a feel for the game.

The best player out of all of those is Desmond Mason.

Second guessing that draft pick is insane on Ford's part though. EVERYONE had DerMarr rated in the top part of that draft, and EVERYONE knew that it was going to be a gradual process with him. Now, because Mason was ready for the NBA game and was a senior with an upside, the Hawks made a mistake in drafting DerMarr Johnson. It's amazing that these people who are second guessing that move are the same ones that rated Johnson highly and the same ones that gave Pete props for drafting him in the first place.

Do that draft over again, and I think the Hawks take DerMarr Johnson again. You just don't find many 6-9 players who were as skillful as Johnson was coming out of college.

[capstone21]

Everybody is forgeting about Mo Peterson. I rate him the best out of all those guys just mentioned. He is the player we should have taken.