The comeback Kidd.
Just around 8:00pm on Wednesday evening, reports started flying that the Brooklyn Nets have hired Jason Kidd to be their next head coach. Peter Vecsey was the first:
This just in: Brian Shaw was told by Billy King that Nets picked Jason Kidd as their head coach
— Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) June 13, 2013
This morning, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Nets — though still meeting with Brian Shaw — would hire Kidd and were currently working on the parameters of a three-year contract. Shaw reportedly met with the Nets for over four hours starting at 11:00am.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports adds this:
A formal announcement is expected soon and a news conference to introduce Kidd in Brooklyn will likely happen before the end of the week. Kidd’s contract is expected to be guaranteed for three seasons with a possible fourth-year team option, league sources said.
It has also been reported that Kidd will attempt to assemble an all-star cast of assistant coaches. Of the names that have been mentioned have been former New Jersey Nets coach Lawrence Frank and top notch assistant Tim Grgurich. Many pundits have also speculated that Kidd may try to bring his former shooting coach, Bob Thate, east from LA (he is currently a coach with the Clippers) to Brooklyn.
As Marc Stein of ESPN notes, one of the main reasons for the hire, is to elevate the play of point guard Deron Williams:
One of the main draws to Kidd is the impact he has on Deron Williams. Kidd and Williams are close friends, with Kidd somewhat in the big brother role. The Nets believe that if Williams is engaged and playing his best, many of their problems are solved and the Nets are a far better team. With Kidd at the helm, they believe Williams would play at his optimum level.
Chris Broussard, also of ESPN, noted earlier today on Sportscenter that Kidd is the type of hire that Nets Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov was seeking. As transcribed by Netsdaily:
They’re going to give Shaw a fair showing, but clearly, the front-runner is Jason Kidd for many reasons. We know the Russian owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, wants to make a splash, wants to make a sexy hire. That’s why he looked at Phil Jackson. Jason Kidd, obviously not with the credentials of Phil Jackson but he’s a sexy hire … and he impressed the Nets thoroughly with his interview. 1. He was extremely well-prepared and 2. he exuded confidence and a demeanor that they thought would resonate with these players.
