You’ve got to be kidding me.
Jason Kidd has emerged as the frontrunner for the Brooklyn Nets’ vacant head coaching position according to Fred Kerber of the New York Post:
The serious interest goes both ways.
Jason Kidd badly wants the Nets’ head-coaching job, and multiple sources insist the attraction is mutual and the team’s search for a replacement to P.J. Carlesimo is strongly pointing toward the future Hall of Famer. Kidd is viewed as the leading candidate for the job and met with GM Billy King yesterday to pitch his position.
It was a “good meeting,” according to someone close to the situation.
Initially, I refuted almost any possibility of Kidd winding up with the Nets. Any at all. Why on earth would a supposed title contender hire a former player with no coaching experience, not even as an assistant? It all just seemed too farfetched to be true.
Now it appears his future may be etched in stone.
Kidd had to leave the NBA so suddenly for a reason, right? And he’s always been considered a coach among players, no? So the time to begin his coaching career is now, when the NBA is going through them like toothpicks at an all cocktail-weenie party.
But that’s something we’ve already acknowledged. Of course now is the time for him to do this. There are plenty of openings, ones that even if not filled by him would surely be open to bringing him on as an assistant. But the Nets? The Brooklyn Nets? Did we honestly see this coming to fruition.
Perhaps we should have.
Kerber makes a great point about the Golden State Warriors hiring Mark Jackson without any coaching experience and look where it got them. Stephen Curry and friends are fresh off an improbable playoff run that saw them give the San Antonio Spurs everything they could handle. And this was only his second year on the job. Imagine what Kidd could do with a team that is already built for a playoff run.
Let’s seriously imagine that for a second. Deron Williams and Kidd are known friends and the the latter is widely respected throughout the league. Already known as a vocal locker-room presence, the transition may not be that difficult. And let’s face it, watching him navigate the Nets next season would be interesting as anything.
Still, I’m left wondering if Brooklyn’s interest is legitimate. There’s a part of me that believes it could be a smokescreen, employed to apply pressure to another candidate. With names like Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins still floating around, Brooklyn could be trying to force their hands. Quicker decisions mean more impulsive choices are made. If the Nets have an idea that someone in particular (not Kidd) is interested in the position and merely needs a little push, then this could be a diversionary tactic.
Or it could be genuine. The manner in which Kidd abruptly retired. Brooklyn’s inability to find a replacement. The sheer history between the Nets franchise and the future Hall of Famer himself. The writing may very well be on the wall.
What the message says exactly isn’t discernible just yet.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
