Denver assistant next for Kidd's staff?

Stefan Bondy and Tim Bontemps tweeted Sunday that the man who sat next to Jason Kidd in Orlando is likely to join the Nets staff as an assistant. Former Nuggets assistant John Welch, 50, sat with Kidd and Lawrence Frank during the Nets' summer league game vs. the Pistons.

Strong indications here that the Nets are adding former Nuggets assistant John Welch will be joining Kidd's staff. He was on bench 2night.

— Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) July 8, 2013

John Welch sat next to Kidd on the bench the whole game and was involved in every huddle. Expecting him to eventually be named to staff.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) July 8, 2013

Howard Beck later reported, Welch "is expected to be named to the staff soon."

Welch has been George Karl's righthand man in Denver for the better part of a decade. In a profile earlier this season, Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post described Welch as "the Nuggets' secret weapon, a workout wizard, an eternal gym rat, George Karl's consigliere."

Masai Ujiri, then Nuggets GM is quoted this way by Hochman: "I don't want to talk about him — because I don't want any other team to take him. He's the best, he's the best in the NBA, there's no doubt about it. No disrespect to anybody, but he's the best player development coach in the NBA. He takes basketball seriously — his work, his trade."