Whither now, Jason Kidd?

[Bob Of Burleson]

Nets' Kidd Appears on His Way Out
Ownership Sours on Relationship With Head Coach After Reported Move for Personnel Control

By Alex Raskin
The Wall Street Journal

Depending on who you talk to, Nets coach Jason Kidd is either recovering from a misguided coup, or he's a calculated genius with a steep career arc and limitless ambition.

In either case, Kidd is definitely on his way out of the Nets organization, having ruined his relationship with ownership over demands for control over the team's basketball operations, according to several league sources. Technically, Kidd is still with the Nets, but the team has given permission to the Milwaukee Bucks to interview the legendary NBA point guard and first-year coach.

Kidd, 41, will know if he's going to Milwaukee in the next two days and while he may be coaching the team, he won't be hired as the team's president, according to one league source. The Bucks currently have a general manager, John Hammond, and a coach, Larry Drew, who both signed new contracts last year.

It is not yet known how much more money or front-office pull Kidd would see in Milwaukee, nor is it known what the Bucks would give to the Nets in terms of compensation should they strike a deal with Kidd. Multiple reports have Nets general manager Billy King pushing for a first-round pick.

The Nets and a spokeswoman for principal owner Mikhail Prokhorov declined to comment. The New York Post originally reported Kidd's demands Saturday and Yahoo Sports followed with a report claiming Kidd was trying to convince Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry to give him control of the team's basketball operations, but not necessarily the head-coaching position. Kidd and Lasry have a personal relationship, dating back to Lasry's tenure as a Nets minority owner.