@WojYahooNBA: Y! Sources: Brooklyn is finalizing a three-year deal with Jason Kidd to be the franchise's new coach. http://t.co/7Dognoh8mA
We really need to stop underestimating the stupidity of these teams. Would feel pissed...and just like Thibs hopefully these guys get their chance and make other teams look dumb for passing up on them over and over again.
Or maybe they think Kidd would make a good head coach. Experience is not necessarily a requirement to be a good coach, especially if you surround yourself with quality assistants.
ESPECIALLY when one of the coaches that Kidd reportedly reached out to be one of his assistants is one of his former coaches, Lawrence Frank. Like you stated--if you build yourself a strong core of assistants, you can look like a genius head coach if successful.
Kidd might turn out to be a good coach. But what made them think a guy with zero track record would be a good coach? It's like naming a kid (no pun intended) fresh out of college to be the CEO of your company.
Thibs was getting offers, but he waited an extra two or three years for the right opportunity. It was a known fact that Thibs played a huge part in JVG's offense and defense as well as Doc's defense. I don't think anyone is quite sold on Ewing or Shaw. Ewing was a great player but he hasn't even been able to help big men with their games as coach. Shaw has the Triangle label, which is not very popular with GMs and hasn't proven to be successful with anyone outside of Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Kidd was pretty much a coach on the floor. Now he can do the same from the sideline. I'm just curious to see how much defense he'll instill. That will be key. Maybe he hires his two former coaches, Lawrence Frank and Avery Johnson, as his assistants?
Well, maybe if it was a kid that graduated top of his class at the Harvard School of Business. Even then it's only a so-so analogy. We know Kidd can connect with players and is universally respected in the game, we know he has a high basketball IQ, and he's been around the game forever. It's not like he has a reputation for being a guy who was lazy or who relied strictly on talent. He's someone who can connect with stars as well as role-players, having played both roles. I don't see any obvious reasons why hiring Kidd wouldn't work out. How long was Avery Johnson an assistant? A couple months? I don't think Doc Rivers had any experience when he was hired by the Magic, he won COY his first season. Larry Bird didn't have any experience on the bench and he did a great job in Indiana. As others have said, as long as Kidd surrounds himself with a quality supporting staff, I imagine he'll do fine.
Same thing that made some investor think Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates was a good investment. You look at his skill set and his background, knowledge, temperment, leadership skills, etc and project whether he'd make a good coach or not. Lots of people are hired without experience and do well. No one ever has a track record until they do.
The same can be said of Magic Johnson. It didn't turn out very well as the Lakers' head coach. Few people with no experience are hired to be the top man of an established company. 99.9% of these people work their way up. Again, I am not saying that Kidd won't work out. It is just a very big risk with little base to make that decision. Just because a guy was a great player does not make him a great coach. In fact, very few great coaches had been great players.
Magic didn't even want to coach in the first place. I don't see how hiring Kidd is any more of a risk than hiring a career assistant.
His last few years he was a benchwarmer for the Mavs and Warriors, then in 2005 he started the season as an assistant under Don Nelson and ended as the HC when Nellie resigned in March. Mike Dunleavy was a assistant coach in 89-90 and suited up as a player for five games, then became the Lakers' head coach the next year.
