Jason Kidd Hired As The Brooklyn Nets Head Coach

Jason Kidd has just been selected to take over as the next Brooklyn Nets head coach. According to Yahoo! Sports, he'll have a three-year, guaranteed deal with a fourth-year team option. Kidd, 40, announced his retirement shortly after the New York Knicks were eliminated in this year's playoffs. Today, after a reported five-hour long interview, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov decided he was the right man for the job.

Kidd, a future Hall-of-Famer, played on the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008. He's one of the franchise's most beloved figures, and his history with the team definitely aided his hire. Kidd was able to beat out Indiana Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who is a former protégé of Phil Jackson's while working as a scout and then an assistant with the Lakers. The Nets front office also met with Shaw today for nearly as long as Kidd, but decided that Kidd was the more attractive, more exciting candidate.

To counter his lack of experience, Kidd will probably try to woo assistant coaches Lawrence Frank and Tim Grgurich to Brooklyn. Frank once coached the Nets and Detroit Pistons, and Grgurich has long been considered one of the best assistants in the league. They'll help speed Kidd's learning process.

As a point guard, Kidd was thought throughout his career to be one of the most intelligent players in the league, and the Nets are gambling on the chance that his basketball IQ will transfer to the bench. He'll be the Nets' third coach in six months, but with any luck, Kidd will bring stability to Brooklyn. The Nets fired Avery Johnson in late December, and interim coach P. J. Carlesimo was let go after the team lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of this year's NBA playoffs.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

[ Yahoo! Sports]