Jason Kidd wasn’t unemployed for long. Nine days after he announced his retirement, Kidd was hired as the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets were a playoff team this year, but were eliminated in the first round by the Chicago Bulls. The Nets chose not to bring back Coach P.J. Carlesimo, who had a 35-19 record with the team after the Nets fired previous head coach Avery Johnson.
Kidd was one of the great point guards to ever play the game. He finished his career second all-time in NBA history in assists and steals. It will be interesting to see how this situation works out; being that Kidd is freshly retired and has no coaching experience. The Nets hope that Kidd can have the impact that Mark Jackson had with the Golden State Warriors. Jackson had no prior experience coaching before being hired by the Warriors, but in just his second year, he led the young team to the second round of the playoffs where they fought valiantly against the San Antonio Spurs before losing in six games. Jackson, like Kidd, was a great point guard in his own right, as he finished his career third all-time in assists.
Kidd, who played for the franchise in the 2000s when they were still located in New Jersey, and helped lead them to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances, will look to get more out of the Nets, who on paper have a lot talent, but many feel largely underachieved this season. The team is led by all-star point guard Deron Williams, whom Kidd is said to have a close relationship with. If Kidd can get great play out of Williams on a more consistent basis, the Nets could be a factor in the Eastern Conference for years to come.
