With the baseball season in high gear and the disappointing Mets and Yankees making all the noise with roster moves, the basketball season is winding down with the National Basketball Association annual draft next week. However, there was a recent major announcement made, and that was one involving the Brooklyn Nets.
Management, led by Nets Principal Owner Mikhail Prokhorov, took one of their own, Jason Kidd, to succeed Interim Head Coach P.J. Carlisemo at the same position. Kidd is now the head coach and one of the youngest head coaches in the NBA.
Just last season Kidd became one of the oldest players in the league and retired actively from the court.
Most people agreed that even though Kidd never held a coaching position in the NBA, he is still the right choice for the position. Kidd thus moves to the next level and feels very comfortable about it. He will try to do successfully what he goes out and intends to do.
Right now the question is does he know every aspect of the game and can he make the right decisions at the right time, thus setting up the right plays both on offense and defense? That’s the biggest adjustment he will have to make.
Prokhorov did not waste any time with Carlesimo, letting him go even though he did a tremendous job with the team in helping to lead them into the playoffs.
Kidd, a veteran in the league as a player with the New Jersey Nets and then the New York Knicks is thus very familiar with the circuit and feels that he could handle the new position.
“Jason Kidd has a long and legendary history with the Nets and with the city of New York,” said Prokhorov. “He has the fire in the belly we need, and has achieved as a player everything the Brooklyn Nets are striving to achieve. We believe that he will lead us there. Welcome home, Jason.”
The 40-year-old Kidd becomes the 18th head coach of the Nets. He brings to the table playoff experience with the organization when they were based in New Jersey
Nets management wanted to hire a coach who has great leadership qualities and help build them to where they want to get to – that is deep into the playoffs,
They wanted someone who plays hard and teaches hard. He can surely do that on the court as demonstrated during his playing career when the Nets were a winning team. Management felt that Kidd possesses all the qualities for a head coach. He certainly was someone who worked hard as a one or two guard and scorer as well. Now he has to change what he did into the minds of the players. He has to translate that into coaching. And he certainly has at least two holdovers who can perform the function. He wants to be a great coach just like he was a tremendous player.
The fans are delighted to see him in action as a coach. He is excited for the challenge to be a coach and is looking forward for him to be in action.
“I have a lot to learn about coaching,” Kidd said. “There’s a lot of work to be done!”
“I don’t know much about the coach, but we want the Nets to become better,” said a Net’s follower who wished to remain anonymous on Flatbush Avenue near the Barclay’s Center, the home venue for the Brooklyn Nets. “They need to perform better on the court,” the fan added.
Another fan who plays out of the PS 205 Playground feels that this move was a publicity stunt.
It (the naming of Kidd as head coach) is kind of quick, spectator Chris Pitiger said after the introduction of the veteran player to the media within the venue. “Maybe he’ll be good and maybe he won’t. He only retired five days ago.”
First step is right now when the NBA conducts its annual draft at the Barclay’s Center this Thursday. As usual, a coach would say, ‘we ‘ll choose the best player available regardless of position at the time of our selection.’
