NBA Insider with Ken Berger

Just got back from New Jersey, where I watched Jason Kidd scrimmage for the first time since he had an epidural injection in his sore lower back. Kidd looked fine, and could play in one of the Nets' two remaining preseason games -- Thursday night against the Sixers or Friday night against the Knicks.

More importantly, my favorite lookalike in the sports world was on hand to watch. Marquette coach Tom Crean watched the practice and chatted with team president Rod Thorn and coach Lawrence Frank afterward. If you are a loyal reader of Bob Glauber's NFL blog, you are well aware that there is no more frighteningly accurate lookalike than Crean and Glauber:

I know, scary. You should see Glauber with his glasses on.

As the Nets go down to the wire before today’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, it was revealed a few minutes ago that point guard Jason Kidd has been standing on the trading block with a cracked rib discovered recently when he had his sore back examined.

It’s not clear whether the injury, not disclosed until coach Lawrence Frank confirmed a published report in The New York Times today, has affected Kidd’s trade value with respect to the Lakers’ hot pursuit of the soon-to-be 34-year-old future Hall of Famer.

Kidd missed the Nets’ last two games before the All-Star break, and the All-Star game, with what the team described as a lower back strain. When Kidd underwent a CT scan to pinpoint the injury – Frank said doctors were even concerned about his kidneys at one point – the test revealed the cracked rib.

Kidd, who didn't practice today, isn’t certain when it happened, but Frank believes it was at Orlando on Feb. 2, when Kidd was held scoreless in a 119-86 loss after which he “couldn’t even sit down,” Frank said.

“I guess the implication was that it was being concealed, which would be a falsehood,” Frank said after practice today. “The reason Jason wasn’t able to play in those last two games against San Antonio and Toronto, and the All-Star game, was because of his back. Does he have a cracked rib? Yes. But that wasn’t what was preventing him. He’s played with the cracked rib.

“We’re not going to divulge every knick, knack, bruise, bump, if it’s not preventing a guy from playing,” Frank said. “Now he’s in a situation where he’s still sore, both back and rib.”

As I am writing this, Nets officials had no indication that a trade of either Kidd or Vince Carter would happen by 3 p.m. A person outside the organization with knowledge of the team’s trade discussions just told me, “I don’t think anything’s going to happen.”

Carter, clearly sick of the trade questions, sounded like someone who plans on staying in New Jersey – at least through the end of the season.

“Right now it’s just all about finding a way and getting better,” Carter said. “It’s plain and simple, no trickery, no nothing. We’ve just got to get it done, plain and simple. We’ve got 27 games to get it done, and if not, it’s going to be a long summer.”

Carter continued his vow of silence about his contract, dodging a question about whether the Nets put an extension on the table for him as the trade deadline approached.

“Still not talking about it,” Carter said. “We’ll find out when it’s time.”

The Atlanta Hawks have completed the only trade to this point, acquiring veteran point guard Anthony Johnson from Dallas for a second-round pick. According to ESPN.com, Portland has agreed to ship Juan Dixon to Toronto for Fred Jones.

Stay tuned for the fallout and analysis after the deadline passes.

Let's get right to it before I head to the Nets' training facility, where I have a strong hunch I will find out that neither Jason Kidd nor Vince Carter is getting traded:

The Knicks' alleged talks with the Nets about Vince Carter, in my opinion, were probably nothing more than Isiah Thomas doing his due diligence. I don't think the Knicks have near the package of players and/or draft picks the Nets would want. It looks good for the Knicks that the conversation is out in the open, but there doesn't appear to be a serious chance that Carter will hop across the river. One person who is plugged into the Knicks' and Carter's situation wasn't even aware of the talks, which tells you how brief and quiet they were.

The latest on Mike Bibby: The deal with Cleveland was hitting a snag this morning, said a person involved in the situation. The reason? Bruised egos over the leaking of the proposal that would've freed Bibby from Sacramento. That's only one of the many reasons why it's so hard to get trades done at the deadline. A few years ago, Miami's Pat Riley pulled the plug on a trade for Jamal Mashburn because he was so miffed that his secret discussions got out.

It still appears that Bibby will be dealt, and his destination probably still will be Cleveland. If the Cavs can't get Bibby, they've discussed a Damon Jones-for-Marcus Banks deal with Phoenix, as ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan reported here http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&id=2774443

Check back soon for more updates before 3 p.m., and for analysis and reaction afterward.

After speaking with Jason Kidd tonight before the Nets played the Hornets, I came away with the distinct impression that his mind is already halfway to Los Angeles.

Speaking to a few reporters in a rare pre-game chat that might’ve been his last with the Nets, Kidd said he’s been told the Lakers are the only team he could be traded to before tomorrow’s 3 p.m. deadline.

He sounded not only at peace with the possibility, but genuinely intrigued by it. Kidd noted that unlike the last two times he got traded, when he was in Dallas and Phoenix, he can see this one coming a mile away. He also made a point of saying both the previous trades worked out just fine.

“And if I’m traded to who everybody’s speculating, you know, I think that could work out, too,” Kidd said.

The sticking point has been the Lakers’ reluctance to part with 19-year-old 7-footer Andrew Bynum or Lamar Odom. The Nets need a legitimate post-up player, and the Lakers were believed to be trying to involve a third team who could send them one.

There are a ton of rumors out there, but the deal that I’ve been told is the closest to going down is Mike Bibby from Sacramento to Cleveland. The Lakers, who thought they had a deal for Bibby yesterday, are out of it and have focused their efforts on Kidd.

One package going back to the Kings for Bibby that would match salary-wise would be power forward Drew Gooden and point guard Eric Snow. I can’t imagine Snow playing out West, so if he’s not involved, the Cavs would have to send back a couple of contracts to make the numbers match; Scot Pollard and Aleksandar Pavlovic would do the trick. Anderson Varejao, I’m told, is not involved.

The Nets are still fielding offers for Vince Carter, who just hit the 40-point mark against the Hornets with a minute left as I am typing this. But I believe New Jersey will decide they can get more for him in a sign-and-trade this summer. The Knicks are still on the sidelines.

I appreciate all your questions/suggestions, and I’ll try to address them as best I can all the way up to the deadline. For now, I don’t think the Knicks are doing anything big, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if they made a smaller deal, possibly involving Jared Jeffries.

As for Corey Maggette, I still think he could still get traded, although Clippers owner Donald Sterling apparently has ordered coach Mike Dunleavy and Maggette to put their differences behind them. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein does a good job addressing it in the Daily Dime, here http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime

The blog is back tonight from Continental Airlines Arena, where a snowstorm and Eva Longoria are breezing through.

I didn’t speak with Eva, who is married to Spurs All-Star Tony Parker. But I did speak with Nets coach Lawrence Frank, who doesn’t seem like a guy wondering whether he’s going to be the second person to get divorced from Jason Kidd this season in a potential trade before the Feb. 22 deadline.

Kidd is out tonight against San Antonio and tomorrow in Toronto with a lower back strain that might keep him out of the All-Star Game in Las Vegas, too. Kidd is expected back for the Nets’ first game after the break next Wednesday, but said in a statement he hasn’t made a decision on All-Star.

The real question is, how long after the All-Star break will Kidd still be a Net?

Anyway, Frank wouldn’t bite on questions about whether he’s eager to see how rookie point guard Marcus Williams runs the team in Kidd’s absence. Williams looks like the real deal, and even though Kidd is a future Hall of Famer, Williams’ presence could make the Nets feel more comfortable about trading Kidd than they otherwise might be.

“I don’t want to make it about Marcus Williams, because you’re talking about a Hall of Fame player who’s not playing the next two games,” Frank said. “That’s not even fair to Marcus.”

But isn’t he curious to see, even for just a couple of games, how the team responds with Williams replacing Kidd – which, let’s face it, is going to happen one of these days no matter what?

“If he plays well, I don’t think you can overestimate it, and if he struggles …,” Frank said, without finishing the sentence. “Look, we don’t need to put any more pressure on him than there already is. Marcus has made really good strides. … It’s not like I’m interested to see Marcus respond in a starting position. I’m more interested to see how our team responds to being without its captain.”

Based on the fact that the Nets started the second quarter 0-for-13 from the field and were scoreless in the period until Vince Carter hit a technical foul shot with 5:29 left to snap a 20-0 run by San Antonio tonight, maybe they shouldn't be in any rush to trade the Hall of Fame point guard just yet.

The Nets are doing what they’re supposed to do, which first and foremost is to see what could be had for Carter, who can opt out of his contract next summer. Kidd’s name has come up in some trade talks, most notably with the Lakers, but nothing has come close to piquing the Nets’ interest.

I spoke recently with someone plugged into the Nets’ situation who said they’re still very conflicted about whether they have enough – once Richard Jefferson comes back from ankle surgery – to make a run. There’s not much time to figure it out, with only one more game – next Wednesday at home against the Hornets – before the deadline.

My firm belief is that if they’re not sure what to do with Kidd or Carter, they’ll stand pat. Nonetheless, I’m a lot more interested than Frank, my fellow Indiana University grad, in seeing just how much Kidd will be missed with Williams in his place.

On another note, if Kidd decides to ask out of the All-Star Game to rest his back, he’s technically required to fly to Las Vegas for the festivities anyway. If the Nets feel strongly enough that flying will hinder Kidd’s recovery, the league will give him a pass.

I also stopped by to chat with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who was overflowing with his usual assortment of punchlines:
· On the minor trade the Spurs completed today, sending forward Eric Williams, a second-round pick in 2009, and cash, to the Charlotte Bobcats for forward-center Melvin Ely: “It’s not like we traded Manu [Ginobili] for Vince Carter or Tony Parker for Jason Kidd. He’s taller than me, he’s stronger than me, so I’ll give him a shot.”
· On whether assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo has some good restaurants lined up: “P.J. always has restaurants lined up. The only thing is, they’re always Italian. I’d like to throw in something different once in a while. I tried to take him to an Asian place in Washington, and he almost quit.”
· On whether he’ll try to make any more trades before the deadline: “No, we’re a veritable juggernaut now and I don’t want to change that.”
· On Kidd missing the game: “Kidd’s out? [Expletive!]” Popovich then put his hands on his head and walked into the locker room, knowing that the Spurs have lost to the Lakers without Lamar Odom, the Jazz without Carlos Boozer, and the Rockets without Yao Ming (twice).