The nine candidates for Knicks training have grown to 10, with a big fish on the list: Lakers assistant Jason Kidd.
Here are the latest news from the New York Post, including a wrinkle as to why Kidd’s candidacy may have more to do with a future free agent than with real coaching skills.
The Knicks received permission to interview the Hall of Famer Jason Kidd for their position as head coach, according to several reports, marking the 11th person with whom the new team president Leon Rose will meet the job.
Kidd, who had previously spent part of five years driving Nets and Bucks, was in the midst of his first season as the Lakers’ assistant coach – it is said, the highest paid assistant in the league – when the regular season was suspended March 11.
Kidd, 47, led a remarkable turnaround in his first season with the Bucks, leading a team to franchise with 15 playoff wins. Kidd made another appearance in the playoffs with Milwaukee, but was fired midway through his fourth season in January 2018, despite the support of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The connection with Antetokounmpo, the Bucks starring on the way to a second consecutive NBA MVP award. The one who will be a free agent after the 2020-21 season. What can change the entire NBA landscape by changing teams next summer.
As we have seen in the past, the Knicks are unable to make decisions and moves hoping that the free agency will train. But if a former Nets legend, Knicks’ point guard and expert NBA star gives the franchise a real hit against one of the best players in the world, that logic could win over unnamed assistants on the candidate list.