It all started on Saturday when Kidd demanded from the Nets' front office that he should be placed above General Manager Billy King in the hierarchy of the club. This would see him take charge of the basketball operations side of the club, as well as being the head coach. In the NBA currently, there are four head coaches who have those powers, Gregg Popovich (Spurs), Doc Rivers (Clippers), Stan van Gundy (Pistons) and Flip Saunders (Timberwolves). Between them, these four coaches have 58 years of NBA coaching experience, as well as a lot of years racked up at NCAA and Armed Forces teams. Kidd has one season under his belt at the Nets, which resulted in limited success considering how much money has been put into the side. It's easy to see why he wasn't granted such powers.
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| Jason Kidd has made some poor decisions in his career, will joining Milwaukee be one of them? |
Another reason why Kidd was reportedly unhappy was the contract he was signed to. Despite Brooklyn not being afraid to splash the cash, they didn't indulge too much off the court. Kidd was to be paid $10 million over 4 years, a fair sum for a rookie coach. However, fellow rookie head coach Derek Fisher, has just been paid $25 million for 5 years at the New York Knicks, a contract that is worth double per year. Still, Kidd was earning more than Frank Vogel (Pacers) and Mark Jackson (ex Warriors coach) who arguably had better seasons than the Nets (ignoring the fact that Jackson got fired of course). Evidently this wasn't enough for Kidd, who is now reportedly going to sign a contract worth $4-5 million per year, which is more on par with fellow rookie head coaches, like Steve Kerr (current Warriors coach) and the aforementioned Fisher.
This move has caused repercussions throughout the franchise, particularly with the free agency period beginning yesterday. Shaun Livingston has already left the Nets to sign with the Warriors. Although he stated the main reason he left was due to the Nets not offering a satisfactory contract, he said the Jason Kidd's situation "didn't help matters". Livingston may only be a role player, but the loss could affect the Nets next season. Another player on the free agency market this year is Paul Pierce, and there are rumours that he may be looking for a way out of Brooklyn, having being linked to a reunion with Doc Rivers, out in L.A. It is currently not known whether other free agents, such as Alan Anderson and Andray Blatche will follow suit in searching elsewhere for a contract. The worst situation for Brooklyn is that a superstar, such as Deron Williams or Joe Johnson, leaves the club due to the current instability. However, such moves could be fought against by appointing a new head coach as soon as possible.
Enter Lionel Hollins. The former Memphis Grizzlies head coach has reportedly talked to Nets GM Billy King about taking over the reigns of King's team. Hollins had a fairly successful career at the Grizzlies, leaving with a winning record after his 5 seasons there, guiding them to the conference finals in the 2012-13 season. Many fans were aggrieved to see him leave, believing he'd done a good job at the franchise, and deserved a big contract to thank him. The irony of the situation is that in December, after the Nets had a poor start to the season, there were talks of replacing Kidd, with Hollins one of the favourites to take the job. However, the Nets hung on to Kidd and now, nearly 7 months on, they've gone full circle and are trying to sign Hollins again, with the deal likely to be complete a deal in the next couple of days. If they're unable to acquire Hollins, other options are open to them, most notably Mark Jackson and former Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl, both men who can control a squad, and gain the players' respect.
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| Lionel Hollins could be the man to replace Kidd with his impressive mangerial record. |
It will be interesting to see how Jason Kidd does at Milwaukee. He will be going from the side that spent the most on player contracts in 2013/14 to a team who spent nearly half of the $102.3 million put in by Brooklyn. On the plus side, he gets to work with young, promising players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and 2014's number 2 pick Jabari Parker. Also, he's already friends with the new co-owner of the Bucks, Marc Lasry, meaning he may get some leniency from the front office. But the job isn't going to be plain sailing. He is now in charge of the team who had the worst record in the 2013/14 league, and one of the worst records in NBA history. The Bucks were near the bottom in points scored (28th in the league) and points conceded (25th), and seemed incapable of rebounding (24th). Jason Kidd has one hell of a task on his hands.
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