Kidds Off The Hill: Grant Hill and Jason Kidd Retire

Everything in life has a transitional period and in the game of basketball it's no different. Over the last few seasons fans like myself have seen guys they grew up watching play retire from the game such as Shaq, Rasheed Wallace and Baron Davis. In the last few days 2 players who I grew up with and have been in the league for as long as I can remember retired from pro basketball. I am speaking about Grant Hill and Jason Kidd of course, who both shared rookie of the year honors in 1994.

Both of these talented players careers take on a different meaning. For Grant Hill it was a bunch of “What if's” due to injuries throughout the course of his career he was never ever able to hit his peak as a basketball player. For Jason Kidd he was a game changer who reinvented himself several times and took the perennial cellar dwelling New Jersey Nets to new heights taking them to the finals twice. Regardless of what happened though both had their fair share of great moments on the basketball court.

Grant Hill had all the hype coming in from Duke capturing 2 national championships garnering hype from many of the biggest names in basketball at that time. “He is simply a marvelous player who can do it all” Larry Brown said. He at one point was heralded as “The next Michael Jordan” and had the explosiveness to prove it just go on youtube. In fact Michael Jordan back in an interview stated the following about Grant Hill”I think Grant Hill's skills are unbelievable, he is definitely the type of player that can take over a game, he's probably top 4 players in the game today”. To actually get that praise from the guy you are being compared is a big deal.

For all the praise Grant received he also was unable to show the NBA world what his ceiling was due to many injuries. From 1999- 2008 Grant had problems staying on the court and never played 75+ games in that time frame. It makes you wonder what a healthy Grant Hill and Tracy Mcgrady could have done in Orlando with the Magic. They most likely wold of been contenders in the east year in year out.

There are many ways we can look at the career of Grant Hill. We can say “Here is Grant Hill who couldn't stay healthy, who let the fans down, Fila down and never maximized his potential”. Or we can say “Here is Grant Hill who didn't live up to the hype but was still a 7 time All-Star who fought his injuries to the very end to still become a productive role player in the league". If you want to know how great Grant Hill was at one point look at the tweet from ESPN's stats twitter account down below and you will see how great Grant was.

Grant Hill retires. He's 1 of 6 players to average 20-5-5 in his first 6 NBA seasons.It's an impressive list twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/…
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 2, 2013

Jason Kidd is different then Grant though he had hype but was more durable to prove it to be true. He came into the league as a guy who could do a little of everything Score,pass, rebound and was a bit bigger and stronger then most point guards which allowed him to get 107 Triple-Doubles over the course of his career.

Jason Kidd will always be known to most basketball fans as the guy who elevated the then New Jersey Nets franchise to new heights taking them to the finals 2 times. The only problem is the Nets ran into the 2 biggest dynasty’s of this era in the Lakers and Spurs but make no mistake about it Kidd was a game changer. Whether with Vince Carter, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson or Kerry Kittles Kidd made the Nets a must watch team in the NBA and played some of the most exciting basketball of the 2000's leading the league in assists 5 times in his tenure with the Nets. So to the Brooklyn Nets Organization retire #5 at the Barclay’s center.

Of course all the accolades with Nets were great but the legacy of Kidd was cemented in 2011 when as a member of the Dallas Mavericks where he earned his 1^st and only championship ring beating Lebron James and the Miami Heat. From that part of his career to now he had to transition his game from a guy who liked to get to the basket to a guy who became a shooter and worked tirelessly to improve his perimeter J. As he leaves the league he is the 3^rd greatest shooter in NBA History which is a testament to how hard he worked as a player.

So to the careers of Jason Kidd and Grant Hill I on behalf of many basketball fans say so long, It was a joy to watch you play.

Tony Parker: Greatness in Numbers

The San Antonio Spurs are a dynasty in the modern era whether they win a title this year or not. For the last decade they have appeared in half of the NBA Finals played and have won 4 times. They have been called boring to the casual basketball fan but for people who live this game they understand the greatness of the Spurs. Tim Duncan has always been the man in San Antonio but over the last few seasons Tony Parker has become “The Guy”. This whole season the Spurs have been riding Parker as #1 option while playing the usual Elite team basketball they are known for.

The Spurs have been dominant this postseason and what looked like an even match up in Western Conference finals became a one sided affair when the Spurs crushed the hopes of Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzlies with a 4 game sweep. Tony Parker has been playing great basketball but people may be unaware of the magnitude of the level he is playing at.

Tony Parker is 31 years old as of this year and you may be surprised on how similar or even better his numbers are in this postseason compared to several point guards In the hall of fame when they were 31 years old.

When Playing amongst stars like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli Its hard to shine sometimes but at 31 years old he has done that for the Spurs and became a leader kind of like Jason Kidd had been through out his career in his time in 2004.

In the 2003-2004 playoffs Jason Kidd was 31 years old just like Tony Parker is now but Parker s numbers are better then Kidd at 31 years of ago, check the numbers below.

Tony Parker at 31years old: 23 Points 7 Assists 4 Rebounds 1 Steal 47 % FG 37 % 3-Point 79% FT Through 14 games

Jason Kidd at 31 years of old: 13 Points 9 Assists 7 Rebounds 2 steals 33%FG 20% 3-Point FG 81% FT in 11 games

Kidd edges Parker in categories like Assists, Rebounds and Steals but Parker proves to be more efficient having a higher field goal percentage and 3 point percentage but the two are definitely comparable.

While Parker and Kidd are Parker certainly comparable at 31 you will be surprised which Hall of famer's numbers are worse at 31 years old in he playoffs. Isaiah Thomas is a beast anybody who drops a 25 points on a bad ankle in the NBA Finals is but at 31 years of age Tony Parkers Numbers are better.

Tony Parker at 31years old: 23 Points 7 Assists 4 Rebounds 1 Steal 47 % FG 37 % 3-Point 79% FT Through 14 games

Isaiah Thomas at 31 years old: 14 Points 9 Assists 4 Rebounds 1 Steal 40%FG 27% 3-Point 72%FT

Thomas is great and a 2 time champion but like Kidd Points and efficiency gives Parker the edge in postseason numbers at 31.

Arguably the greatest point guard of all-time has comparable playoffs statistics at 31 years of age with Tony Parker. Magic Johnson changed the way basketball was played running point guard for the “Showtime” Lakers of the 80's but his 31 year old playoff numbers are closer with Parker than you think.

Tony Parker at 31years old: 23 Points 7 Assists 4 Rebounds 1 Steal 47 % FG 37 % 3-Point 79% FT Through 14 games

Magic Johnson: 22 Points 13 Assists 8 Rebounds 1 Steals 44%FG 29%3-Point FG 83%FT in 19 games

Magic due to playing at some the fastest pace in NBA history has better numbers then Tony Parker but Magic is known for being one of the best all-around players in league history, so the fact that Parker Is comparable is an accomplish in itself. Magic Doubles Parker up in categories like assists and Rebounds but Parker averages more Points and has better Field goal percentage and three point percentage then Magic and we all know the importance of efficiency is in basketball.

If you didn't appreciate the greatness of Tony Parker before this article then I hope you this helped that. Tony Parker is a hall of famer and winner in this league. His numbers are comparable to some of the best who ever did it at his position.

Graduation Cards

As I am sitting here typing this it is 1:05 PM and I am less then 5 hours from graduating South Broward High School. Usually with graduation comes gifts, money and a bunch of hoopla from the family. My Mom chose to gave me money and being the avid Sports collector I am decided to take my behind to Hollywood Collectibles and spent part of my new found riches on some cardboard heroes of basketball, so lets begin!

Card #1 Sky Box 1990 Magic Johnson

People talk about how versatile Lebron James is and sometimes my man Magic gets lost in the shuffle. This man was also 6'9 played multiple positions and changed basketball with the offense he ran as point guard of the “ShowTime” Lakers. I found this card Digging through a dime box of assorted cards.

Price: 2$

Card #2: 1997 Topps Tim Duncan (Rookie)

The San Antonio Spurs are in the finals again and if Tim Duncan is to capture another ring it will make 5 and further cement him as one of the greatest the NBA has ever seen. Some people don't really appreciate his greatness the way I do so when finding this card I flipped. The Cards I gt is a rookie card and probably one of the best cards in my miniscule yet evolving basketball collection.

Price: 4$

Card #3: Sky Box 1991 Michael Jordan

Of all the cards I purchased yesterday none are as visually cultivating as this cardboard treasure which features MJ basking in the glory of what was his 1^st of 6 championship rings with the Chicago Bulls. The card speaks for itself.

Price: 2$

Card #4: 2007 Upperdeck Artifacts Jason Kidd Jersey Card

Of all the cards this one is definitely my favorite for many reasons. Its the only card I purchased not in a dime box. It was actually inside one of those shelfs with other nice expensive cards I can't afford. This was a steal though, I had a little more money then usual so I decided to splurge a bit. This card is rare numbered 12/100 so the feeling I have of purchasing something rare is comforting. Also Watching Kidd with the Nets growing up along with guys like Vince Carter,Keyon Martin and Richard Jefferson was some of the most fun I ever had watching basketball.

Price: 10$

So all in a another great day of purchases at Hollywood Collectibles. Now it's time to start practicing throwing my cap up in the air at the conclusion of graduation.