We've Gone Through The Rehersal Dinner . . .

Nothing's final until Wendsday. According to the league, nothing goes on paper until July 8. Marriages aren't final until the preacher says I pronounce you, divorces aren't final until the judge signs the decree, and contracts aren't final until they're signed and witnessed.

So for now, it's understood that Jason Kidd has accepted the Organization's offer of a three-year contract, all three years guaranteed.

Phew! It can be argued that the intangibles we gain by having Kidd on the team do not compensate for the tangibles we lose . . . but who would we get as a replacement? Nash's unfeasible, Chris Paul's not going anywhere, Magic's out of conditioning, and Marovich is dead.

And what about the big Pole? Well first of all, the dirty joke was not (entirely) delibrate. Secondly, according to the numbers, he's an upgrade over Dampier, considerably younger, and quite a bit cheaper. I like him already.

Dampier's situation next season's going to be worth keeping track of. The concept of "contract year phenomenon" might've been coined with him in mind, and his is up next year. So, knowing that he is probably going to be more valuable gone than here, does he play his brains out to prove his worth and thus get a new contract, or does he go from being a guy who vanishes at bad times to a flat-out liability?
-BJ