Jason Kidd has not gotten good reviews as a head coach so far: “Kidd did not elaborate, other than to say his team was not properly prepared for the second half, in which the Nets were outscored 52-35. It is surely too soon to judge Kidd’s coaching acumen, but it is fair to wonder whether he was ready for this job, on this stage, with these weighty expectations. A veteran scout, interviewed earlier in the day and speaking on the condition of anonymity, called Kidd’s bench comportment “terrible,” observing that the play-calling has fallen mostly to his top assistants, Lawrence Frank and John Welch.”
“He doesn’t do anything,” said the scout, who has watched the Nets several times. “He doesn’t make calls. John Welch does all the offense. Lawrence does all the defense. … I don’t know what Kidd does. I don’t think you can grade him and say he’s bad. You can give him an incomplete.”
After a rocky start, Paul Pierce says the Brooklyn Nets are angry: “”As competitors, we’re angry,” Pierce said of the team’s mood after a lengthy practice that lasted over two hours. “Nobody likes to lose. Everybody in this group that we’re here with is very angry. Nobody’s happy about losing.” Garnett described the team’s frame of mind in the locker room meeting on Monday as “dismal.” The Nets have dropped five of their last six games as they open a two-game road trip Wednesday in Charlotte. “I really believe that when you go through dismal times like this, it builds character,” Garnett said of the Nets’ players meeting on Monday night. “It shows you who’s within and who has the rope and who’s going to let go. I think it really separates the ones that are willing to fight and so far everybody’s in here. Everybody’s in the conversation. We don’t have one or two guys floating throughout. We’re in here.”
“Even the guys that are hurt, we’re in here and we’re all trying to fix this thing,” he continued. “It’s not something that none of want to be in. It’s not a good feeling. I don’t think we’re having any fun around here. Nothing’s fun about losing and we’re trying to fix it.”
Although Phil Jackson is still retired, he still remains connected with Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant: “But it wasn’t until I read the moving forward Bryant wrote in the beginning of Gasol’s new book, “Life/Vida” (which will be released Nov. 26 through his personal website), that I realized the true depth of their bond. Bryant writes that “If I could choose my brother,” it would be Gasol. That “he would have the highest basketball IQ in the league” and “you’d have to search and search and you still would not find another player in the history of the game with his skill set.” That “if his organization ever let him down, he would hold his head up high” and “would not lash out or let himself become entangled in the drama.” That “we would both face adversity in our professions, so we would talk about our lives and our careers and the pressures of our celebrity” and that “our bond would be fortified by a trust only brothers share.” “
“As a person, I think you give more of yourself when the people around you get you. I think that’s what happens with each individual,” Gasol said recently. “You feel comprehended. You feel embraced. You feel appreciated and you give more of yourself. You open up and you give more of your potential. From what I’ve been through with Kobe and Phil, people that I’ve been through a lot of things with, we’ve created a deep connection and friendship. They’ve seen all the sides of me and it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever experienced.”
Jameer Nelson’s playing time has decreased to make room for Victor Oladipo: “”The thing about it is, obviously, I want to play and I want to compete,” Nelson said Monday when he was asked about the situation. “I’m a competitor and I want to win, so I wanted to be on the court. Coach decided not to play me, and that’s his decision. I can only play the minutes that he gives me, play them as hard as I can and leave it out there for those minutes. It’s his decision who’s going to play the minutes and when they’re going to play them. And our job as players is, like I said, to play those minutes as best we can.” Nelson and Oladipo are at different stages of their careers. Nelson is an established point guard in his 10th pro season, while Oladipo had never played point guard before the Magic selected him second overall in the 2013 NBA Draft. Nelson wants to remain with the Magic for years to come. At 31 years old, he should have at least several productive seasons ahead of him and would prefer to spend those seasons on the court instead of on the bench.”
Deron Williams will be back on the court on Wednesday: “Williams, who missed two games with a sprained left ankle, said he won’t have any restrictions and plans to play. “Nope,” Williams said about a minutes limit. “I’m going to play.” Williams has been spelled by Shaun Livingston, a pleasant surprise in a month without a lot of them. In the last four games, the 6’7″ Livingston (who’s a year younger than Williams) has averaged 16.3 points a game, 3.5 assists and shot 52.2 percent from the floor and 89.5 percent from the stripe. Williams, beset by a troublesome ankle, is averaging 10 points and 6.5 assists in eight games.”
There would be no commentary on JKidd if Nets were healthy, but now he IS playing a more active role cheering on the bench. The critics should be complaining about the Nets front office for not pushing to give Lawrence Frank more of a voice. I was expecting to see more Frank during the first couple of months. He’s supposed to be JKidd’s head assistant and Mentor. There shouldn’t be any feeling of embarrassment to let Frank shine. Frank is an excellent coach and perfectly complements Jason Kidd’s ability to motivate and teach. Noone should be expecting Kidd to be calling plays. He’s already responsible for Nets obtaining Livingston, Alan Anderson and convincing Kirilenko to come to Brooklyn. He’s given Mason Plumlee a chance to play, that no other coach would. He’s now given Tyshawn Taylor a chance to play too and he’s looking valuable.
He’s also given Mirza Teletovic a fair chance, and Mirza has failed and isn’t playing now. The so called “scout” who watched several games isn’t aware of these other considerations.
The Nets problem has been health, in particular Andrei Kirilenko, who has only played about 53 minutes over 4 of the Nets 10 games. If he could just play 25 mpg, I would predict he’d be the most important player on the Nets. I rate him above Lopez and DWill, because if Brook is out, Blatche’s game will elevate. When DWill is out, Shaun Livingston can step up and play 35 good minutes.
Sure Kobe can play, but if he wants to be around for a few years, its awful risky to have a competitive Bryant he can’t do everything he wants, physically. That is why I don’t expect him back before January, although he will continue to “tease” the media by saying how he could still play. If Kobe returned and re-injured as a result of trying to play at 100%+ like he did at the end of last season (he overruled the coach and front office about playing too many minutes), we would never hear the last of “I told you so”.
Deron Williams hasn’t had any elevation (because of ankles) all season. I wish he had received PRP treatment, while he’s been injured, but apparently that isn’t the case. It was his left ankle that he injured in the Olympics, and was contemplating surgery because of Bone Spurs and chronic inflammation. It was his right ankle that he injured at beginning of September. This time its his left ankle.