Jason Kidd’s first game as coach of the Brooklyn Nets will not be Oct. 30 when the team tips off the season in Cleveland. Nor will it be against the Heat two nights later. It will now be in Orlando on Nov. 3.
We told you this was likely coming back in July but now the league has made it official — Kidd has been suspended two games after pleading guilty to a driving while intoxicated case. This is pretty much the standard DWI suspension from the league for players and coaches.
Lead assistant coach Lawrence Frank will coach the team for those two games.
Kidd retired as a player this summer and stepped in as the head coach of the Nets in a big gamble by an organization that brought in a lot of talent but has a very short — likely one year — championship window. Kidd will have his jersey retired by the Nets on Oct. 17.
Back in the July 2012 Kidd crashed his SUV into a tree in the Hamptons in New York and was arrested for driving under the influence. Nobody was hurt injured in the incident, which is fortunate. This summer Kidd pled guilty while his attorney said the future Hall of Famer had to own up to it.
All in all, Kidd gets off pretty lightly for something that could have been far worse and more serious.