The 2012 offseason presented Jason Kidd with one of the biggest decisions of his career: Where to finish it.

After weeks of debating his options, Jason made the decision to leave the Dallas Mavericks, the team that drafted him and with whom he won his first championship for a new challenge in New York with the Knicks.

In New York he joins a team headlined by offensive playmakers Carmelo Anthony, with whom Jason played on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, and Amar’e Stoudemire, as well as a defensive stalwart in Tyson Chandler, who Jason played with in Dallas for one season, their 2010-2011 championship year.

At this point in his illustrious career, Jason’s main focus will be on doing whatever he can to help his fellow teammates improve with the ultimate goal of winning an NBA Championship.

"I am here to help," Kidd said. "To do whatever I can do to make the game easier for my teammates, watching from to bench or on the floor. Just things I am seeing and how our opponent is playing and hopefully that benefits leadership and hopefully that helps us win ball games."


J-Kidd will still help run the offense, but not as the primary point guard (Getty Images).

Jason will also be taking on a different role with New York. After starting for his entire career, Jason will primarily be coming off the bench for the Knicks behind starting point guard Raymond Felton, though he could see some starts at shooting guard. Jason is ready to do whatever it takes to help his new team.

"My job is to win ballgames and help my teammates to make that easy as possible. Ray can run the show just as well as anybody. For me, it’s to support Ray and when I go in, to keep the lead or get the lead. I’m in the best shape in the last five years. If I had to play a lot of minutes, I can do that."

J-Kidd is also eager to help some of the younger players on the Knicks learn to play the game that he has loved for so long. New York head coach Mike Woodson is excited about what Jason’s presence will bring to the team and the fact that while Stoudemire is out with a knee injury, he has the option to go small and use two of his point guards at the same time.

"There are a lot of guys that can play, but we all understand that there is just one goal and that is to try and win a championship," Jason said.

THE BUZZ 
Among the many advantages the Knicks have entering the new season, perhaps none is more abundant and important than their experience.

Jason has compared this Knicks team to the championship Mavericks, but New York may have even more talent than Dallas did when they made their title run two years ago, as Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes.

An opposing team’s scout told Sports Illustrated that the Knicks are a much better team with Kidd’s presence on the bench:

"If Jason Kidd stays healthy, I think they can win the Atlantic Division," he said.

Many believe New York’s biggest strength this year will be the team’s ability to play small ball, much like the Miami Heat did on their way to the NBA title last year. With Stoudemire out and until Iman Shumpert returns from an injury suffered in last year’s playoffs, the Knicks will use Anthony at power forward, newcomer Ronnie Brewer at small forward and two of his three point guards in the backcourt.

Iannazzone believes there are many more possibilities for the Knicks with small crew, which includes plenty of players with the experience to not get rattled in big moments of big games.

"The Knicks will have plenty of combinations they can use, especially given that shooting guard is unsettled. Woodson definitely envisions Kidd playing shooting guard alongside Raymond Felton or Prigioni. Kidd and Prigioni won’t get rattled after having been involved in so many big games — so many games, period — in their careers, and they already enjoy playing together."


J-Kidd and Pablo Prigoni offer an experienced and exciting backcourt combo (Getty Images).

Marc Berman of the New York Post thinks the back-court pairing of J-Kidd and Prigioni, the NBA’s oldest rookie, has great potential for the Knicks after brief flashes of brilliance in the preseason.

"Prigioni, the Spanish League warhorse, and Jason Kidd have become a backup backcourt pairing that has been one of the preseason’s highlights. Kidd, 39, may not be the offensive genius of his Nets days but he believes his savvy enables him to guard four positions — the 1, 2, 3, and 4. That will open up playing time for Prigioni."

FROM THE STANDS
The excitement surrounding the Knicks and Jason Kidd this season may not be any more prevalent than it is from the fans, some of whom are Knicks diehards and others who just love to follow J-Kidd. They come together on Twitter to shout out their support for No. 5.
 

THE FINAL WORD
It is very clear that Kidd is excited about his new role and believes the Knicks are ready to take the next step toward winning a championship.

"We feel that we can be really good defensively and offensively," Kidd said. "Sometimes injuries can help. When you’re short-handed, guys tend to play a little bit better. For us being veteran guys, there’s no one trying to win MVP or anyone trying to make the All-Star team, it’s just about winning. That eliminates a lot of distractions."

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