When the New York Knicks signed Jason Kidd this offseason, they knew they were getting more than an average point guard.

But what Jason has provided the Knicks with in terms of leadership and counsel for it’s players in just his first season with the team is beyond what most of those with the Knicks expected.


Jason’s impact on the Knicks has been prevalaent in the play of pupil Carmelo Anthony (Getty Images).

Jason’s presence has been particularly helpful to Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. As Mike Vorkunov of the Newark Star-Ledger writes, J-Kidd approached Melo shortly after joining the Knicks and delivered a succinct message that resonated with the forward who, in his 10th season, is still seeking his first NBA championship.

"Jason Kidd, on his arrival to the Knicks prior to this season, recognized something in Carmelo Anthony he had seen before — a star teammate burdened with carrying his team, feeling pressure to come through with every big shot."

J-Kidd quickly drew a parallel between Anthony and his former teammate in Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki, who elevated his play during the 2010-11 season by letting his teammates do some of the heavy lifting and forcing teams to account for every player on the court.

"I thought he reminded me of the same situation," Jason said. "Gets a lot of attention, double and triple teams. And that Dirk, it took him some time to start trusting us and making the right play and knocking down shots."

Like Anthony, Nowitzki had dominated the regular season as one of the league’s premier players, but come crunch time teams had given the star so much attention that it was impossible for him to perform at the same level. It was only once Dirk made a commitment to be a willing passer that those hurdles disappeared and he was able to push the Mavs to a title.


Jason believes that the more Carmelo trusts in his teammates, the better the ball will move for the Knicks (Getty Images).

Likewise, this season, Anthony has adjusted his game and the results have been stark for the Knicks, who sport the second best record in the Eastern Conference as Anthony heads off to his sixth All-Star Game this weekend, Vorkunov writes:

"

[Kidd] has Anthony’s ear and has gently coaxed him into fine-tuning his game. Since Anthony’s arrival in New York two years ago, the Knicks’ offense was a clash of disparate forces. It now ranks near the top of the league in efficiency ratings, largely due to Anthony’s newfound discretion. The Knicks, with a 32-18 record, are second in the conference to the Miami Heat."

Anthony, who despite his adjustment is still averaging the second highest points per game of his career (28.3) admits that J-Kidd’s presence as a sounding board and source of knowledge has been very valuable to him this season.

"I’m trying to communicate with him as much as possible, " he said. "I respect him. I’m steadily, constantly trying to learn and get better, get his insight on certain situations in the games. What he sees out there."

But there’s one player on the Knicks who was all too familiar with the type of adjustments Jason can help a team make. Center Tyson Chandler was also a member of that championship Mavericks team during the 2011-2012 team and told Vorkunov that the difference No. 5 makes was clear to him from the jump back then.

"Teaming with Kidd demands an adjustment period, says Chandler. In their first few practices as teammates in Dallas in 2010, at the start of the Mavericks’ championship season, Kidd would catch him unprepared with passes that Chandler did not expect. Chandler would blame himself, realizing the missed connection was probably his fault."


The Knicks have the second best record in the East at the All-Star break (Getty Images).

According to Chandler, the difference is in the almost instinctual level at which Jason understands the game and is able to anticipate what is going to happen next.

"He’s a timeless player because he’s brilliant on the court with such a high basketball IQ," Chandler said. "Even though he’s slowed down over the years, he understands how to get to spots on the floor, understands how to make guys better."

He’s done it for the Knicks and though he’s had his down stretches this year as he’s struggled with linger back pain, the Knicks are confident that when they need J-Kidd down the stretch and into the playoffs, he’ll be there making those same jaw-dropping plays and reads that he did to help push Dallas to their title.

Likewise observers, like Jason’s former coach Lawrence Frank, now the coach of the Pistons, know that eventually Jason will adjust again to keep himself ahead of the game and continue to excel.

"You’re not always going to have the same speed, quickness and yet his transformation, he was ahead of the curve. He saw it and that’s why he’s able to play at a high level," Frank said. "He just gets the transformation as you get older, how things change. He’s not fighting Father Time, he’s embracing it."

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