Jason Kidd Breaks Unwritten Rule To Become Bucks Head Coach

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2014/06/30/jason-kidd-larry-drew-fired-coach-milwaukee-bucks-brooklyn-nets/11805271/



Jason Kidd breaks unwritten rule to become Bucks coach
Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports 8:50 p.m. EDT June 30, 2014




NBA coaches are in a rare fraternity. They want to defeat each other in every game but don't want opposing coaches to lose their jobs.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been outspoken about the number of coaches who have lost jobs the past two seasons.

"There were 13 job openings last year, and now it's reaching almost double digits again this year," Spoelstra said at the conclusion of the Eastern Conference finals. "It's absurd."


That's part of the league and always will be, to some degree. Coaches are hired to be fired. They know that.

But what happened between Jason Kidd, the Milwaukee Bucks and Larry Drew is a different scenario — a coach with a job (Kidd with the Brooklyn Nets) going after a job that is not open (Drew with the Bucks). What is the reaction when a fellow coach is the reason for another coach's firing?

One person intimately involved with coaching searches and hires said actively pursuing a job that isn't available is something you simply don't do. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the Bucks transactions. The person also said it's fine to do due diligence about a job that could open but that's as far it should go.

That's why ESPN/ABC analyst and former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy declines to address coaching jobs where his name has been mentioned. He doesn't like when his name is mentioned for a job that is already taken, thinking it is disrespectful and a disservice to the current coach.


It's why he declined to call a Knicks game earlier this season when his name was mentioned as possible replacement for Mike Woodson — when Woodson still was the coach.

Bottom line: Van Gundy is sensitive to a difficult and unstable job and has respect for the people doing it. There are only 30 of them and when open, they are in high demand. If a job is open, maybe Van Gundy will listen but he doesn't want to be known as a guy going after taken jobs. It's a bad look.

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is in a unique position. He coached Kidd, considers him a friend but is also president of the NBA Coaches Association. In a text message to USA TODAY Sports, Carlisle played it down the middle.

"This is a byproduct of a dynamic and highly competitive multibillion dollar business," Carlisle said. "We view this as an aberrational transaction between two teams that is unlikely to happen again soon."


Reggie Miller        ✔ @ReggieMillerTNT
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What did Larry Drew ever do to anybody?? Look Owners can hire n fire whoever they want, in this case, BAD BUSINESS!
5:25 PM - 30 Jun 2014


Reggie Miller        ✔ @ReggieMillerTNT
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Hope Bucks always draft well, going be tough to get top flight Free Agents to roll thru. #LoyaltyLove #BrothersKeeper
5:27 PM - 30 Jun 2014



Maybe he's right. It was unusual. Kidd wanted more power in Brooklyn, didn't get it and had the connections in Milwaukee with new owner Marc Lasry to get the Bucks job. Messy as it was — the Bucks owners are to blame for missteps — it was over quickly. The new owners also apologized to Larry Drew, who will be without a job but will receive a buyout payment.

It can be argued the Lasry and Wesley Edens are doing what they think is best for Bucks and trying to lift the franchise out of the rut it has been. They want more than the eighth seed and first-round playoff exit.

They have resources and want to use them on the Bucks, and they just drafted Jabari Parker with the No. 2 overall pick. If this had gone smoother, maybe the Bucks would be receiving compliments for landing Kidd and Parker and starting a new era of Bucks basketball with promise.

As for Kidd, he has work to do — not only with the Bucks, but also with other coaches, some of whom might not be thrilled that one coach lost a job in Kidd's power play.




bob
MY NOTE: To be honest, I don't know why free agents would care about this...


.

Milwaukee seems to be one of the few teams (if not the only one) that could take the punch out of drafting Jabari Parker.

Sam

Did I read on the ESPN scroll Kidd was swapped for draft picks?! Please tell me I read that wrong, but I swear that's what I saw last night. I thought you couldn't do that ala Doc/LAC.

db

2 second round picks I heard...

I think Kidd is a crummy coach and don't expect him to do well with the Bucks.

dbrown4 wrote:Did I read on the ESPN scroll Kidd was swapped for draft picks?!  Please tell me I read that wrong, but I swear that's what I saw last night.  I thought you couldn't do that ala Doc/LAC.  

db

This can be done but Milwaukee and Brooklyn are not allowed to make any other transactions between the two of them until 7/1/15.