As Adrian Wojnarowski writes, Jason Kidd "hardly needed a great point guard’s innate ability to see the play unfolding before him" back in 2007-08 as he surveyed the Nets' barren landscape.  The team, with the NBA's worst balance sheet and arena plans stuck in litigation, was going nowhere and he wanted o-u-t.

He regrets some of the melodrama at the end, but he tells Woj, "Listen, I saw what was coming at that time.  It became clear later, but I saw the direction everything was going there with ownership. They were taking it apart. It started with the Kenyon Martin trade and it kept going."

Now, he is two wins away from an NBA ring, happy in Dallas, and with an understanding of a rich, involved owner can mean to a franchise and a franchise.

• Mavericks’ Kidd nearing final run - Adrian Wojnarowski - Yahoo! Sports