Jason Kidd – not so good at coaching.
Jason Kidd – very good at positioning himself as a candidate for coaching jobs.
The former Bucks and Nets coach has been linked to the Suns, Pistons and Warriors. Now, he’s getting mentioned with the Knicks (retroactively) and Lakers.
Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report:Another development that I’m hearing is gaining momentum, and that’s the possibility of Jason Kidd returning to the coaching ranks by succeeding Luke Walton with the Lakers.
Now, I first heard Kidd’s name connected with the Lakers a while back. Right about the time the first round of, “Is Luke Walton on the hot seat?” stories came out. And Jeanie Buss, head of the Lakers, threw a bucket of water on that seat, cooled it off. And so I tucked away the talk of Kidd and the Lakers as something at the time, simply spit-balling or connecting dots that weren’t necessarily part of the same mosaic.
Now, I know that Kidd wants to coach again. And I know he expressed interest in the Knicks job before David Fizdale ultimately got it. But wanting to be a head coach again and expressing that to people who can make it happen is not the same as being considered for one of those jobs. In the case of Jason and the Lakers, I figured it was a matter of Jason letting them know he was interested and the Lakers saying, “Thanks, we’ll get back to you.”
Well, now sources are saying that the Lakers have actually gotten back to him and that this has gone to the next level. And that if the Lakers do make a move on Luke – which, based on all of the rumblings, could happen sooner rather than later – Kidd appears to be very much in the mix and possibly is even the favorite.
Walton definitely appears to be on thin ice. Lakers president Magic Johnson and LeBron James’ camp have both been critical.
Is Jason Kidd next? Johnson appears to favor old-school coaches, and Kidd qualifies.
But this a prime job. The Lakers should do better.
Kidd has had a few good ideas as a coach. He did well with small ball with Brooklyn after falling into it, and his aggressive trapping defense was all the rage in Milwaukee for a bit. But he hasn’t shown an ability to sustain success in building relationships with players and making adjustments to his schemes. There’s no bigger indictment of Kidd than Milwaukee’s success this season without him.
It’s also a little jarring to see someone angle for a sitting coach’s job. That violates the code of many coaches. Then again, dating back to his playing career, Kidd was never a friend of coaches.
