According to ESPN, recently retired NBA point guard Jason Kidd is in negotiations with the Brooklyn Nets to become their next head coach.
The Nets have been looking for a replacement for interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo since Brooklyn was eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs by an injury-riddled Chicago Bulls team, and it looks like Kidd is the frontrunner.
Reportedly, Brooklyn and Kidd are nearing agreement on a three-year contract and an official announcement could be made as soon as Thursday.
Although Kidd may seem like a surprising candidate due to the fact that he has no coaching experience, a possible hiring of the NBA veteran could end up paying dividends for the Nets.
Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson was in a similar situation as Kidd would be, when he was hired as head coach of the Warriors even though he had no coaching experience. During the two seasons with Jackson at the helm, the Warriors have had some of their most successful play in recent franchise history, making one playoff appearance and being on the cusp of becoming contenders in the gauntlet that is the Western Conference. That is a far cry from when the Warriors were one of the worst teams in the NBA before the Jackson era.
There are many similarities between the situations for the Warriors and Nets’ franchises. Both Golden State and Brooklyn already have pieces in place to become contenders soon, and both the Nets and Warriors are two of the most up=and-coming teams in the NBA.
The Nets have Deron Williams at the point guard position and Williams and Kidd already have a good relationship from their days competing against each other in the NBA. In addition, Brooklyn has Joe Johnson at shooting guard, excellent defensive forward Gerald Wallace at small forward, and Reggie Evans and Brook Lopez anchoring the frontcourt. Additionally, the Nets have a decent bench to go along with their starting lineup that is filled with invaluable assets and great potential.
Brooklyn already has one of the better rosters in the league, and if Kidd were to bring his gritty style and deliberate offense to the Nets, they could end up making deep runs in the playoffs with the former longtime NBA point guard calling the shots. It is certainly not a “home run hire” at this juncture, but if Kidd were to ultimately end up coming to Brooklyn, it could wind up working wonders for the Nets.