It was just over a week ago when former New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd announced to the NBA world that he was retiring from the game. It didn’t take long for his name to resurface however, and it came up in a particular situation that gained plenty of steam rather quickly.
Kidd expressed interest in coaching the Brooklyn Nets and the organization ran with the idea. After meeting for the first time on Monday, the Nets and Kidd began contract negotiations, even despite the Nets’ continued pursuit of fellow candidate, Brian Shaw. After interviewing Shaw on Wednesday however, the Nets made the decision to appoint Kidd as their newest head coach as they finalize a three year deal, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski. An official announcement is expected by the end of the week.
After failing to score a point in his final ten games as a member of the Knicks, Kidd concluded a Hall of Fame-caliber 19-year career just last week. With no prior coaching experience however, Kidd is now set on a new voyage along the sidelines in Brooklyn.
While Brooklyn earned the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference this past season, it quickly became clear in their first round elimination that they need another push forward if they hope to contend for a championship. While that will come on the court more so than the sidelines, Kidd is an appealing hire that will surely keep Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference limelight.
The Nets are taking a risk here by hiring Kidd, but there are plenty of supporters who believe the former all-league point guard will have an excellent career on the bench.
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