The confirmed rumor goes that Mark Cuban is in New York to sweet talk Jason Kidd at 12:01am – the earliest allowable point for free agency talk. Mark wants to get his two cents in before the Knicks come callin’.

Interesting. Should we care? Do we REALLY want Jason Kidd back on the team for $8-10 million? That’s another nice chunk of salary that could go towards a shooting guard or a real power forward.

Kidd is an interesting player. He brings a lot to the table. He also leaves a lot behind. Kidd supposedly wants a three year deal. That’s make or break for him. No one year deals. He wants to stay wherever he goes for the rest of his dwindling career.

Look, he’s not a bad player. He’s just not a complete player. He has no quickness. He doesn’t take the ball to the hole. He can’t defend quick point guards. These are major holes. Granted, Beaubois may fill some of those holes this year. Perhaps the Mavs are hoping to hang on to Kidd long enough to bring Beaubois or Calathes to the starting position. I’m fine with that. As long as signing Kidd doesn’t cost us the long-term players we really need. If we had some young but raw talent, who’s to say the Mavs couldn’t win WITHOUT Dirk in a couple years?

This whole “win with Dirk because without him it’s impossible” mentality is nonsense. Dirk is a great shooter and rebounder. But he has holes in his game too. He can’t defend power forwards or centers despite his 7′ frame. He can’t defend any position, actually. He’s not a defender. He’s points and rebounds. That’s really it. That can be replaced.

So let Cuban do his schmoozing if that’s what he chooses. But here’s hoping that Cuban is successful because of what else he is planning to bring to the team before the summer’s end.

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