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Jason Kidd instructed Nets player to knock over his drink so they could get an extra timeout (Video)

November 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jason Kidd drinkJason Kidd has been criticized this season for his shortcomings as a first-year head coach, but he pulled out an ultimate veteran move on Wednesday.

Kidd’s Brooklyn Nets were trailing the Los Angeles Lakers 96-94, and Jodie Meeks was at the free throw line for his second attempt. The Nets were out of timeouts, but Kidd wanted a second to draw up a final play for his team.

Following Meeks’ first free throw, Kidd instructed Tyshawn Taylor to bump into him so that he would intentionally spill the drink he was holding. Taylor obliged, and Kidd spilled part of his drink on the floor. The referees thought it was an innocent mistake and had someone come out to clean up the mess.

Not only did Kidd then have a chance to meet with some of his players, but he also caused a delay between free throws — kind of like icing Meeks. He didn’t get an official timeout, but close to it.

Kidd’s tactics didn’t work out — Meeks made the free throw and Paul Pierce missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer — but it was a genius trick he pulled out of his hat.

This is actually nothing new for Kidd. Last year he stuck his leg out to draw a foul on a 3-pointer against the Nets and got the call. Three years ago he ran into Mike Woodson during a Mavericks-Hawks game that resulted in a technical called on Woodson and an extra free throw for the Mavs.

Kidd may have a lot to learn about making adjustments and coaching in terms of day-to-day preparation, but when it comes to in-game tactics, few are sharper than he is.

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Report: Jason Kidd and Lawrence Frank having friction

November 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jason KiddJason Kidd and Lawrence Frank are having some friction on the Brooklyn Nets’ coaching staff amid the team’s struggles this season, according to a report.

The Nets lost by 30 points to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday and have been a disappointment this season, going just 3-9. They were expected to contend for the Eastern Conference title, but they’ve had a poor start to the season. Now, Kidd, who is in his first year as a coach of any kind, is being ripped apart for his inabilities.

The New York Daily News says “there is some friction between the two longtime friends.”

A person who knows both told the Daily News’ Frank Isola that “something has changed between them.”

It would be hard for there not to be friction or tension on a coaching staff where there is talk about people potentially getting fired, so I wouldn’t panic too much over this report.

The Nets took a risk by hiring Kidd, who retired as a player after last season and never had any coaching experience, for a playoff-ready team. They figured that he could surround himself with top assistant coaches who had more experience with the daily requirements of being an NBA head coach while he caught up to speed. That plan has blown up in their face so far.

Kidd has admitted to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski this week that it can all be “overwhelming.”

I think the Nets need to relax and give Kidd time to see this through. They hired him knowing things could be bumpy to start the season, and they should not hold the last four losses against him since they essentially were without Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. They should also realize that Andrei Kirilenko has been out with a back injury.

Now if the Nets don’t start winning a few weeks after getting their whole team back healthy, then they should be seriously concerned.

H/T Beyond the Buzzer

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Jason Kidd leans to Joe Johnson taking last shot for Brooklyn Nets

September 25, 2013 By 4 Comments

Joe Johnson NetsThe Brooklyn Nets have a star-filled roster this season, but head coach Jason Kidd believes Joe Johnson might be the team’s closer.

Kidd cited statistics when saying that Johnson might be the guy to get the final shot for the team, though he thinks the most important thing is to make the best basketball play.

“Well, if you’re into analytics, you would look at Joe Johnson as the clear-cut, of the guy taking the last-second shot. He was 9 for 10 with 24 seconds or less, so that would be your guy that could, who’s the closer,” Kidd said Tuesday, per The Brooklyn Game.

“But the game of basketball is something that, you put five guys out there and you draw up a play for your- for one player, most of the time it doesn’t end up being that one guy taking that shot. He creates a problem, which results in one of his teammates getting a wide open look, and make or miss, it’s the right basketball play. So for us, it’s about making the right basketball play at the end. But if you’re looking at stats, which a lot of you guys do, Joe Johnson is the name that comes first.”

In addition to Johnson, the Nets have proven stars like Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry. All of those players are talented and have shown over the years that they can deliver at the end of games (some to more of an extent than others).

Maybe the stats are in Johnson’s favor, but I’m not sure he’s a better end-of-game option than Williams or Garnett. My guess is things will change depending on the situation.

Chest bump to Beyond the Buzzer

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Jay-Z reportedly selling his stake in Brooklyn Nets to Jason Kidd

September 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jay-Z-Jason-KiddJason Kidd is the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets and spent more than six seasons with the team as a player. Now, he is reportedly taking his investment in the team to the next level.

According to the NY Post’s Page Six, Jay-Z is selling his minority ownership stake in the Nets to Kidd for roughly $500,000. Jay-Z, who has broken into the world of sports agency, owned 1/15th of a percent of the team. The move was reportedly pushed for by the team’s other owners.

“Other owners want to give Jason a part ownership of the team, and urged Jay to sell his shares to him,” a source reportedly told Page Six.

Interestingly enough, the Post also noted that it was Kidd who helped convince Jay-Z to become involved with the Nets in 2003 when Kidd was a star point guard for the then-New Jersey Nets. Now that Roc Nation is looking to represent professional sports stars like Robinson Cano and Kevin Durant — and even a certain college superstar — the relationship between Jay-Z and Kidd has seemingly come full circle.

UPDATE: According to NetsDaily, Jay-Z is selling half of his shares to Kidd and the other half to one of the Nets’s current minority owners.

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Jason Kidd confident Jason Collins will find a job, can help someone

August 26, 2013 By 1 Comment

Jason CollinsJason Collins is still without a job about two months from the start of the NBA season, but his former teammate Jason Kidd thinks he’ll end up with a team.

Kidd is the current coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and the two were teammates on the Nets for seven seasons from 2001-2008. Kidd values his former teammate and says the franchise even talked about the possibility of signing the free agent center, though they ultimately elected not to.

The Nets currently have a full roster, but Kidd believes Collins has a lot to offer.

“His knowledge as a veteran . . . can help a young team,” Kidd said of Collins, via Newsday. “He’ll find a job at some point.”

In April, Collins became the first male athlete in major professional US sports to announce he is gay. Even before he made his announcement, Collins’ chances of getting a job this season seemed slim. He is 34 and not much more than a big-bodied center who can provide a few minutes of solid defense. He’ll likely only be picked up if a team has an injury and needs someone to fill in.

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Jason Kidd takes Scottie Pippen over LeBron James in all-time starting five

June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jason KiddAnother day, another NBA legend who would not take LeBron James if he was starting a team with five players. On Friday morning, Jason Kidd appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show” to discuss his new head coaching gig with the Brooklyn Nets. Somewhere along the line, he got to discussing who he thinks are the best players in NBA history.

Kidd was asked the same question Patrick asked Karl Malone last week about naming an all-time starting five. He went with John Stockton at point guard, Michael Jordan at the two-guard, Scottie Pippen at small forward, Tim Duncan at power forward and Shaquille O’Neal at center. The decision to choose Pippen seemed to take Kidd the longest, and naturally he was asked about leaving LeBron out.

“Lebron…I mean I could play him at (center),” Kidd responded, before Patrick told him he would take Hakeem Olajuwon over Shaq. “Listen, Hakeem is not bad and I’m leaving LeBron off right now. Those are two Hall of Fame guys and you can easily say they’re the best at their position.”

Given all the Hall of Famers that have played at each position, naming an all-time starting five is impossible to do without leaving some guys out. There were some similarities between Kidd’s starting five and the five choices Malone made, but at least Jason included Jordan.

As far as LeBron and Pippen are concerned, it’s important to remember that James is only 28 years old and could end up winning his second championship within the next week or so. If nothing else, Kidd’s and Malone’s decision to include Pippen shows the level of respect former players have for Scottie as being more than just MJ’s sidekick. Dennis Rodman, on the other hand, may take his argument a bit too far.

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Jason Kidd reportedly will be next Brooklyn Nets coach

June 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jason KiddJason Kidd will be the next basketball coach of the Brookly Nets, according to multiple reports. The team interviewed Brian Shaw for the job on Wednesday but informed him that he will not get the position, per ESPN LA’s Ramona Shelburne.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, Kidd will get a three-year deal with the possibility of a fourth year as an option. The team is expected to hold a press conference this week to announce the news.

The Nets fired Avery Johnson during the season and opted not to bring back interim coach P.J. Carlesimo.

Kidd, 40, recently announced his retirement as a player and will step right in to coach. He played for the Nets from 2001-2008 and led the franchise to consecutive NBA Finals appearances.

What will be interesting to see is how Kidd works with Deron Williams, whom many blamed for the Johnson firing. At the time, Kidd said Williams’ shooting was the problem, not the team’s offensive system.

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