Academic cites (his) academic studies to say it's not Kidd's fault ... It's Prokhorov's

David Berri is one of the leading deep stats guys, for the want of a better term, whose research has put him at odds with other deep stats guys as they all try to define the measure of a player.  He is a professor of economics at Southern Utah University. He is the co-author of The Wages of Wins and Stumbling on Wins, and serves on the editorial board of both the Journal of Sports Economics and the International Journal of Sport Finance.

In an article for the very prestigious Atlantic, Berri writes in-depth on the demise of the Nets, saying the problem lies not with Jason Kidd but with the team constructed for him: "a typical team from New Jersey," arguing that Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Andrei Kirilenko AND Deron Williams are past their prime and calling Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez "pseudo-stars."  He blames Mikhail Prokhorov for putting together a "roster full of aging players or an unproductive combination of skills."  He doesn't mention Billy King.

As for Jason Kidd, Berri cites academic research (primarily by him) that most NBA coaches have no statistical impact on player performance. He also notes other academic research (also by him) that suggests the Nets followed  a failed model for rewarding players. Where did Prokhorov go wrong? He went with stars, rather than pursuing wins, says Berri, citing once again academic research (by him of course) that stars don't have as much influence on gate revenue as suspected.

It's all bound up with a construct that the Nets are no longer cheap like they were going back to ABA days, but their current profligacy has been misdirected.

• The Brooklyn Nets: How to Build a Disappointing NBA Team, Exhibit A - David Berri - The Atlantic