A rookie head coach, who had never coached on any level before taking over the most expensive team in the league had failure written all over it.
For the Nets, this season has been more than a failure, it has been a total, unmitigated disaster.
At 5-13, the Nets are watching their chances of being a real threat in the Eastern Conference go by the wayside with each passing game. While injuries to the likes of Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and, now, Paul Pierce haven't helped matters -- fact is this team stunk even before those injuries occurred.
The chemistry on this team was bad to begin with and the one responsible for that is Kidd himself. Add a coach killer in Williams with two aging former superstars in Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who have very little left -- and combine that with a soft bench and that is the team that is the Brooklyn Nets.
Sure there is talent -- but it had to be harnessed and cared for by a coach who has been there and done that. Jason Kidd is not that guy.
Yet, Kidd, perhaps in need to make a statement to ownership, or maybe a power statement to his players, dismissed his number 1 assistant Lawrence Frank to "filing daily reports." Frank will no longer be around the team during practice or during game days -- in short he was fired.
Frank, by the way isn't hurting, he signed a six-year deal with the Nets work $6 million. He is making $1 million this year alone. So this move is peculiar already considering the amount of money Frank is making. He will land on his feet after a year sitting in the office form 9-5, or in his house -- wherever it may be.
The relationship between Kidd and Frank go back over a decade. Kidd played under Frank when he was the head coach of the Nets from 2002 - 2008. They won a lot of games together, even making a trip to the NBA Finals; so when Kidd asked Frank to be his number 1 assistant, his go-to-guy, who would help him make the transition to being a full time NBA head coach, we all assumed this long lasting friendship would be a huge plus.
Word is that Kidd and Frank have been butting heads since the start of the season over "philosophy," and their relationship sputtered out of control. Frank was in charge of the defense, which has been woeful allowing 106.5 points per game.
But here are the cold hard facts from what we see as viewers. We have seen Kidd not coach at all during games. He sits in his seat with a long distance stare on his face, and whenever he calls time out to go over strategy, he relies heavily on his assistants to draw up the game plan.
So while the players are saying their right think in defense of their coach, Kidd is in over his head.
Firing his best assistant is not going to turn things around for the Nets, and Monday night's 111-87 debacle against the Denver Nuggets is just an example.
If anyone needs to be fired or let go from the Nets, it is Kidd himself. While he was a great player in his day, as a coach -- Kidd has been a total embarrassment. The Nets need to tear this apart soon, if they are going to rescue the franchise.
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