Keeping Jason Kidd Happy: Bucks' Moves Look to Keep the Young Coach in Milwaukee

Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd has a rare resume: two NBA playoff appearances in two years, coaching two different teams. Now, coaching changes following a successful rookie campaign, exceeding expectations with a playoff appearance and first-round victory, are certainly far from the norm. Thus is the case for Kidd. And while this initial success continued into season two, the Bucks may offer more opportunity to keep Kidd happy and on the sideline. 

As noted by the New York Daily News' Peter Botte, Kidd’s desire for complete personnel control in Brooklyn later became one of the excuses to his abrupt exit. Perhaps this was simply strategic reasoning to avoid saying the young coach and ownership, namely general manager Billy King, did not get along. However, had this been a legitimate concern, one would have to imagine some sort of control was then offered to Kidd by Milwaukee, or there wouldn’t have been any interest. 

If just an excuse, Kidd could just as easily force himself out of Milwaukee should the situation become too difficult. Let’s say that the young Bucks don’t develop as quickly as some imagine. Would Kidd leave if a better offer arose? 

Following Game 3 of the Chicago-Milwaukee playoff series, Kidd referred to the Bulls as an elite team. And with Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau seemingly on the hot seat, it would not be out of the realm of possibility for Kidd to jump to a more immediate contender. 

This is a legitimate concern for Milwaukee, which has been burned before. Take a look back in time to the 1970s and find the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson playing in Milwaukee. And even after an NBA championship, multiple league MVP awards and scoring titles, Abdul-Jabbar still requested a trade to a larger market. 

Unfortunately, history repeats itself. Bucks fans will always be looking over their proverbial shoulders waiting for the next heartbreak to come along. There is even reasonable expectation to believe that youngsters Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker or even Michael Carter-Williams might very well bolt for greener pastures once their respective rookie contracts conclude, or that even under contract, a player such as Larry Sanders might just lose all willingness to compete. Just bad luck, Milwaukee. 

In order to secure a promising young coach in Kidd, the Bucks must then offer him something no one else will. And while not officially announced in any capacity, great speculation surrounds the idea that Kidd was given more control. 

If it pleases the court, allow for me to submit Evidence A: Kenyon Martin, a 37-year-old forward who had no business being in a Bucks jersey, or quite possibly on an NBA court. With the veteran having played in only 50 games over the previous two seasons for New York, the general consensus around the league was that K-Mart’s career was over. 

Now, a legitimate case can be made for Milwaukee needing depth at the power forward position following Jabari Parker’s season-ending injury. This includes a need for veteran leadership off the bench. But as Andrew Gruman of Fox Sports Wisconsin reports, Kidd and Martin were the best of friends from their time playing in New Jersey. 

As it turns out, signing Martin was just the tip of the iceberg. At the trade deadline, the Bucks nearly broke the Internet, trading promising young guard Brandon Knight to the Phoenix Suns in return for MCW, Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee. 

Most attributed the trade to salary-cap reasons and that Milwaukee did not feel comfortable offering a max contract to Knight, who was set to become a restricted free agent following the season. 

This only created more confusion as Grantland’s Zach Lowe explained how NBA teams were anticipating a large increase in available revenue. One would then be forced to question whether the Bucks did not see this coming, or if the front office didn’t believe Knight would develop into the top point guard they had imagined. 

But as the dust settled, soft whispers from the Bucks started to arise. Comcast SportsNet’s Dei Lynam reported: 

This suggests that Kidd not only felt Knight wasn’t the right man for the job, but more importantly that he hand-picked MCW for this Bucks team himself, taking a long-armed, defensive-minded player who has the ability to progress as a jump-shooter later on. 

Only time will tell whether or not this was a wise decision. But either way, the Bucks front office agreed to the trade. One can only speculate how much team control Kidd has. Considering he may have influence over free agents and midseason trades, would Kidd be able to decide draft picks? 

Oddly enough, Milwaukee hit the lottery taking a chance on Kidd, who appears to be the best coach for this mid-market turnaround. And ignoring the sketchy and possibly rule-breaking antics it took to get him there, the Bucks likely wouldn’t have acquired a coach of this magnitude any other way. 

Previous chances on Larry Drew and Scott Skiles led nowhere, and investing years into an unproven college coach could have hindered the team’s development. 

Kidd is no longer just the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, but now so much more. Future transactions on the horizon as the NBA nears the 2015 offseason will ultimately prove how much control Kidd truly has, and if Milwaukee should start referring to him as commander-in-chief.