Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban caught a lot of flak two years ago when he traded budding superstar point guard Devin Harris to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for veteran leader Jason Kidd.

Many people believed it to be the wrong move. But Cuban’s foresight was 20/20.

Now, every time the Mavericks and the Nets meet — Wednesday night marks their fifth meeting since Jason changed teams — Cuban is reminded of the trade he made two years ago that brought J-Kidd to Dallas and he can’t help but smile.

He took a chance by trading a youthful Harris for someone 10 years his senior, but he never doubted it. Jan Hubbard of the Star-Telegram put Jason and Harris under the microscope for a recent piece breaking down the trade that changed Dallas, for the better:

"If Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson call up NBA stats on their laptops today, they’ll probably smile — but they won’t be surprised. They never doubted the decision they made two years ago when they traded for Jason Kidd.

They knew they were giving up an outstanding young point guard in Devin Harris, but even though he was 10 years younger than Kidd, no one had him penciled in for the Hall of Fame.

There is little doubt that Kidd — the greatest 6-foot-4 franchise player in the history of the NBA — will be in the Hall. He ranks second behind only John Stockton in career assists and his feat of directing the lowly Nets to two NBA Finals is the equivalent of someone hitting or pitching the Rangers to the World Series twice."

This season, No. 2 leads Harris in minutes played, field-goal percentage, three-point percentage and averages more rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Harris has the advantage over Jason in one category – scoring average. The swift guard is averaging more than 17 points per game, while his senior counterpart is averaging 10.

But in four games against New Jersey since the trade, J-Kidd has averaged 14.8 points, 10 assists, 2.8 steals and 5 rebounds per game.

To read Hubbard’s entire piece, click here.

HEALTHY AND HAPPY
Despite being 10 years older than Harris, J-Kidd has stayed much healthier. He has only missed two starts this season and neither were for health reasons. Harris has missed 16 games this season for the 7-56 Nets.

When head coach Rick Carlisle gave Jason the day off last Wednesday, he was asked if he thought anyone could replace him on the hardwood. He told the Star Telegram that No. 2 plays on a different level than most players, so there is no "replacing" J-Kidd:

 "When you’ve got a guy playing in a different stratosphere, anybody playing behind him is going to seem like they are not playing at the same level," Carlisle said. "The truth is nobody is at that level right now. He’s playing at as high of a level as anybody in this league at the point position."

Harris also has a deep respect for Jason’s talent When he heard about No. 2’s triple-double against the Atlanta Hawks on February 19, he was in disbelief, as he told the New York Daily News:

"That’s unheard of," Harris said. "Magic (Johnson) would get them but he’s 6-9. But (Kidd) rebounds the ball extremely well and he’s just got a knack for it."

The 27-year old knows he still has a lot he can learn from watching J-Kidd at work:

"Age or not, he’s a great point guard," Harris said of the 37-year-old Kidd. "He’s always been that way."

Mark Cuban had no doubt that J-Kidd was just was Dallas needed two years ago and the statistics rest his case.

THE CLASS OF 94
Jason’s leadership of the Mavs and his inspired play of late have garnered No. 2 plenty of attention.

It also got NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner thinking about the heralded NBA draft class of 1994.

"The names, strung together, read like a list for a reunion, lacking only the big cheerful sign on a ballroom wall: "Welcome back, Class of 1994!"

In this case, we’re talking about the NBA Draft class that graduated into the basketball job market that June. Some of the big men (and little men, too) who left campus that year: Glenn Robinson, Donyell Marshall, Lamond Murray, Eddie Jones, Jalen Rose, Aaron McKie, Wesley Person, Howard Eisley and a bunch of other guys who have slipped nicely into those "Whatever happened to…?" questions.

Then there is Jason Kidd, the No. 2 pick behind Robinson and a player who is defying both odds and precedents. The Dallas Mavericks’ floor leader — a fellow whose Hall of Fame credentials and general all-time-ness was secure several seasons ago — is estranged from Father Time and seemingly in cahoots with Ponce de Leon as he motors along as an invaluable part of the league’s hottest team."

Jason is one of only three players that remains in the NBA of the 30 players taken in the first round of the ’94 draft. While the other two, Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns and Juwan Howard of the Portland Trailblazers have found measured success in their 16th NBA season, J-Kidd is the only one still playing at an All-Star level. Most of the rest of the class is either coaching or broadcasting, as Aschburner writes:

"By the time Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was Kidd’s age, his playing days were long done and he was starting his seventh season as an NBA assistant coach.

"I didn’t have him when he was 26," Carlisle said. "But like all of us, with time we gain more wisdom, we gain a better understanding of the game. You get more of a command of the game, too. There are people who would say he’s lost this or that physically, but he’s got plenty in the tank, trust me."

Kidd laughed when it is noted that he’s playing well at an age when most point guards are wearing suits or headsets.

"I feel great. My body feels good, and mentally I’m fresh," he said. "They gave me the night off the other night [March 3 vs. Minnesota], which was nice. But I’m ready to go. I’m very lucky and thankful that I’m able to play at this high level at … 36 1/2."

 Winning and succeeding has made Jason feel just as youthful as he did when he was a member of that ’94 draft class, just beginning to embark on one of the greatest careers in NBA history.

"I feel 26 1/2," he said. "The biggest thing is the knowledge of the game. I know a little more than I did at 26. I’ll take that any day of the week … With the younger guys, they keep me young, they tease me. But my job is to teach Roddy [Beaubois] and J.J. [Barea] how to be successful. I enjoy that part of the game, too."

To read Aschburner’s entire piece, click here.

NEXT UP
J-Kidd and the Mavericks go for consecutive win No. 13 against Devin Harris and the New Jersey Nets tonight at 7:30 p.m. PST on Fox Sports Network.

RELATED STORIES
Dallas Mavericks’ trade for Jason Kidd looks better with age (Star Telegram, March 10, 2010)
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/09/2028070_p2/dallas-mavericks-trade-for-jason.html
Jason Kidd tearing it up for streaking Dallas Mavericks as 7-56 New Jersey Nets come to town (New York Daily News, March 10, 2010)
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2010/03/10/2010-03-10_jason_kidd_tearing_it_up_for_streaking_dallas_mavericks_as_756_new_jersey_nets_c.html
A Kidd at Heart (NBA.com, March 10, 2010)
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/steve_aschburner/03/10/kidd/?ls=iref:nbahpt1