Nets fans, on the other hand, grabbed pocket schedules at the beginning of the season to see when Kidd would return to New Jersey. They've known it's tonight seemingly forever.

For 6 1/2 seasons, Kidd was the heart, soul, spleen, small phalanges of the Nets. He promised he would do things - get them to the playoffs, make them superior to the Knicks, make his teammates better - then he did them. The parting did not go smoothly - Kidd wanted a contract extension, was refused, then he wanted out.

The Nets obliged. His only regret was no title.

"I did everything I could," Kidd, 35, said after Mavs practice at Baruch College. "I played every night. I made my teammates better. There wasn't anything else I could have done. If I was still here, I would still be playing hard. The trade makes New Jersey a young team and the future is what they're looking for with the move to Brooklyn. They're trying to set themselves up for that class of 2010."

Jason Kidd left the Nets after a contentious divorce, essentially deserting them and forcing a trade to Dallas. But on the eve of his return tonight, Rod Thorn says he should get a reception befitting the man who resurrected the franchise.

"It'll be weird. I'm sure it'll be the cause of a lot of emotions, because he was such a great player here and did so much for this franchise," said Thorn, who has admitted he was angry at first. "When we were getting ready to trade him, you have a lot of different thoughts. But after that, it is what it is. You move on. It didn't take that long."

The Nets have moved on with Devin Harris, and the Mavs have moved on in the West. But for a day or two, Kidd and Nets fans will glance back.

"For me, Basketball is business, so I have no hard feelings about the trade," said Kidd, who'll lead Dallas (1410) against the at-home stinky (4-8) Nets, losers of three straight at home. "Both parties are happy, and you move on.

"I had a good run in Jersey. The things we accomplished while I was here nobody can take that away," Kidd recalled. "We got to the Finals twice. We took something that was almost nothing and we had a great ride. We made it to the playoffs every year and we brought a lot of respect to New Jersey Basketball."

That is something the fans are likely to remember most when Kidd is introduced. There should be a standing ovation. A sellout? Nah. Just like when Kidd played here. But those on hand should recall what Kidd did. Asked to reflect on one moment, Kidd thought, then answered.

"The trade and coming here and saying we were going to win 40-something games," Kidd offered. "We kind of accomplished that and nobody believed that we could do that. That's the biggest thing that stands out."

Eventually, Kidd simply felt it was time to move on.

"We exhausted every opportunity," Kidd said. "We had the two Finals appearances and we made the playoffs every year. We seemed to lose to the world champs every time."

Mavericks at Nets - Tonight 7:30 - YES WBBR (1130 AM)