An All-Star fixture, Jason will be watching this year’s game instead of playing in it, but Jason still knows how to get the job done.

No. 2 remains unbelievably productive. He’s 5th in the league in assists with 8.2 per game, third in steals with 2.18 per game, and grabs more rebounds than any other guard, with an average of 6.5 per game.

So is Jason bitter about not getting picked for this year’s squad?

Hardly. He realizes that there are a plethora of talented young guns out there that are on teams that are above the Mavs in the standings, as he told the Dallas Morning News:

“I’m already in Cabo. That’s where I’m going.”

“There are some great guys having wonderful seasons. I have felt the All-Star Game is not always stats, it’s the guy’s importance to the team and how the team is doing.”

J-Kidd is happy for the young players who made the team sad for Devin Harris that he won’t get to experience it. His memories of All Star games past include a double-overtime game in Atlanta, Michael Jordan’s last, and the duel between Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Jason told the Dallas Morning Star that the All Star game is a great time:

“I have great memories, great times. The young guys need to enjoy it because it does go by fast.”

So will J.Kidd be watching the game from Cabo?

“Yeah. I’ll be cheering for Dirk.”

GETTING MORE COMFORTABLE
Jason talked with the Dallas Morning News about how getting back to his strength, the pick-and-roll, has helped him to get more comfortable in the Mavs offense and how he enjoyed the challenge of guarding younger point guards:

“I’ve always felt I needed the ball. Now that I’ve started to have the ball, my stats have changed a little bit.”

“To start off the season, we did not run as many pick-and-rolls as we run now. That’s one of my strengths because it gives me the opportunity to make a decision. Now that we’ve gotten back to that, my numbers have gone up a little bit because I’m not just a flat out 3-point shooter.”

“The big thing I’ve really enjoyed is playing defense and understanding the angles. Maybe not being as fast as I’ve been in the past, but trying to keep these young guys out of the paint has been a lot of fun.”

FANS APPRECIATION
Jason is an All Star in the minds of Mavs fans who have had the pleasure of seeing him work for a year and a half now.

Here’s what fans had to say about No.2 on the Mavs Blog:

Posted by Monty:
Kidd is better then all those dudes put together. Kidd will be a great free agent draw as well because guys love playing with him and he has all those Olympic relationships. His game isn’t based on athleticism, it has always been based on intelligence. Kidd has another 4-5 years in the NBA so I’d rather stick with him for sure

Posted by Troy:
If you watch Kidd play night in and night out, there is no other player on the team that plays all out all game like he does. He out hustles the whole team and that is what this team needs. I believe if Dallas can just add one more nice piece to their current line-up they would be number 2 or 3 in the Western conference. Get busy Donnie!!!

WEEK IN REVIEW
The Mavs returned home from a tough 4-game road trip with Jason’s defensive energy helping them to pick up a couple of key wins. If you missed J.Kidd in action, here’s what happened:

1.26.2009 | “We’re Jekyll and Hyde”
J.Kidd talks about how the Mavs need to start playing more consistent basketball if they want to make the playoffs.

1.29.2009 | Golden Against the Warriors
Jason’s shutdown defense against Stephen Jackson helped the Mavs to blowout the Warriors in their return to the friendly confines of American Airlines Arena.

NEXT UP
The Mavs start their two-game Florida road trip Saturday against the Miami Heat at 5:30 pm.

RELATED STORIES
New generation of guards passes Dallas Mavericks’ Kidd (Dallas Morning News, Jan. 30th, 2009)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/013009dnspomoorecol.38d00c4.html
Not smoke, just speculation: Jason Kidd to Portland? (Mavs Blog, Jan. 29th, 2009)
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/01/not-smoke-just-speculation-jason-kidd-to.html