During preseason, Jason Kidd caused more than a few chuckles around the league when he declared that he thought it was possible to average a triple-double during the coming season. After, all, no player had achieved that feat since Oscar Robertson in 1962. Now, with about a fifth of the season completed, Kidd has averaged 12.6 points, 9.4 assists, and 8.3 rebounds--quite a feat, but still short of the mark.
That leaves us with the question: If Kidd was to pick up the rebounds a bit, and finish with an average triple-9, or a triple 8.5, how historic would his season be? We know that only Robertson has averaged a trip-dub, but how about a trip-9?
Well, Oscar did it himself as late as 1965. In the years since, as far as I can tell, only one player has achieved a trip-9: Magic Johnson, who in 1982 actually averaged a trip-9.5 with 18.6 points, 9.5 assists, and 9.6 rebounds. In addition, as far as I can tell, only Magic and Wilt Chamberlain have even averaged a trip-8.5 in the years since 1965, with Magic doing it twice, in the years preceding and following his trip-9 season.
So, even if Kidd fails in his quest to average a triple-double for the season, he still has a pretty good chance to join some elite company in the trip-9 or trip-8.5 clubs. No matter how the numbers ultimately end up, there is no question that the Nets have a pretty special player on their hands.