Bucks Fire Jason Kidd
3:32pm: The Bucks have issued a press release confirming that they’ve officially relieved Kidd of his head coaching duties.
“We appreciate everything that Jason has done for the Bucks organization, but we have decided to make a coaching change,” Horst said in a statement. “We believe that a fresh approach and a change in leadership are needed to continue elevating our talented team towards the next level, bringing us closer to our goal of competing for championships.”
3:03pm: The Bucks have parted ways with head coach Jason Kidd, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, assistant Joe Prunty will take over for Kidd as the interim coach in Milwaukee, beginning with tonight’s game against the Suns.
Unlike Earl Watson (Suns) and David Fizdale (Grizzlies), who were the first two coaching casualties of the 2017/18 NBA season, Kidd wasn’t at the helm of a lottery-bound team — the Bucks currently hold the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference. Still, Milwaukee only has a one-game cushion on ninth-seeded Detroit, and would be out of the playoff picture for the time being if not for the Pistons’ five-game losing streak.
Given the expectations for the Bucks coming into the season – not to mention the in-season trade for Eric Bledsoe – team leadership was disappointed with the team’s mediocre 23-22 record so far, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Woj adds that “frayed relationships” within the organization and “general non-alignment” also contributed to Kidd’s dismissal.
After coaching the Nets to a 44-38 record in 2013/14, Kidd made the move to Milwaukee, where he has coached the Bucks for the last three and a half years. During that time, he compiled a 139-152 record, leading the Bucks to a pair of playoff appearances — the team was ousted in the first round in both 2015 and 2017.
During that 2017 first-round loss to the Raptors, the young Bucks took a 2-1 lead and flashed tantalizing promise, prompting many NBA observers to forecast bigger and better things from the team this season. Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s MVP-level play so far though, the Bucks have been up and down overall, particularly on the defensive end — as TNT’s David Aldridge tweets, Milwaukee is currently tied for 24th in the NBA in defensive rating.
Antetokounmpo’s presence will make the Bucks’ head coaching job one of the most sought-after NBA roles this summer, though it will be interesting to see how the Greek Freak reacts to today’s news. ESPN’s Chris Haynes tweets that Antetokounmpo is “devastated” by Kidd’s firing, with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne adding (via Twitter) that Giannis is close with Kidd and trusts him. Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times doesn’t contradict those accounts, but offers a different perspective, tweeting that Kidd “didn’t endear himself to many players, including some of the important ones.”
While Kidd reportedly had a lot of influence with Bucks ownership earlier in his tenure, that influence eroded significantly over the last year, according to Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Milwaukee’s ownership group is made up of three co-owners who often have differing opinions, so their levels of support for Kidd may have varied. Still, the club’s decision to promote Jon Horst to general manager in the offseason might have been a signal that Kidd’s influence was waning — Kidd was believed to have supported Justin Zanik, who was passed over for the GM job and ultimately left the organization.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jason Kidd To Return To Bucks Next Week
12:43pm: Kidd hopes to be at practice Monday and coach in Tuesday’s game versus Orlando, a source indicates to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
9:36am: Bucks coach Jason Kidd will return to the team next week, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Kidd has been away on a leave of absence for the past month as he’s recovered from surgery on his right hip. He’s coming back ahead of schedule, Stein writes, though he initially reported that Kidd would be out an estimated four to six weeks, a timetable that appears to have proven accurate. Stein says Kidd will retake the reigns once the Bucks return from their road trip, which concludes with games Friday at Houston and Saturday at New Orleans. Milwaukee plays at home Tuesday against the Magic.
Kidd also exerts player personnel control, though it’s unclear if he ceased his front office duties while on leave from coaching. Assistant coach Joe Prunty has been serving as interim head coach, and he’s said that he and the rest of the coaching staff have kept in close contact with Kidd during his absence.
Milwaukee appeared the likely destination for trade candidate Caron Butler at the time Kidd went out, but the Bucks have reportedly cooled on Butler in the meantime. Kidd and GM John Hammond reportedly met with Carlos Boozer shortly before Kidd’s leave began, and while it appears the team more recently took a second meeting with the veteran power forward, he remains unsigned.
The Bucks are a disappointing 19-25 this season, but they’re 8-7 under Prunty and have won three in a row. They’re three and a half games behind the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Central Notes: Jennings, Tolliver, Prunty, Gibson
Brandon Jennings isn’t sure whether the Pistons will trade him, but he said Monday that he hopes he’ll finish the season in Detroit, MLive’s David Mayo notes. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy will listen to offers but has consistently attempted to tamp down trade rumors involving the point guard who’s successfully returned from injury, Mayo writes.
“Our plan, right now, is that Brandon can help us make a playoff push, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Van Gundy said. “That’s our plan right now. If something happens in the next five weeks, we’ll look at it. But right now, he’s a very good player who can help us, and that’s the only way we’re looking at him.”
Jennings called his one-game D-League rehab stint critical to his comeback, as Mayo also relays, and Reggie Jackson continued his praise of Jennings, calling him “the ultimate teammate,” as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details. See more on the Pistons and the rest of the Central Division:
- Soon-to-be free agent Anthony Tolliver wants to re-sign with the Pistons in the offseason, as he wrote recently on his personal blog and as Aaron McCann of MLive points out. “I want to have a good, solid season and help my team win as much as possible,” Tolliver wrote. “And then when I’m a free agent this summer, I hope to sign back with Detroit and try to make this a long-term home for my family and me.”
- Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty got his start in the NBA with the Spurs, and he’s using Gregg Popovich as a model for success, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details. Still, head coach Jason Kidd remains influential, and Prunty said he and the rest of the coaching staff keep in close contact with Kidd, who’s on a leave of absence as he recovers from hip surgery.
- The offseason surgery that uncovered and repaired a torn ligament in Taj Gibson‘s formerly troublesome left ankle has the trade candidate feeling much better, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “I’m completely stronger as far as my lateral movement and being able to switch more to guards,” the Bulls power forward said. “I feel a lot faster.”
Jason Kidd Takes Leave of Absence For Surgery
MONDAY, 8:35pm: Kidd underwent right hip arthroplasty in New York on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery, according to the team’s official Twitter feed. There is no timetable for his return and Prunty will assume the head coaching duties in Kidd’s absence, as Gardner previously indicated, the team adds. (Twitter links here).
SUNDAY, 8:09pm: Bucks head coach Jason Kidd will undergo right hip surgery on Monday in New York and be out indefinitely while assistant coach Joe Prunty will serve as interim head coach, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports (on Twitter). Four to six weeks is the early estimate for how much time Kidd will miss, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The pain in Kidd’s hip stems from his time with the Mavs late in his playing career, Gardner writes in a full story.
“It’s been chronic for the last three to four years, since I was in Dallas the last time,” Kidd said. “The pain has been to the point where I can’t function. I’ve taken all the medicine I can do. 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.”
The Bucks are an underwhelming 11-18 following Sunday’s win in Kidd’s second season guiding the team. Of note, Kidd’s reach with the franchise goes beyond calling the plays, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times recently told Hoops Rumors that Kidd is calling the shots on personnel matters, too. Thus, the timing of Kidd’s news comes at an interesting time given the Carlos Boozer and Caron Butler rumors and the apparent void of leadership among the players in the Bucks locker room.
Prunty, who will take over in Kidd’s place, was an assistant for the Nets while Kidd was the head coach in Brooklyn. Prunty followed Kidd to Milwaukee for the 2014/15 season. Prior to joining the Nets, Prunty served as an assistant for the Cavs, Blazers, Mavs and Spurs.
“We’re all set,” Kidd said, according to Gardner. “Joe Prunty will take over and he will run the team. But nobody gets out of their lane. Joe will still be offense and [assistant coach Sean] Sweeney will still be defense. The guys have to continue to develop. It’s in good hands with the coaching staff. We’re built as a roundtable. Joe is well-qualified to keep these guys going in the right direction.”