Recapping Jason Kidd’s First Day as Brooklyn Nets Head Coach

Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd had a very busy first day as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Kidd spent the morning giving his thoughts on various radio programs, talking about his career as well as some goals for the team. Later on, the Nets announced that he would throw at the first pitch at a Yankees game this week and that he would be coaching the team in the Orlando summer league in July. Here are some of the key take-aways from today:

Jason Kidd wants to win 50 games every year. 

In an interview with Dan Patrick, Kidd said that one of his goals was to win 50 games every year, like the Spurs and Heat consistently do. Kidd thinks that 50 is a realistic number given the amount ownership is willing to spend and the amount of talent the team should have. Of course, this is no surprise. Every coach wants his team to win 50 games every year. Even a guy like Mo Cheeks, who was recently hired by Detroit, would say he wants to win 50 consistently.

But obviously, not every team can do this. Kidd is really just saying what ownership wants to hear. They expect the team to win 50 games next year and will accept nothing less, so Kidd has to say this. Hopefully he believes it.

Jason Kidd wants the team to focus on defense. 

This is a similar comment to the one above. Just about every coach in the league thinks that defense will be his team’s strength, but with many teams, it is not. Kidd was always a great defensive player in his career and was very smart. But will he be able to teach defense to other players? We will soon find out. The Nets have a couple of players on their roster like Marshon Brooks and Andray Blatche who are not known for their defense. It will be interesting to see how or even if Kidd uses players who are defensive liabilities.

Jason Kidd will throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. 

Gary Sussman, who is in charge of Nets PR, announced via twitter that Kidd will be throwing out the first pitch at the Yankees game this coming Wednesday. This is another move to build hype about the team next season. If you recall, the Nets sent Joe Johnson to throw out the first pitch in the Bronx before last year, the first season in Brooklyn.

Jason Kidd will try to bring in Lawrence Frank. 

Kidd has made it no secret that he wants to make Frank, his former coach, his lead assistant in Brooklyn. The question is if Frank will accept the offer. His wife has had health problems and we don’t know yet if he will want to coach at all next year. But if he does choose to come back, he will have a place on the Nets’ sidelines.

Jason Kidd will get his first coaching experience in the Orlando Summer League. 

Fortunately for the Nets and Kidd, Brooklyn will be participating in the Orlando Summer League this July, which is really meant for young, inexperienced players to get a small taste of the NBA. This should be very beneficial for Kidd, who will be coaching his ever games in Orlando. The Nets will be playing Detroit, Miami, Utah, and Houston in Orlando before “Championship Day” on July 12th, where they will play their final summer game. It is very uncommon for head coaches to coach in the summer league, but this seems like a smart move for the Nets and Kidd to get some much needed experience.