Brooklyn Nets: Jason Kidd will only work as coach if stars sign on

The Brooklyn Nets are in search of a new head coach following the departure of Kenny Atkinson. Could Jason Kidd be the man for the job?

Marc Stein of the New York Times dropped some important news about the Brooklyn Nets head coaching search, as former Nets player and coach Jason Kidd is on the shortlist thus far.

Kidd was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets prior to the 2013-14 season immediately after his storied career as a player and took over a roster that eventually featured Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Brook Lopez.

At the time, it was viewed as a great decision, as Williams looked up to the point guard growing up, so Kidd would be able to develop a great relationship with him and pass down some of his IQ to one of the best floor generals in the league at the time.

However, injuries really took its toll on Williams that season and his performance suffered significantly as a result.

Kidd’s tenure as a head coach also got off to a real rough start, as his team sputtered to a sub .500 record in December, and he reassigned his once head coach and then-head assistant coach Lawrence Frank to “doing daily reports” due to a difference in philosophies.

There was a growing concern at the time that Kidd didn’t have what it took to be a head coach in the league at the time, and his actions only justified the narrative that he was power-hungry and difficult to deal with.

However, Kidd’s leadership helped turn the Nets around from a 10-21 team at the end of December to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 44-38.

Kidd had a lot to sort out with his aging roster, though. Especially with the season-ending loss of Lopez.

Kidd really tinkered with his roster and made moves that weren’t always popular, as he shifted Garnett to the center position despite being vocal about not liking the idea of shifting there at all.

Furthermore, he shifted Pierce to the power forward spot despite being severely undersized for the position. To Pierce’s credit, however, he held opponents to just 35.3 percent shooting and forced a turnover on 25.9 percent of post-up plays that were finished against him.

Those moves really helped turn this team around, as the mobility of Garnett and Mason Plumlee at the center position allowed this team to play faster, and Pierce’s ability to stretch the floor at power forward opened up the floor for Williams, Johnson and Shaun Livingston to do their damage in the mid-range or on drives to the paint.

If it wasn’t for Kidd’s willingness to experiment and try something new, then this team may not have even reached the playoffs.

Kidd ultimately sought more power within the organization, as he wanted to take over as the general manager and unseat Billy King. That led to a rift between him and the ownership group at the time, as Kidd was ultimately dealt (yes, he was dealt as a head coach) to the Milwaukee Bucks for two second-round picks.

Kidd inherited a team that came off a league-worst 15-67 record but included a guy by the name of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who you may have heard of.

Kidd wasted no time, as he was able to guide the Bucks to a 41-41 record the very next season, and finished third in Coach of the Year voting.

During his time in Milwaukee, the Hall-of-Famer worked tirelessly with Antetokounmpo and developed a great relationship with the reigning MVP, and if it wasn’t for him, Antetokounmpo may not currently be able to call himself the reigning MVP.

While Kidd has had some success as a head coach in the league thus far, there does come the possibility that he may want more power within the organization eventually, or he could butt heads with the wrong people that creates drama that can hinder team success.

However, it could’ve just been that at the time he didn’t like where the Nets were headed, so he either wanted a promotion to fix the situation his way or get out to a new opportunity where he could have the impact he was seeking.

This time around though, ownership has changed, and Sean Marks has a pretty good idea of what he’s doing, as he was the one that was able to bring in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant despite facing extremely long odds when he first took over this team in 2016, so Kidd may shy away from stepping on the wrong toes.

His relationship with Irving, and the fact that Irving grew up a Nets fan while growing up in New Jersey and idolizing Kidd could also make for a favorable situation this time around.

In all likeliness, there are better candidates out there to take over the head coaching spot for the Nets, but if Irving and Durant vouch for Kidd to become the next head coach, then I’ll be all for it.

After all, it feels destined that Jason Kidd is a part of the Nets’ first-ever NBA championship in some capacity, as he’s the only guy that has ever led this team to an NBA Finals, and if it wasn’t for his contributions, this team may not have ever reached the Finals.