The Prodigal Kidd Returns
Less than two weeks ago, Jason Kidd retired from the NBA as a player. He’s already back but this time he’s traded in his jersey for a suit as he mans the sidelines for the Brooklyn Nets, the franchise he led to back to back Finals appearances in 2001 and 2002. Kidd will be the 18th coach in franchise history and the fourth person to become a head coach the season after retiring. Of the previous three, only Mike Dunleavy had a record above .500. I guess it helps to have guys like Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Sam Perkins.
While Jason Kidd has the wherewithal to be a good head coach, there are questions about whether this was a good decision. There are plenty of qualified coaches out there that have been the subject of coaching vacancies for a long time. Both Byron Scott and Lawrence Frank are available and have ties to the Nets organization. While Scott isn’t likely to return, Jason Kidd has already expressed interest in bringing in Lawrence Frank as an assistant. I find it hard to believe that the Nets haven’t considered interviewing Stan Van Gundy or Nate McMillan, who both have had success in the league.
Even more so, what confuses me is that the Nets didn’t take a chance on some of the assistant coaches in the NBA. JB Bickerstaff, son of Bernie, is lauded as one of the best assistant coaches in the league and has been an assistant for almost 10 years. At 33 years old, its only a matter of time before he gets a head coaching job. Brian Shaw has been a front runner for most head coaching jobs around the league for a couple of years now and now that the Nets have their man in Kidd, Shaw could land in Orlando. Rumor has it Shaw will look to bring in Scottie Pippen as his assistant coach. Mike Budenholzer, has been an assistant under one of the best coaches in the league in Gregg Popovich for 16 years. Patrick Ewing has been a very highly touted assistant coach for a few years now and its a mystery why his best offer was an NBDL head coaching job from the Knicks. Ewing has a proven track record in coaching up big men like Yao Ming and Dwight Howard. As of right now there are four head coaching vacancies in the NBA. Hopefully some of these qualified guys gets an opportunity.
Is it possible that the hiring of Jason Kidd was a move influenced by public relations? What better move for them to make than to bring one of the greatest Nets of all time? Kidd’s legacy as a Net can never be tarnished in the eyes of the fans and this was a unique opportunity to bring together this underachieving yet talented roster with one of the best basketball minds available. I only wish my Knicks were smart enough to see the value in bringing back their former greats to help pass along their knowledge and experience.
