Jason Kidd retired from his playing career on June 3 after 19 years in the league but is wasting no time to get back to work in the NBA. Kidd is interested in the head coach vacancy with the Brooklyn Nets and discussions have already reached the top level of the organization, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.
Jason Kidd ‘pursuing’ Brooklyn Nets’ coaching job, according to report
Jason Kidd retired from his playing career but is ready to take on his next challenge in the league as he is pursuing the Nets’ head coaching position.
Of the three players who went directly from playing to coaching success without a stop in the assistant ranks, Kidd is most reminiscent of Bird. He is on Bird’s level in terms of greatness. He has the individual records, the three trips to the Finals, the championship; the two Olympic gold medals, the staggering turnaround of a moribund franchise. Jackson and Rivers were great players. They were not on Kidd’s level. Kidd’s value is in his knowledge of the game, but also in his desire and his unwillingness to accept less in his teammates. A stare alone from the great man’s eyes could have an effect that a rant from Scott Skiles would not achieve. He is, after all, Jason Kidd.
Kidd has no previous coaching experience but has already begun piecing together a coaching staff that could help him overcome the steep learning curve for first-time coaches. Kidd and Nets star point guard Deron Williams share the same agent and have a "strong relationship," according to Wojnarowski.
Brian Shaw has previously been reported as the front-runner for the Nets' coaching vacancy.
Kidd played for the Nets while they were in New Jersey from 2001-2008. He led the Nets to two NBA Finals but was unable to capture a title with the franchise. After leaving the Nets he played for both the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks, capturing his first NBA championship with Dallas in 2011.
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