Be sure to get a program before the NBA kicks off again so you can keep up with this year’s cast of characters. They have been playing musical coaches during the off season and if you haven’t been keeping up, you could be in for a couple of surprises.
The most successful recent transplant by far has been Doc Rivers getting out of Boston after nine seasons coaching the Celtics. His first year with the LA Clippers has to be graded a big success. Rivers led the Clippers to a franchise record setting 57 wins. Doc even came out of the whole mess caused by owner Donald Sterling unscarred, no easy task.
Doc Rivers obviously made a strong impression on the current powers that be with the Los Angeles franchise because the just made him President for Basketball Operations for the Clippers. It didn’t say so but surely Doc got a nice raise as well.
But then there is Jason Kidd. Kind of just the opposite of Doc Rivers. Where Rivers is calm and professional, Kidd is brash and offensive. He may turn out to be a pretty good basketball coach, but he has a lot to learn about the etiquette that comes with his position.
After a reasonably strong rookie year as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets, Kidd has jumped ship for Milwaukee to coach the Bucks after the Nets front office refused to give him overall command of basketball operations as requested. He actually tried to get the same powers from the Bucks in negations with team owners, but they too refused.
The main problem is that, in both cases, Kidd was trying to get a job already occupied by folks with years of experience on the job. What was he thinking? The attempts at grabbing power at the expense of others have left Kidd with nothing now but a bad reputation among his peers. However, he is still the new head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Another former NBA star player has also been awarded a head coaching job out on the West Coast. Steve Kerr will try his hand at coaching the Golden State Warriors working with a nice five year, $25 million deal.
Like Kerr, who has never before been employed as a basketball coach before, NBA great Derek Fisher will join the Zen Master….and his former head coach….Phil Jackson in the Big Apple to become the new head coach of the New York Knicks.
