With Mourning on the way, Kidd will stay

ESPN.com ^ | 7-11-03 | ESPN.com News Service

[LanPB01]

Free-agent center Alonzo Mourning plans to sign with the New Jersey Nets, apparently paving the way for Jason Kidd to re-sign in New Jersey, a league source who spoke with Mourning's agent Thursday night told Insider's Chad Ford.

Mourning could announce as early as today that he'll sign a 4-year, $20 million contract with the Nets. He can't officially sign with the Nets until next Wednesday.

[LanPB01]

What are the Nets thinking? This guy hasn't been healthy in years, and has missed the entire last season. Did they really have to pay $5 million per season to Mourning just to make Kidd happy?

[Semper Paratus]

just to make Kidd happy?

Without Kidd the Nets are dead. Be interesting to see what happens Coach Scott.

[Support Free Republic]

A horse walks into a bar. The bartender comes up and says "Hey pal, what will it be?"

The horse orders a beer.

A few minutes later, John Kerry walks in and sits at the bar. The bartender walks up and says "Hey pal, cheer up. Why the long face?"

I'll stop if you guys will donate and get us over our fundraising goal

[TheBigB]

They rolled the dice with Mutombo and got burned. I think they'd have been better off chasing Brad Miller or Jermaine O'Neal. But regardless, I think the Lakers, with Payton and Malone, are now the overwhelming favorites for next season.

[So Cal Rocket]

YES!! I was very afraid that the Spurs would get Kidd - they'd be very formidable lineup...

The Lakers with Shaq, Kobe, Payton and Malone should take the title!!

[dwilli]

Who's gonna coach the Nets?

[TheBigB]

Byron Scott. He's not going anywhere.

[ken5050]

Disagree...Scott will depand a new contract..he's going into his last year. The Nets can't let him be a lame duck..the team will ignore him...so Scott will quit, take an ESPN job for a year, and wait for Phil Jackson to retire.

[dwilli]

I see no way Scott and Kidd can co-exist in Jersey. How does a superstar play for a guy that He just go thru with
demanding to be fired?

[Mr. Bird]

It's pathetic that this is getting anywhere near the play the Payton/Malone moves to the Lakers are getting. You combine Alonzo's rings with Kidd's and you still get zero.

Mourning to NJ only sets the stage for a high profile slaughter next year by either the Lakers or the Spurs; but my money's on LA.

[TheBigB]

Depends on whom you believe...

"I want to categorically refute the story in several of today's papers that Jason Kidd demanded that Nets head coach Byron Scott be fired as a pre-condition to his returning with the New Jersey Nets basketball team," read Thorn's statement. "I want to state emphatically that at no time, in any conversation that I have had with Jason, has he demanded that coach Scott be fired. "In my over four decades in the NBA, I have never encountered a player more cognizant than Jason of the delineation of roles between management, players and coaches. Jason fully understands that management, and not players, decide who will be employed by the team. I want to reiterate that this was an erroneous story without merit -- Jason Kidd has never asked nor demanded that coach Scott be fired, and to be portrayed otherwise is an injustice to Jason as well as coach Scott."

--Rod Thorn, Nets President

[dwilli]

Saying that he will not sign a new contract with the Nets
if Byron Scott is the coach is not a demand, it is giving
the Nets an option. That statement by Thorn is carefully worded.

Has Kidd denied the statements he made after the playoff loss?