In his story on "burning questions" for Atlantic Division teams, David Thorpe wonders "does Jason Kidd have a clue about coaching?"
While noting another (lesser) point guard, Mark Jackson, did well in his first coaching stint, Thorpe is not so sure about Kidd, and cites that old saw: how Kidd took a phone call while observing --not coaching-- a summer league game in Orlando.
"It appears Kidd has a more significant learning curve. Coaching a summer game with a cell phone (turned on, no less) in your pocket is almost the worst mistake a coach can make. Answering it is the worst. Well, although he wasn't coaching the game (assistant Eric Hughes was) when he did both, it still was surprising he would do that on the bench. There are numerous other nuances Kidd will have to learn, but he is fortunate in one respect: He has a brilliant set of players -- basketball IQ-wise -- to work with."
Well, as noted, he wasn't coaching. When he exited, the Nets summer league team was down 17-2 at the time. But what isn't noted is that the phone call in question was reportedly from Billy King with the news that Andrei Kirilenko had just agreed to join the Nets. Kidd, as also has been reported, was involved in recruting free agents and if his coaching record is as good as his texting and calling players like AK-47, Kevin Garnett and others, he'll be fine. Oh, one other thing not mentioned: he'll be assisted by coaching types with more than 30 years experience.
- NBA - Burning questions for the Atlantic Division - David Thorpe - ESPN
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Insider: Does Kidd have a clue? - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York