Forbes: Hiring Of Jason Kidd A Risky Proposition

[quote_box]Will Jason Kidd be a great coach?

Do all coaches need to be seasoned as an assistant prior to taking on their own team?

Can a Hall of Fame player step right into coaching at the highest level without head coaching experience?[/quote_box]

These are all questions that will be asked all year-long of Kidd and Billy King.

Many analysts and media folks seem to think that if anyone can make this transition smoothly it would be Kidd because of his unbelievable basketball intellect and passion for the game.

There will always be doubters, and there are quite a few right now, but if someone has the will and intensity to get something done along with the commitment from ownership, who is to say it CAN’T be done.

I, for one, think that if Kidd can get Lawrence Frank and maybe another previous head coach in the NBA to join his staff then he will ultimately be successful with the Brooklyn Nets because of the ready-made roster.  The Nets are not the Charlotte Bobcats talent wise so people need to understand that the Nets have a very good team already and simply need leadership and a voice that the players can buy into and respect.

That doesn’t mean it has to be a coaching retread who has been fired three times from coaching in the NBA that makes that happen.  Players in today’s NBA are different from players of the 80’s or 90’s and have a bigger voice in how things are done.  Superstars have input in today’s game and with that coaches need to give and take a bit more to succeed.

Deron Williams should be the biggest benefactor in the Kidd hiring as Williams respects Kidd more than most coaches and if Kidd can find a way to get more from his leader then everyone in the Nets organization will benefit.

I think Kidd will do just fine with the Nets and they will win more games than they did this year and have a much stronger will to win and winning mentality under his leadership.

[quote_simple] Forbes

That trait will help him with the players, according to Jed Hughes, vice chair of Korn/Ferry and a pioneer in the field of sports executive search. “In the locker room, he’ll be more respected (than P.J.). But, strategically, he won’t be at the same skill level,’’ Hughes said.

For Kidd to be successful, Hughes said the hiring of his assistant coaches will be crucial. “First of all, the GM (general manager Billy King) has to believe in him. As a first-time coach, he’ll need a veteran staff. That will be the most important piece for him. He’s obviously a leader, understands the game and knows how to win,” Hughes explained.

In what could a role reversal as to how most NBA teams operate, Kidd could be the good cop to the players with the veteran assistants being more of the taskmasters and disciplinarians. With experienced head coaches, they lay down the laws and younger assistants closer to the players’ ages soften the message.

It’s not the classic model. “It’s very unusual,” admitted Hughes, who wouldn’t definitively say whether he thought it would work or not. “It’s to be determined. But it’s definitely not a slam dunk,” he said.[/quote_simple]