When the upstart Bucks hired ex-floor general PG & NBA hall of famer, Jason Kidd as head coach, many thought it was a match made in heaven.
Equipped with solid role players & a bonified superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo, fingers began to point in Kidd’s direction when the team seemed to plateau and have repeat early-round exits from the playoffs.
He ended up on the hot seat, & was fired after it began to leak out that he’d lost the locker room.
Now, a new report from BR’s Howard Beck outlines just what ultimately led to the Bucks parting ways with Kidd.
This is a pretty telling excerpt:
Team officials had also grown concerned that Kidd’s demanding, old-school style had worn thin. Players were tuning Kidd out—or already had last season, according to one source with close ties to the team.
Kidd was “putting in massive hours,” a Bucks source says, “and he expected the players” to do the same. “Jason was driving the team a bit hard. And that would have been fine if there was really good results.”
That relationship [with Giannis] was one of the stronger ones Kidd had, although sources say Antetokounmpo, too, grew weary of Kidd’s relentless critiques.
Of course, had the Bucks been winning more consistently & gone deeper into the playoffs, Kidd’s style wouldn’t have been looked at as a negative. He’d be praised as an old-school disciplinarian. See coach Popovich.
Professional sports comes down to wins and losses. Yes, in some cases coaches will be allocated some extra time to make things happen, but it’s extremely rare. Those in power thought Kidd didn’t do enough with the talent on the floor, & that’s what got him let go.