The Metamorphosis of Jason Kidd~From Game Watcher to Brilliant Coach

[WildArkieBoy]

One of the things related to how I view the head coach is in a window of time - that is, what exactly happened to this team after the recent trade...and then again after we lost 5 of 6?

We suddenly moved from the worst defense to the best defense. So my guess about Kidd and coaches in general is that they've had a plan along of how they wanted this team to look. They got that with new personnel but had to add a second tweak related to rotations when DJJ moved back to starter and the system tightened. So in my opinion, we probably have misjudged Kidd's understanding of how this team should work. He just didn't have the players to make the system work. I think it happened quickly because Kidd knew exactly what he wanted. Maybe they had to look at players like Williams, McGee and C. Wood initially to finally grasp what they were missing.

On offense and defense, the center position changed the team dynamic for the most part, and the athletic length, sharper rotations, and rim protection truly changed the defense for good. But I honestly don't think Kidd just suddenly discovered these things. I just don't think he had the players to fit the system he wanted. Hat tip to Nico too. I'm not sure it was big leap with Xs and Os in regard to Kidd.

What I do give Kidd credit for is a culture of trust ... which comes up in interviews a lot. You can tell this is talked about quite a bit behind the scenes. I think they needed to get rid of Grant Williams for several reasons, but one of those reasons is about the overall culture and his bad fit there. This team is tight and it shows. This is where the coaches and front office deserve a lot of credit in my opinion.

A well-reasoned summation of the factors contributing to the team's turnaround. . . . Another hopeful sign for me is the extensions of Nico and Kidd. . . Since Cuban is minority owner, those extensions had to be with the full approval of the new owners.  That's a good sign.

WAB