We would see him occasionally at Nets games when they honored him with the retiring of his jersey, and then see him years later during his Hall of Fame induction -- and that would be about it.
Never did we think Kidd was ready for this.
Jason Kidd is now the Head Coach of the Brooklyn Nets.
In a move that reeks of both desperation, and serious question marks, the Nets, who failed at wooing the likes of Phil Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, and Doc Rivers felt the need to make a splash for a head coach. Instead of settling for someone like Brian Shaw, who has been a long time assistant coach with both the LA Lakers and Indiana Pacers, they decided to go with the "sexy pick."
As has been proven by the brain trust of Mikhail Prokorov and Jay-Z, the Brooklyn Nets decided, once again, that making money is more important than trying to win ball games.
Kidd has never coached -- ever. He had a wonderful 19-year NBA playing career, including 6-1/2 years as the star point guard for the New Jersey Nets, leading that club to back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals; but leading a team on the court and leading from the bench are two different things.
We have no idea what goals or plans Kidd has. We don't know what schemes or formations he would favor. We don't even know if he can handle managing players who don't have the same skills set or athletic ability he had as a player.
What makes it even more interesting is that he just finished his playing career -- and a decision to suddenly jump up and become a head coach seems like a huge leap.
This isn't like Mark Jackson, who while he never coached either prior to his hiring by the Golden State Warriors two summers ago spent his time studying and analyzing the league from afar as a lead analyst.
Has Kidd spent as much time looking at video tape over the past year? I highly doubt it. I highly doubt he ever sat during Knicks practice this season and thought about finding ways to stop the Miami Heat with different defensive and offensive formations.
Now he will have to.
While hiring Jason Kidd as a head coach will certainly sell more tickets this season, it likely will not produce more wins. Great players don't always transition to great head coaches in any sport. Bill Russell tried to be a head coach in the NBA, it didn't work. Larry Bird gave it a shot to mild success, but he did have Reggie Miller playing for him in Indiana, which made things a little easier.
Kidd takes over a team that does have the talent to win, but not enough talent to win a championship. The Nets lack a clutch shooter; they also have built a reputation as a lackadaisical basketball team -- something even a disciplinarian in P.J. Carlesimo couldn't fix.
Now it is up to Kidd to find a way to motivate Joe Johnson and Deron Williams to play hard for 48 minutes every night; good luck.
In a lot of ways it is a shame to see arguably the greatest player in the history of the franchise put into a position where he has to win or else. As they say "coaches are hired to get fired" -- and Kidd should best be remembered for all of the good things he did for the club when it was in New Jersey. To expect similar success now with him in a three-piece business suit is asking a lot.
While Kidd is not a horrible hire -- it is one that does not come with a track record of success.
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