Devastating Report Makes Jason Kidd Sound Like A Disaster As Coach Of Brooklyn Nets
Now it looks like things are getting worse, as rookie coach and former star player Jason Kidd is losing control of the locker room, according to a report from Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:
The Nets had tried to be supportive of Kidd, but patience is running low on the belief he can deliver the structure and organization desperately needed. As the Nets have devolved into chaos, Kidd has increasingly isolated himself within the locker room and organization, sources told Yahoo Sports. From management to players, Kidd has shown an inability to manage crisis and keep the respect of his players.
What's more, Wojnarowski's sources say that the players knew the supposed success of Kidd's "simplified defense" was "nonsense"; that players say they don't understand their roles; that the coaching staff pleaded with Kidd not to demote assistant coach Lawrence Frank and that they're not sure how to survive without him.
This isn't the first we've heard this about Kidd either.
One NBA scout ripped him apart in November and said he was utterly dependent on his assistants, and that was before he demoted Frank.
Kidd's most famous coaching moment was trying to delay the game by spilling soda on the court and earning himself a $50,000 fine.
Admittedly, Nets have dealt with injuries including the season-ending broken foot of center Brook Lopez, but this sounds like a disaster.
Grantland's Bill Simmons writes on Twitter that he keeps hearing that "a big stickler for the Nets vets with Kidd is that he doesn't work hard."
Simmons also writes, however, that "Nets will fire [general manager] Billy King before they fire Kidd. He's the one who hired Kidd and made all these trades. Kidd will be the no. 2 fall guy."
Of course the Nets wouldn't even have such high expectations or, perhaps, even a new stadium in Brooklyn if the team had not become the vanity project of mega billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov - and no one knows how he will deal with this unexpected delay to his championship plans.