Bring me the head of Byron Scott!
Bagging Byron
What to make of the reports that Byron Scott and Jason Kidd arenít getting along?
Unfortunately, a great deal. Iíve known Dave DíAlessandro since the days we both covered high school football games in north Jersey, and even used to frequent the same Italian joint in Garfield back in the old days. During my thankfully short tenure as PR director of the New Jersey Jammers of the USBL, DíAlessandro was the beat writer, and I can tell you, he was thorough and solid. If he says that Kidd is unhappy, assume a main source is Kidd himself, even if he isnít directly quoted. With a lot of reporters, Iíd take it with a grain of salt, but you can bet this is pretty close to dead on.
The Nets have to confront two possibilities: one, the fact is getting out that Byron Scott isnít a genius and heís been riding the coat tails of Eddie Jordan and Jason Kidd for most of his tenure as Netsí coach. Since heís not a good Xís and Oís man, by his own admission, what value does he have if he canít get along with the teamís star? Besdies NetsNut, a number of us quietly question why Jordan isnít the coach and how long it will take before he, or a handful of other excellent candidates, are running the Nets.
You might argue that a player shouldnít be able to fire a coach, but wake up, this is the NBA. Both Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan fired coaches as part of the rite of passage to superstardom, and it may be that is needed for the Nets to keep Kidd, at least happily, Lord Byron may have to go.
The other possibility? Kidd goes to San Antonio. A big question remains about the size of the salary cap for next year, though. Some expect it to actually drop. If so, the difference between what Kidd can make in San Antonio and New Jersey will be fairly large. If Jason is willing to take a $4.5 mid-level exception to play with Tim Duncan, as opposed to a max contract from the Nets, then there probably isnít much chance of him staying under any circumstances.
Unless Rod Thorn indulges Kidd with a sign and trade (a way to replace Kidd with Anthony Parker and some dead Spurs contracts and an act of insanity), the Nets will have a massive amount of cap room, should he leave for San Antonio. With Gary Payton and others on the market, it might be possible to replace Kiddís talent with another NBA superstar, either through a signing or a trade. Maybe. And maybe the NBA will finally grant an exception for the contract of the retired Jamie Feick, too.
None of it, though, will make up for the loss of Jason Kidd in his prime.
Look, if itís me, I fire Byron Scott. I donít like his substitution patterns, dislike his ability to make in-game strategic calls, and generally feel he is a below-average game coach. Off court, he has done a good job of keeping the team on an even keel and largely meshed personalities. Lately, heís failed in getting the most out of Rodney Rogers and Chris Childs, jerking them in and out of the rotation, and early in the season, did a poor job of integrating Dikembe Mutumbo into the teamís offense and defense. Has he spent too much time reading his press clippings? Also, letís remember what a complete ass he was his first season. We wouldnít exactly be showing Chuck Daly the door. And if Eddie Jordan isnít the answer, what about Jeff Van Gundy?
I know, in two seasons, Scott took the Nets to the NBA Finals and his third have them in contention for first overall in the East again. But how much of that is Jason Kidd and Jordanís offense? Fire a coach in first place in his division in March? Hey, Lou Lamariello has done it with the Devils, and won a Stanley Cup for his trouble, by the way, and I know he wouldnít hesitate in the slightest, having already called Scott on the carpet and told him, in effect, to ìshut the hell up.î
The big question: is the damage done already? Maybe too much has happened already, but my sense is that this is Kiddís play to force management to make a move, and in this case, heís probably right. It looks to me that this team, beyond Kidd, has stopped listening to Scott, winning or not. In any sport, thatís the sign a coach needs to be shown the door.
Maybe someday Scott wins his NBA title with the Lakers, but folks, it ainít going to happen here.
- Mike McGann
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