Kidd as the Nets Coach? Problems Galore, please read

When announced that Jason Kidd would take over as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, I was amazed. I assumed he would be put in as an assistant to Brian Shaw or Lionel Hollins. However, he will be their HC, and sadly, the Nets will fail. 

Jason Kidd, the 40-year-old point guard who retired less than a month ago, will now coach the Brooklyn Nets. Jason Kidd played in this league for 19 years, and went to the NBA finals three times, and won 1 championship with the Dallas Mavericks.

Kidd was on 4 total teams, and played for some great NBA coaches who’ve instilled their wisdom onto Jason: Dick Motta, Danny Ainge, Scott Skiles, Byron Scott, Lawrence Frank, Rick Carlisle, and Mike Woodson. Most of those coaches believed in a style of basketball dependent on a point guard as a true facilitator. Jason was always asked to put others in positions to score, which makes sense since he’s second in all-time assists.

However, Jason Kidd still has a great deal to learn about coaching, especially the mental game. It is hard enough to control the egos and mentality of the players around when you are a player, but it is an entirely different concept when you are a coach. Coaches demand respect from their players. Players demand respect from their coaches. Kidd will need to guide his players through an 82 game season and be able to handle them during both winning and losing streaks. When players begin to question the direction of the team, it will be easy to point fingers at a rookie coach. 

There are plenty of big egos on the Nets: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Andray Blatche, and Kris Humphries. Each of these players has been in a media discussing flaws within their team. At the start of last year, Avery Johnson was the head coach, and it seemed like players respected him, until Deron decided that the two were not on the same page. PJ stepped in, but his team lost in the first round of the playoffs to an injury struggling Bulls team. Gerald Wallace openly said, “I do not know my role on this team.” Kidd played against these guys last year. How in the world does he expect to get their upmost respect from day 1?

Jason Kidd will have to manage the many egos and personalities on the Brooklyn Nets, as well as deal with the intense media that comes with that position. If Prokhorov hired Kidd as a mere publicity stunt, I understand. Kidd will bring people to games, and increase ticket sales. Kidd won’t help this team win games. Kidd is not the type of player who yells and brings the intensity required to motivate a team.

Kidd always led by example. He played hard for as long as he could, and he got the ball in other people’s hands. As a coach, he will rely on the willingness of Deron Williams; something Avery Johnson was unable to do. I don’t see Kidd lasting too long in Brooklyn. He’ll be a great coach, but not yet. He needs at least 10 years so that the players on the court see him as a basketball icon, not some old man who was too slow and forced to retire.

As a Knick fan, I am pleased that this happened. The Nets will again finish behind the Knicks, and now possibly the Celtics. They might not even make the playoffs.