Several head coaching jobs are available in the NBA right now and more are expected to open up when the bubble games in Orlando have been wrapped up. These positions will be filled up soon and among the names frequently mentioned to be in top consideration is Jason Kidd, currently an assistant coach with the Lakers.
Kidd was touted recently as a frontrunner to get the top job at Brooklyn Nets but more opportunities are opening up for Frank Vogel's assistant. The New Orleans Pelicans fired Alvin Gentry following the team's elimination from the playoffs.
Forbes reported that several names are vying to replace Gentry but Kidd is hot on the list. He will need to compete with Kenny Atkinson, whose old job with the Nets Kidd could get, and Tyronn Lue.
Getting to become a head coach again is not yet certain for the former NBA star but it is significant enough that Kidd is getting the attention notwithstanding the missteps he committed in the past. He lost his coaching jobs with the Milwaukee Bucks, partly due to perceived political blunders.
Kidd was not seen as exactly loyal to his former boss at the Bucks and he got to be the head coach after some controversial maneuverings. But what he did come into a cycle and Kidd found himself in the same situation of the man he worked to be sacked.
Those things, however, are behind Kidd already and according to Silver Screen & Roll, the assistant appeared ready for a promotion.
Citing the information shared by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the report said Kidd impressed when interviewed by the New York Knicks. He failed to get a job but the session revealed a better impression of the man wanting to be in charge anew.
"He made a strong impression on the Knicks in that interview process, showing humility and a humbled acceptance of some of his political missteps in Brooklyn and Milwaukee," Wojnarowski was reported as saying.
The assessment appeared to mirror Kidd's present status with the Lakers. He is seen as a trusted and respected voice in the team, which is true both in the eyes of the players and his coaching colleagues.
Kidd has also connected well with Vogel and the two are deemed having a good working relationship. And perhaps most importantly, the assistant showed no ambition of taking over from his boss so soon.
As a result, the Lakers coaching staff performed effectively in the season and the team, after years of frustration, finally made the playoffs. This should count big when the Nets and the Pelicans finally make the decision to hire a new coach and Kidd is certainly up for the job.
