By Alex Raskin
BROOKLYN--Nets fans booed Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd
before Wednesday's game at Barclays Center, which in itself was not
abnormal.
The fact that his retired No. 5 Nets jersey was hanging from the
arena's rafters made the booing significantly more interesting.
Kidd, after all, took the Nets to two finals as a player and to the
second round of the playoffs as a coach last season.
Equally unusual were the fans cheering the name of Kidd's
replacement, Lionel Hollins, who had guided the team to four
consecutive losses before Wednesday night's matchup with
Milwaukee.
There were also chants of "Kidd's a traitor." Even during the
National Anthem, one fan could be heard yelling, "Kidd: you
suck."
So for those wondering, Kidd is no longer loved by the Nets
faithful.
And it is hard to blame the Brooklyn fans, because until
Wednesday, the story of Kidd's departure from the Nets had only one
version: After the Nets were eliminated from the playoffs last
June, Kidd was reported to have tried to promote himself above
general manager Billy King within the team's front office--a story
that several league sources have since confirmed. Kidd was
subsequently given permission to negotiate with the Bucks, who
signed him to a three-year, $15 million deal. The Nets received two
second-round picks as compensation.
But on Wednesday, before his first game back in Brooklyn since
the split, Kidd denied that version of events. And while doing so,
he managed to get in some jabs at the Nets' beat writers and
King.
"I didn't try and promote myself," Kidd said. "I was still
learning to be a coach. It's my second season. I had a very
interesting first season as a coach. I thought it was kind of funny
that you guys were marking down how many times I held a clipboard.
Did you do that with Hollins?"
Of course, Kidd had zero coaching experience when he was hired
by the Nets in June of 2013, having just retired from a 19-year
playing career. Hollins, on the other hand, had coached in parts of
eight seasons before joining the Nets, so he has looked far more
natural than did Kidd, who was noticeably uncomfortable at the
beginning of last season.
Kidd also insisted on Wednesday that the Nets' front office had
wanted to fire him back in December 2013, when the team was falling
to 10-21 out of the gate.
"It really helped me to see what type of people I was dealing
with," Kidd said. "But I understand they did want to fire me in
December."
King has denied that was the case (owner Mikhail Prokhoroy
publicly refused to fire Kidd in January, but had no issue letting
him leave in June), and the Nets declined to comment when asked
about Kidd's remarks. Regardless, Kidd's mind is set.
Kidd insisted his relationship with his former Net players is
not strained, although prior to Wednesday, he had not spoken with
point guard Deron Williams, who was his friend before the two
worked together with the Nets last season.
Kidd remains the franchise's best player since the Nets merged
into the NBA back in 1976 (prior to that, Julius "Dr. J" Erving
played for the New York Nets of the ABA), and he said he hopes to
be remembered by Nets fans for what he accomplished as a player,
even if his legacy is now somewhat tarnished.
"Dr. J was Mr. Net, and hopefully I could be in that same
conversation," he said. "Teammates, coaches, we did a lot for this
franchise. It's a what-have-you-done-for-us-lately model. So I
understand everybody has their opinion. But it's business and I
work for the Milwaukee Bucks."
In some ways, the Nets are still benefitting from Kidd, who was
dealt to Dallas for Devin Harris in 2008. Harris was eventually
traded to Utah in a package for Williams, who entered Wednesday's
game averaging a team-high 18.2 points, 6.5 assists and 1.3 steals
a game.
Not one of his former players has criticized Kidd about his
departure, besides Brook Lopez facetiously saying "We hate Jason
Kidd" at Tuesday's practice.
But on Wednesday, the only person with a fond memory of Kidd's
tenure as coach was sitting on Milwaukee's bench.
"Brooklyn is a great city," Kidd said. "I think the Nets are
very lucky to be here in Brooklyn. They have great fans. The
spirit, the support, is at an all-time high."
They showed that on Wednesday.
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