PER by itself doesn't really tell you all that much.
Harris is worth a lot more than Kidd. He will never be as good as the Kidd of 5 years ago, but he is at around the same level as Kidd now and still improving.
I have to disagree. The question was asked earlier, and I think it is 100% appropriate--if he reallly is as good as Kidd is now and still improving while Kidd is clearly declining, why in Sam Hill would Dallas ever consider making this move? The answer is he isn't remotely as good as Kidd. He may have a nice PER, but Kidd is a legit triple-double threat every night who puts up rebounding numbers that power forwards envy and assist numbers guards like Devin Harris envy. Are you honestly telling me that Harris right now, at 14 some odd points and 5.3 assists per game, is anywhere near the offensive threat as Kidd is with his 11 some odd points but 10.4 assists per game? Sure, Harris shoots better, but he doesn't produce better. If you figure that each assist is wroth 2.1 points per, then Kidd is producing 50% more than Harris is offensively. That's the only reason Dallas is interested in this trade--even at the age of 35 Kidd is far better than Harris is. You put Kidd with Dirk, and Kidd leads the league in assists and probably does get a triple double every night, and you can't tell me Harris can do that because demonstratably he cannot.
I don't see Dallas trading Harris + Filler for Kidd. So if Harris is leaving, Dallas is getting back something else of value in addition to Kidd. For Portland to get in the middle of a trade like this they would have to want Harris very badly to convince Dallas to let him go. Which is fine because Portland has assets to trade. In fact Portland needs to get rid of some young players or picks.
For Dallas to upgrade their situation, they may not want to give up Harris but they need to choose between winning now or going into rebuilding mode around Harris and Josh Howard and Brandon Bass because they aren't getting any younger. I don't think Cuban is that patient, so I think your assessment of what it would take for Harris to get sent packing if Dallas got Kidd back is overstating the case by a lot.
My Mavs perspective is that they need something very good to make it worthwhile to move Harris for Kidd. Maybe that is Outlaw or Webster.
They'll get something good. They'll get about a 75% shot at a winning a championship this year because I'd rather have their lineup with Kidd than the Celtics or Pistons.
From my Portland perspective, Harris is the perfect addition. He is only 24 and has a lot of playoff experience, including the Finals. He is also one of the most intelligent players on the Mavs. Despite being the youngest starter, he was voted a team captain. And he is still not close to reaching his full potential. His only real weakness is against the bulkier PGs like Baron Davis. His 3pt shooting is often questioned, but he is shooting 36% this year and 32% for his career. I expect Oden to be a terrific defensive player, so adding a terrific defensive PG to go with a dominant C is and exceptional combination. Harris would have a chance to be Portland's best player. So of course you trade your entire bench and picks for a guy like that.
The problem with this assessment is that our bench isn't the same to our success as, say, Dallas' bench is to their success. We're a team of mostly interchangeable parts that act like a Swiss Army knife, bringing a ton of tools to the table that you use depending on what you need to accomplish. Our bench is a key to us winning games, because we beat up on the other team's bench and make up for the relative youth that we have in our starters. Most other benches, Dallas' included, are there simply to hold down the fort while the starters take a breather, while ours is there to extend leads and make them insurmountable.
But, I think this is just a rumor and the Mavs will not trade Harris.
Who knows? Rumors are what they are.
