Though Jason Kidd cannot do what he used to do, one thing remains. His leadership is never absent. At age 39, he is no longer among the best point guards in the National Basketball Association. Nevertheless, his intangibles make him among the most underrated players in the league. If I were to compare him to anybody, outside of basketball, Tim Tebow would be my guy. He's no longer among the most talented, elite players, but his work ethic, leadership skills, and love for the game are second to none. Not to mention, like Skip Bayless says, "all he does is win."It's no coincidence the same year the New York Knicks acquire Kidd is the same year they take a step above relevancy. Kidd, who embraces his role as the set up man and leader for the offensively gifted Knickerbockers, has his team sitting atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 7-1. Now with a ring on his finger, Kidd knows what it takes to earn the hardware. He knows it starts at the defensive end, where he plays hard day in and day out. That is the paramount difference between the Knicks of old and this year's New York Team; Kidd has brought with him a culture of defense, and they are buying in. The crafty vet is averaging nearly 2 steals per game on the young season. Kidd's defense-first mentality has been contagious, and has even been inspiring the league's best scorer, Carmelo Anthony, two play on both ends of the court. Kidd serves as the motor for the defense, but also keeps guys like Carmelo happy with his pass-first mentality. His court vision is still among the game's greats, which has allowed him to continue finding guys in both transition and the half court with ease and efficiency. However, it's not just his passing skills that have been pleasing and impressing the fans in the Big Apple. It seems as if the basket has been appearing bigger to J-Kidd. He's been in the zone, shooting better than 59% from the field and a career high 56.5% from deep. Such surprising numbers prove Kidd has the ability to be the next John Stockton, and play effectively into his early to mid 40's. Despite excellent numbers, it will not be his assists, steals, or points that take New York to the next level. It will be his attitude, his leadership, and his floor general personality that make him the team's x-factor. Kidd not only controls the team's tempo, but also helps head coach Mike Woodson in managing the egos of certain players, namely J.R. Smith, Carmelo, and Rasheed Wallace (who is already back in prime form picking up technicals). If he does this effectively, which he should, New York has a great opportunity to make the jump from pretender to contender in the Heat-dominated Eastern Conference.
