Jason Kidd's Competence Quickly Becoming Brooklyn Nets' Biggest Question Mark

[Big Bid'Ness]

From:Bleacherreport
 

Jason Kidd's Competence Quickly Becoming Brooklyn Nets' Biggest Question Mark

BROOKLYN — In an audacious offseason of binge-spending and headline-grabbing, the boldest, riskiest move the Brooklyn Nets made was the one that started it all.
 
On June 12, the Nets hired Jason Kidd—just days removed from his retirement as a point guard—as their head coach, in the belief that his Hall of Fame basketball mind would be just as effective on the bench as it was on the court.
 
The trade that would bring Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn, boosting the Nets’ profile and luxury-tax bill, would not be hatched for another two weeks. Kidd would play a key role, helping convince his two former peers to accept the trade. The sales job was rather straightforward: Come lead us to a championship.
 
The deal turned the Nets into contenders and placed Kidd in a precarious position: as a rookie head coach charged with fusing six All-Stars, two of them in their late 30s, into a cohesive, title-contending team.
 
The extent of that challenge, and the strain, was clear late Monday night at Barclays Center, as Kidd tried to account for a 108-98 thumping by the Portland Trail Blazers, the Nets’ seventh loss in 10 games.
 
“Just bad coaching,” Kidd said, his paisley tie hanging loose, his face unshaven and his eyes reddish. “I take the blame for this.”
 
Kidd did not elaborate, other than to say his team was not properly prepared for the second half, in which the Nets were outscored 52-35.
 
It is surely too soon to judge Kidd’s coaching acumen, but it is fair to wonder whether he was ready for this job, on this
 
stage, with these weighty expectations.
A veteran scout, interviewed earlier in the day and speaking on the condition of anonymity, called Kidd’s bench comportment “terrible,” observing that the play-calling has fallen mostly to his top assistants, Lawrence Frank and John Welch.
 
“He doesn’t do anything,” said the scout, who has watched the Nets several times. “He doesn’t make calls. John Welch does all the offense. Lawrence does all the defense. … I don’t know what Kidd does. I don’t think you can grade him and say he’s bad. You can give him an incomplete.”
 
The same scout said he had counted only 15 plays run by the Nets in the games he has watched. Multiple observers have noted that the Nets offense lacks any discernible flow, as if the stars are all simply taking turns with the ball.
 
Last week, ESPN’s David Thorpe, who also works as a skills coach to a number of NBA players, called Kidd “the worst coach in the NBA.”
 

 
Welp

 

[Pugz]

my coy prediction was vedy vedy wrong

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I said it when they hired him. Hiring a guy with zero coaching background to coach that veteran team made zero sense.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

I can imagine there were some experienced coaches out there looking for a job this offseason who were like "yo, what the fuck" when he got hired. 

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I mean, he is Jason Kidd. If say the Kings had hired him, I wouldn't have that much trouble with it. Same deal with Mark Jackson in Golden State. He goes to a team he can grow with. But the Nets don't have time to grow, their window could close tomorrow.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

A veteran scout, interviewed earlier in the day and speaking on the condition of anonymity, called Kidd’s bench comportment “terrible,” observing that the play-calling has fallen mostly to his top assistants, Lawrence Frank and John Welch.

“He doesn’t do anything,” said the scout, who has watched the Nets several times. “He doesn’t make calls. John Welch does all the offense. Lawrence does all the defense. … I don’t know what Kidd does. I don’t think you can grade him and say he’s bad. You can give him an incomplete.”

The same scout said he had counted only 15 plays run by the Nets in the games he has watched.

 

[Fuhgeddaboudit]

Lol he doesn't do anything