Jason Kidd Injury: Updates on Bucks Coach's Recovery from Hip Surgery
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd underwent surgery to deal with chronic hip pain on Dec. 21, and it is uncertain when he will return to the bench.
Continue for updates.
Kidd Comments on Recovery
Thursday, Jan. 21
"I feel great after surgery and am looking forward to getting back on the sidelines full-time next week," said Kidd in a statement posted on the Bucks' Facebook page. He added:
"I received a good report from my doctor last week in New York and I am ahead of schedule on my recovery. Provided everything continues to go well this week, I plan on being back to my normal duties on Monday.
Joe (Prunty) and the rest of the coaching staff along with the players have done a very good job in my absence and I’m grateful for all of their efforts. We’re all looking forward to continued improvement during the second half of our season.
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Kidd told reporters on Jan. 7 he was "feeling good" after the procedure on his hip. Kidd noted he had a "resurfacing" of his right hip, and it was not a replacement.
Kidd's Return Date Reportedly Revealed
Thursday, Jan. 21
Marc Stein of ESPN, citing sources, reported that Kidd will return to coach the Bucks next week when the team returns to Milwaukee after its road trip.
Kidd Ruled Out Indefinitely
Sunday, Dec. 20
Stein reported Kidd will undergo hip surgery this week, and early indications are that he'll miss four to six weeks.
Kidd said he's having difficulty sleeping at night, and the pain has been an issue since his second stint with the Dallas Mavericks, per Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Gardner noted Joe Prunty will serve as the interim head coach in Kidd's absence.
"I've taken all the medicine I can do," Kidd told Gardner. "Talking to the doctors, there's really no good time to do the surgery. I have to fix myself and then we move on and get back to work."
Bucks Have Failed to Build on Postseason Run
Kidd was on the sidelines for Milwaukee's 101-95 win against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 20. The Bucks, who made the playoffs last season in Kidd's first year at the helm, are 14-23 this year, though they handed the 26-1 Golden State Warriors their only loss of the season on Dec. 12.
Prunty has been an assistant coach for six different teams during his 14-year coaching career, but has never held a head coaching position at the NBA level.
In his first two years as an NBA head coach, Kidd has led his teams to the playoffs.
He spent only one year with the Brooklyn Nets, coaching that team to a 44-38 record and advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2013-14. However, the Nets traded Kidd to the Bucks in a messy divorce between the future Hall of Fame point guard and Brooklyn management.
Kidd took a 15-win Milwaukee team and led it to the playoffs in 2014-15, where the Bucks lasted six games against the Chicago Bulls in the first round. The Bucks fielded the youngest playoff team in the NBA last year, with their three leading scorers being 23 years of age or younger.
The Bucks expected to be a team on the rise this season after signing Greg Monroe to a three-year, $51.4 million contract in the offseason and locking up three-point specialist Khris Middleton to a max deal as well.
Kidd will become the second head coach to take time off because of an injury this year, with Luke Walton filling in for Steve Kerr (back) in Golden State.
Milwaukee isn't on the level of Golden State, so expecting the Bucks to reel off 28 straight wins would seem improbable. But this could be an opportunity for the Bucks to come together and play well for their sidelined coach. There's plenty of time left in the season, so the Bucks can still make a push toward the playoffs.
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