Kidd Retires; Next Answer for Knicks?

Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

After a staggering 19 seasons in the NBA, Jason Kidd will finally hang it up.

The 40-year-old point guard announced his retirement on Monday and will forever be known as one of the best rebounding and passing floor generals in the history of the league.

“I think it is the right time,” Kidd told ESPNNewYork.com. “When you think about 19 years, it has been a heckuva ride. Physically, I want to be able to participate in activities with my kids so it has taken a toll. It is time to move on and think about maybe coaching or doing some broadcasting.

“Jeff [Schwartz] and I and my family had been talking this past weekend,” Kidd said of his agent. “We talked a lot and we felt it was the right time to move on and so we notified the Knicks. They were kind of taken aback. WE told them [earlier] that I wanted to come back and play. But this weekend was when we got a chance to relax [and really think about it]. It is the right thing to do.”

Over his career, Kidd has been a 10-time All-Star while leading the league in assists five different times. He finished second all-time in assists behind Utah Jazz-great John Stockton. He will be a sure0fire Hall of Fame point guard.

Kidd will walk away from the game with two years remaining on his contract that grants him more than $3 million per season.

Kidd has had one of the most illustrious careers in NBA history. In his prime, he was known as one of the best floor generals in the game because of his court vision and basketball instincts. Over the span of 1,391 regular-season games, he averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds. As a Maverick, he won an NBA title alongside teammate Dirk Nowitzki.

A few of his other great moments came when winning the gold medal with Team USa twice. He also shared a spot of the Rookie of the Year with close friend Grant Hill.

With Kidd gone, the New York Knicks can concentrate on getting younger. Their core group of veterans, which consist of Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Tyson Chandler and Kevin Martin, don’t have much time to consistently compete for an NBA title. Thus, they should look to point guard Iman Shumpert and a draft pick to combo as Kidd’s replacement.