Deron Williams talks about the hiring of Jason Kidd as coach
Deron Williams is the face of the Brooklyn Nets franchise and if anybody has to buy into the new coach it has to be Williams.
Williams does not have the best reputation with coaches and getting along with them but one has to think that he will be on board with this hire as he and Jason Kidd are close friends and looked to play together last summer until Brooklyn signed Mirza Teletovic and used all their cap space.
If anyone should be able to get the best out of Williams it should the Hall of Famer Kidd. They played together on the Olympics and their friendship has only grown since then.
One thing is abundantly clear with this hire – the hiring of Kidd makes it very evident that Williams will have to show up and be the superstar that Brooklyn signed last year to a 5-year 98 million contract as there will be no more excuses.
[quote_simple]Stefan Bondy NY DailyNews
“Nobody knows if he’s going to be a great coach,” Williams said Wednesday in an interview with the Daily News. “It’s going to take him a couple years to adjust. But at the same time, he could be a great coach off the bat.
“It’s a risk, but I think it’s somebody we can grow with. I think it’s somebody we’re definitely going to respect and listen to. And I’m excited about the ways he’s going to help me as a player and a leader.”
Williams grew up idolizing Kidd, learning through observation what it takes to be a true point guard, capable of dominating games without scoring.
On Wednesday, when Williams said he discovered Kidd was his new coach, the reaction was “excitement” about a former Olympic teammate who has a “basketball IQ that is just off the charts.”
“I think he’s going to be a great coach,” Williams said. “He’s probably been coaching on the floor for the last five, six years. And I’ve played with him on the Olympic team (in 2008) and saw how smart he is, saw how he was really coaching us out there.
“I think he’s been the leader everywhere he has gone. He kind of changed the culture everywhere he went and won. So that’s what we need.”
[/quote_simple]
