Ever since he’s entered the NBA league as a player, Jason Kidd has always done things his own way. He changed the basketball geometry as a passer, collected double-digit rebounds without any leaping ability and was a deadly offensive player without scoring.
When the critics objected that he has no outside shot, Kidd changed his approach to the game and shot almost exclusively from outside the three-point line or going for layups, understanding how the NBA will shift long before it actually happened.
His leadership, public relations and personal interactions were never on the same level. As a person, Kidd never emitted an image the youngs would embrace or look up to, despite his unquestioned superstar status during the playing days.
However, as a student of the game who has been fairly successful as a player and a sort of on-court assistant coach near the summit of his playing career, it was not a big surprise when he replaced the NBA jersey with a suit and immediately entered the coaching job on the highest level.
Kidd transformed the Bucks
Enhancers are more respected than innovators. There’s no doubt that Kidd brought a fresh approach to coaching with his ideas both on offense and defense. In the era when several head coaches in the NBA have dual roles and can impact the shape of their roster more, Kidd was playing with the cards dealt to him.
Once he voiced his discontent over not having enough hand in the Brooklyn Nets management operations, the results were suddenly not important. Understanding that transforming the Nets is futile without doing things his own way, Kidd packed his bags and decided to leave Brooklyn to do so with the Milwaukee Bucks.
There were many questions about his roles in the Bucks unimpressive trades, locker room behavior and late game coaching decisions. Kidd made his fair share of mistakes, and his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks wasn’t ideal. In three-plus seasons with the Bucks, he went 139-152 and reached the playoffs twice, getting bounced in the first round both times.
On the flip side, he was not afraid to shift the perspective and combine unique ideas with some old-school coaching approach. The primadonna players don’t like it, and his trial and error style cost the Bucks a fair share of ideas. Still, he was unafraid of turning a rough lanky guy into a ballhandling, fast-breaking octopus (Giannis Antetonkounmpo), create an all-switching defense that would fit his roster’s capabilities and keep the Bucks relevant even with the prized young player Parker and number one option Middleton wasting seasons with injuries.
Kidd taught these Bucks how to play differently, and this out-of-the-box style is what could bring a championship to Milwaukee. The next guy will step in and take all the good Kidd’s coaching system has brought, wrap it up in a nice package and get all the credit – similarly to what Steve Kerr did after Mark Jackson.
Firing is not by any means a failure for Jason Kidd. Where this franchise was before he got there to where they are now and where they’re going, his role cannot be overseen and forgotten.
Bucks move – proactive or not
The Bucks, who entered the season with high expectations coming off a playoff appearance while bringing the bulk of their team back, had lost four of their past five games and seven of their past 11 before the victory over the Suns on Monday night, hours after they fired Jason Kidd.
No Bucks official went into specifics of which factors contributed to Kidd’s firing, but both made it clear that the team’s performance played a huge role in making the decision. They have tried to depict the move as a proactive one – trying to anticipate forthcoming rising form to another level by further improving their coaching staff. However, it’s worth noting that they’ve acquired a new general manager last summer, and as their work is closely tied with how the coach does his job, most of new GMs like picking their own guy.
The Bucks contemplated firing Jason Kidd after the last season, so they delayed the decision to let Jon Horst settle in. Once he did, they pulled the ‘proactive’ trigger, firing Kidd and his two assistants. Another assistant coach, Joe Prunty, was promoted to an interim role he’ll serve until the end of the season, but the Bucks will likely look to sign a big name coach who can take the organization to the next level and record 50+ wins in the season.
Prunty is another leaf from the Greg Popovich coaching tree, working as a video coordinator and advanced scout with the Spurs during their 99-03-05 titles. He did a solid job stepping in for Kidd during his hip surgery recovery and has seen it all in the NBA. This is his 22nd season in the NBA and fifth team where he had served as an assistant. Prunty has had tight connections with Kidd, coaching him in Dallas and working with him in the Nets. He’ll continue to play in the same style, so the Bucks are essentially trying to remove Kidd’s character more than his coaching.
What does this mean for the Bucks and the bettors?
There are reports that Giannis Antetokounmpo tried to step in for his coach and that he was devastated by the news. He’s a good kid, still learning to swim with the sharks, but he’ll cope. For others, the news probably wasn’t as shocking. On the other hand, it’s a great short-term wake-up call. The Bucks management clearly wants more, and it’s up to the players to deliver.
Teams usually respond very well to the coach firings initially, so bettors should look for some opportunities to grab. The timing of the move shows that it was largely premeditated. The Bucks schedule in the eleven games following Kidd’s departure included playing Phoenix, Orlando, Atlanta, New York, Chicago and Brooklyn (twice). Decision makers surely wanted to look good coming to the All-Star break.
However, over time, losing Jason Kidd will turn from a gain to an actual loss. Jabari Parker will return in mid-February and Prunty, nor any other Bucks coach has the necessary bravery to handle his return without gloves. If the Bucks are serious about moving out of the first round, they can’t just copy success, they have to pave their own path. Fading them from the All-Star break onwards seems like a good idea, especially if they rise in the public eyes and market expectations change.
