Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Well, that was quick. In a matter of weeks, Jason Kidd will potentially go from the NBA Playoffs, to retired future Hall of Famer to soon-to-be head coach. It has been revealed via Yahoo Sports that the newly retired point guard is aggressively pursuing the head coaching vacancy of the Brooklyn Nets. According to the reports, there is a high level of mutual interest.
With no coaching experience, of course, Kidd is in the process of forming a potential staff to bring aboard with him in effort to help him adjust quickly to the learning curve from player to coach.
The possibility, and rather strong interest, in Kidd has been discussed at the ‘highest levels of the organization’ according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. With such strong ties to the Nets – whom he led to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in ’02 and ’03 – Kidd is already one of the front-runners for the job.
Before joining the New York Knicks, Kidd actually considered heading back to the Nets to back up Deron Williams. Both Williams and Kidd share the same agent and have a strong relationship – an enormous advantage for Kidd in this race.
As one of the most knowledgeable and accomplished players in the history of the game, Kidd would bring quite a bit to the organization as a coach. He finished his 19 year career with 10 All Star appearances and also is second in history behind John Stockton in steals and assists.
The question is, would the intelligence and accomplishments translate smoothly into the role of a head coaching position right away? We are going to have to eagerly await the answer to that question as this whole process unfolds in the near future.
Ryan Heckman is a Senior NBA writer for www.RantSports.com also contributing to the NFL. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
