The Brooklyn Nets are down. The team certainly did not expect to start the year 3-7 after trading for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to help with their championship dreams. Now frustrations are running high and blame is being placed. Naturally, Jason Kidd is having his name brought up as a coach on the hot seat while players defend his position on the court.
It was certainly a bold move to hire Kidd fresh off announcing his retirement from the NBA. He had zero coaching experience at the time, but a lot of people said he certainly had the potential and mindset to lead the Nets throughout the year. Kidd was presented with the difficult task of putting together several All-Stars and experienced veterans to try and win a championship.
Kidd takes the blame for the struggles by the Nets at this point in the season. One NBA analyst is taking shots at the first-year coach, noting that he has placed most of the work on his assistants and really does nothing himself.
"He doesn't do anything," said the scout, via Bleacher Report. "He doesn't make calls. John Welch does all the offense. Lawrence does all the defense. ... I don't know what Kidd does. I don't think you can grade him and say he's bad. You can give him an incomplete."
With a payroll that reaches over $190 million, of course the patience of Mikhail Prokhorov is running thin, but several players on the roster are speaking up on behalf of Kidd. Garnett said the team's play is dismal at the moment, but the blame is on the players and not on the coaches.
"Dismal. No one's happy about how we're playing. No one likes the current state. But everybody's willing and committed towards changing it. The way you change it is through work, and that's what we're doing,'' Garnett said, via ESPNNewYork.com. "The blame's on all of us. It's not just on Jason. You can't put the [blame] all on him. We're players who obviously have to be professional, come out here and do our jobs.''
Jason Terry stressed that the season was very young and there is no need to panic just yet. The Nets held a players-only meeting following a loss to the Trail Blazers where veterans reflected on the season so far and stressed the importance of getting back to basics and playing more urgent basketball.
"As competitors, we're angry. Nobody likes to lose," Pierce said. "Everybody in this group that we're here with are very angry. Nobody's happy about losing. We've got to hold everybody accountable: The players, the coaches, this one big group and we're all in it together, so it's not only on [Kidd]. It's on all of us.''
Garnett is hoping this tough stretch helps build character for the team. Things could be looking up for Brooklyn. The team will get back Brook Lopez and Deron Williams who are both returning from ankle injuries when they face off against Charlotte on Wednesday night. Garnett says the team is searching for an identity that will come sooner rather than later.
