A Hall of Famer has been interviewed for the Knicks head coach position. But it's not a Hall of Fame coach.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Lakers have granted the Knicks permission to interview assistant coach Jason Kidd for their head coach position. Brad Turner of the LA Times added that Kidd already spoke to the Knicks last Friday, and hopes to have an in-person interview before the NBA season restarts in Orlando.
While some Knicks fans might get excited about the prospect of hiring someone with the star power of Jason Kidd and everything that goes along with his notoriety, there should be an abundance of caution in hiring someone that has already been with three organizations in only six seasons as a coach. Kidd's history is problematic and the results he has had as a coach aren't good enough to overshadow those risks.
Kidd became head coach of the Nets the year after he played his final season with the New York Knicks. He won five fewer games than Avery Johnson and PJ Carlesimo did the year prior, despite the Nets acquiring aging stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. After his lone season with the Nets, Kidd attempted a coup to take over the Nets basketball operations. It failed and he was sent to the Bucks in exchange for a pair of second-round draft picks.
Kidd's playing career was also often surrounded by drama and controversy. He feuded with teammates shortly after he was drafted by the Mavericks. His domestic abuse case forced him out of Phoenix. He demanded a trade from the Nets when the team began to struggle. It was rarely smooth sailing.
Shortly after he was hired by the Brooklyn Nets, Kidd was arrested and plead guilty to a drunk driving charge on Long Island. As a head coach in Brooklyn, he quickly turned on Lawrence Frank, whom he convinced the Nets front office to make one of the highest-paid top assistants in the NBA. He quickly demoted Frank in December after reportedly berating him for being too vocal on the bench.
Kidd's time in Milwaukee was relatively controversy free, but his results weren't very good. In three-and-a-half seasons coaching the Milwaukee Bucks, they went 139-152 and never got out of the first round of the playoffs. He was fired midway through his fourth season with a 23-22 record.
The following season, with the same core members of the roster, Mike Budenholzer went 61-21. They also finished with the top defensive rating in the league. The previous three seasons under Kidd (including his half season), they finished ranked 22nd, 19th and 25th in defensive rating. The addition of Brook Lopez can't explain such large disparities.
There are indications that Jason Kidd left on good terms with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who did reach star status in Kidd's final year.
"He was a big part of my success," Antetokounmpo said. "He trusted me, he put the ball in my hands, he motivated me on a daily basis, he pushed me to be great and not to be mediocre.
"I was 19 when he came and he said he was going to put the ball in my hands. The first time I wasn't ready. I told him, 'Coach, I'm not ready to create and make plays for the team.' He said, 'OK, we're going to take our time.' The next year, he put the ball in my hands and I was ready.
"But coming from a guy like Jason Kidd is big. He's going to end up—whatever, if he got fired or not—he's going to end up in the Hall of Fame. Having Jason Kidd as our coach was big."
Jason Kidd told ESPN's Ramona Shelbourne that Antetokounmpo offered to call ownership on his behalf to try to save his job. Steve Popper from Newsday is reporting that some teams see Kidd as a way to lure Antetokounmpo as a free agent in 2021.
Given the uncertainty of free agency, which has plagued the Knicks for the past two decades, choosing to hire Kidd with it in mind would be foolish. The Knicks should hire someone because they are a good coach, not because they might be able to help lure a star here next offseason. It would be the repeat of the type of mistakes the Knicks consistently make over and over again.
After being fired by the Bucks, many felt Kidd was publicly angling for the Lakers coaching job before Luke Walton was fired. Since being hired as a Lakers assistant coach, it appears as though Kidd is learning from his past issues. It seems as though his adjustment as one of Frank Vogel's assistants with the Lakers has gone smoothly.
In a story back in December by The Athletic's Bill Oram, Vogel had nothing but good things to say about Kidd. Vogel was asked about the rumors Kidd would try to undermine him the moment he was brought on as an assistant.
"We've joked about it," Vogel said. "There's a healthy respect and trust. That has really, from Day 1 been a non-issue."
"He's carrying out an assistant coaching role," Vogel added. "Doing the scouts, working with the video guys, preparing the film and the scouting reports and contributing to … the pulse of the team as a whole. And he's brought great suggestions to the table in all areas of our decision-making process.
"We've worked hard from the beginning to make sure we were establishing not only a working relationship together but a friendship, which has been fantastic and a real bright spot to my season," Vogel said. "And I think we're both, just both in a great place with what we're trying to accomplish as a tandem and as a coaching staff here."
According to Oram's reporting, players also had good things to say about Kidd.
"He's very critical of my game and critiques me, constructive criticism, and I accept it coming from one of the best guards ever to play the game," Rajon Rondo said. "He's always straightforward and honest with me."
"He doesn't act like Jason Kidd at all," guard Quinn Cook said. "That's how everybody is here. Everybody is real humble, down to earth. He doesn't brag about what he's done in his career. You know how older guys love to tell their stories, and he's like the most humble person you've ever met."
Vogel also said in that same story that Kidd admitted to him that "he skipped steps in terms" of going from a player to head coach with not work as an assistant in between. Kidd looks like he might be figuring things out as he gets more experience as a coach.
The Knicks can't take the chance that he hasn't. Kidd has too long of a history of controversy and other issues that have plagued the Knicks far too often for the last 20 seasons. Their next coach needs to be boring and successful. He needs to be controversy free. Kidd has been neither. Does that mean Kidd can't be a very good coach someday? No, but the Knicks shouldn't be the team to take the chance that he will. He isn't a safe selection, which is something the Knicks desperately need.
Jason Kidd, next head coach of the Knicks? Hard pass.
Schmeelk's Snippets
- The Knicks received permission from the Mavericks to interview assistant coach Jamahl Mosley to be their next head coach, according to multiple reports. He has served as Carlisle's assistant since 2014 and has been the team's defensive coordinator since the 2018-2019 season. He is known to be fond of analytics. Ian Begley of SNY reported that he is seen as a rising star as an assistant by other organizations, and is able to connect with younger players while also holding them accountable at the same time. He is one of the better options amongst the assistant coaches the Knicks have interviewed,
Don't forget to check out my most recent episode of The Bank Shot, my Knicks podcast. The latest episode is with Steve Popper, Knicks Beat Reporter from Newsday. You can listen to it here. You can subscribe to the Bank on most podcast platforms. Find it on Apple Podcasts here.
