Former Brooklyn Nets Head Coach Jason Kidd Is Flourishing

Are the Nets too quick to let go of great things? History beckons once again in proving so.

May 18, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd reacts against the / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Upon acquiring one of the best duos to ever do it, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Brooklyn Nets set out to win a championship in the 2013-14 season. To lead the Nets at head coach to accomplish this feat was a familiar face this franchise was used to. Brooklyn welcomed back Jason Kidd, who this time, was going to be a rookie head coach. Kidd was bestowed with a roster that accumulated a lot of playoff experience prior to the season, especially the starters. A catastrophic injury to the Nets' leading scorer that season, Brook Lopez, forced Kidd to improvise.

On his way to a 44-38 record in the season and a second round exit at the hands of the Miami Heat, the Nets still dismissed the first year head coach for falling short of their expectations. Kidd then took his talents to the Milwaukee Bucks were he was instrumental in developing Giannis Antetokounmpo's involvement in the offense. The Bucks dismissed him there as well in 2018 and suddenly the Nets franchise assist leader would find himself in Dallas as their new head coach in 2021.

In Kidd's first year as head coach for the Mavericks, he led them all the way to the Western Conference Finals, defeating the Phoenix Suns who had the best record in the NBA and taking responsibility for the Utah Jazz blowing up along the way. Today, Kidd finds himself in the Western Conference Finals again for a second time in three years, eliminating the Western Conference first seed Oklahoma City Thunder and the star studded Los Angeles Clippers along the way.

It's time to give credit where credit is due for the former Nets head coach. Brooklyn should have not given up on Kidd after just one season, especially with that season being his first as head coach. It also appears that Kidd has a better relationship with Kyrie Irving than Steve Nash when he was the head coach of the Nets when Irving was playing for Brooklyn. One time Nash could't get a hold of Irving when he went missing for the Nets.

Steve Nash doesn’t know why Kyrie Irving is out tonight, but he is hoping everything is OK. pic.twitter.com/m0bytoDBne

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) January 8, 2021

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