Bucks Hungry for Change as Kidd's Time Runs its Course

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Photo Credit: Keith Allison (Flickr CC)

Enough was enough for Jon Horst and the Milwaukee Bucks. After a frustrating 23-22 start to the 2017-2018 season, Horst made the tough but right decision by firing head coach Jason Kidd Monday afternoon with unanimous support from the owners. Kidd, who reportedly had “frayed” relationships with multiple players including Jabari Parker, was in his fourth season as the Bucks head coach and finishes with a sub-par 139-152 record.

"We appreciate everything that Jason has done for the Bucks organization, but we have decided to make a coaching change," general manager Jon Horst said in a statement on Monday. "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.”

While the midseason timing of the move could come into question, it was inevitable and something that had to be done in order for this team to fully exploit their potential. It was clear that after consistently inconsistent play and what was looking like another average season, the organization had seemingly run out of patience with the future hall of fame point guard.

“We believe that making this change now is important for the organization and gives our players the best chance to reach their full potential this season and beyond," Horst continued.

Ups and Downs

Jason Kidd took over a team that finished with a 15-67 record in 2013-2014 and led the Bucks to a 41-win season with a playoff berth in his first year. Despite trading away prolific scoring point guard Brandon Knight midseason, they put up a good fight against the Chicago Bulls but would ultimately bow out in six games. Regardless, it was a step in the right direction as Milwaukee was grooming a young star in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was just 20 years old at the time.

After a frustrating 2015-2016 campaign that saw them take a step back and go just 33-49, questions started to rise about the potential Milwaukee had under the tutelage of Kidd along with some of the roster moves that were made. Then last season Milwaukee moved disgruntled point guard Michael Carter-Williams for Tony Snell while acquiring Michael Beasley to fill in for the injured Khris Middleton and found a way to turn things around. Just as Middleton was making a return to the lineup in time for a playoff run, Milwaukee subsequently lost Jabari Parker to another ACL injury.

Nonetheless, the Bucks persevered to finish with a 42-40 record and their second playoff appearance in three seasons under Kidd. Although they suffered another first round exit at the hands of the Toronto Raptors, a lot can be said about their development with guys like Giannis becoming an All-Star starter and Malcolm Brogdon winning rookie of the year. Heading into this season, the Bucks would indeed welcome high expectations as a potential top-four team in the Eastern Conference.

Who’s to Blame?

During Kidd’s tenure, the Bucks would show flashes of being one of the most talented teams in the league when firing on all cylinders. Then there would be times when they looked totally lost on both ends of the floor leading to bad losses. Whether it be overdoing it on the defensive end by forcing double teams that led to teams pouring in open three after open three or struggling to find ways to score offensively, Kidd always had excuse after excuse for the team’s shortcomings. The most common phrases used were “energy and effort” or them being “too young” or the most recent “we’re not even 25 yet.”

“I think when you, you know, become 25 or, you know, in the 28 range, you tend to think about the game. We’re talking about kids, that are thinking about trying to put the ball in the basket,” Jason Kidd would say postgame following a loss to the Heat last week. “And uh, they all believe they can do it, and until we can think about being a team and making a play and being unselfish, you know, good things happen and we’ve seen it. ... And there’s no coaching, there’s nothing that you can do but go through it and learn. And we can keep telling them what’s coming, as a coach, and we can tell them what to do, but it’s a finally, the final, it’s up to them to make that decision.”

How many times did we have to listen to Kidd constantly throw players or the team under the bus while never taking any responsibility on his own end? Obviously, the players have to get it done on the court at the end of the day, but the spectrum goes both ways. Something has to give from a coach’s perspective. Kidd is a no-doubt Hall of Famer for his career on the court and there is no question about his knowledge of the game of basketball. Understanding that, it made no sense as to why the Bucks still haven’t found a way to break through and become one of the top contending teams in the Eastern Conference. This is especially true when they have one of brightest young stars this league has ever seen in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was just named to his second consecutive All-Star game as a starter.

When evaluating the Bucks roster, just six of the 17 players (including two-way players) on the roster are under the age of 25. While Giannis is just 23 years old, he’s already in his fifth season. The other two of the marquee three, newly acquired Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton, are 28 and 26 respectively. While the team continues to get used to playing with Bledsoe and waiting for an injured Jabari Parker to return to the lineup, there’s still plenty of veteran presence on the roster that knows in fact how to win. Matthew Dellavedova, 27, and Jason Terry, 40, have both lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy in their careers. Add in John Henson, 27, Tony Snell, 26, Sean Kilpatrick, 28, and Mirza Teletovic, 32, and that’s half a roster of guys who are established players in this league. Youth used to be an excuse for this team but it can’t be that way forever.

Looking at other teams in the Eastern Conference, specifically the Boston Celtics, who are in first place with a 35-14 record, coach Brad Stevens refuses to acknowledge the youth on his roster and would rather focus on maximizing the talent each player has. The Celtics were the number one seed last year as well and lost six players during an offseason roster overhaul including top defenders Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley. They did acquire All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, but Hayward has been out with an ankle injury since the first quarter of game one this season.

“Let’s beat the age thing,” Stevens said back in October via MassLive.com’s Jay King. “Let’s not talk about the age thing. Let’s talk about how we can be better at what we can control and how we can learn and grow every day and everybody expedite the learning curve.”

Stevens only has four other players on his roster that have over five years of NBA experience. He’s even got 20-year-old rookie Jason Tatum and 21-year-old second year pro Jaylen Brown playing big-time minutes and producing at a high level.

“They are young guys. But to us, with the situation we’re in, they’re guys. Like, we need them to be guys,” Stevens continued.

I don’t always agree with a guy like Colin Cowherd, but he may have a point when he says Brad Stevens and his success as a coach may have factored into the firing of Jason Kidd.

Moving On

Like I’ve said before, I never doubted the Kidd hire in the first place. At the time it was made, Milwaukee needed a spark and in the short-term, Kidd did a lot of great things for the franchise. He put the Bucks back on the map with multiple playoff appearances and did a lot for the growth of some key guys. Most obviously Giannis, who has transcended his game in a lot of ways and continues to get better and better each time he’s on the court. No doubt Kidd was very instrumental in getting the Greek Freak to where he is today as an MVP candidate. A lot can be said about Khris Middleton as well, as Kidd got him to break out of his shell and be more assertive on both ends of the floor rather than just being a spot-up shooter.

That being said, it had become quite evident that Kidd maybe wasn’t the guy that can get this team to the next level. As reports came out from Jason Kidd himself via ESPN that Giannis was in fact devastated by the firing and had even called him to offer whatever he could to save his job, let’s also remember that two-time MVP Steph Curry was also upset when the Golden State Warriors fired Jackson after the team went 51-31 during the 2013-2014 season. Winning cures everything it seems as they replaced him with Steve Kerr and the Warriors would go on to win a championship the next season. Granted Kerr inherited an incredible roster, but he ultimately was the guy to take that roster and evolve it to where it needed to be.

Getting back to reality in Milwaukee, it’s easier said than done. While all signs point to this being the right move for the franchise, they still have half of the season remaining with a lot of work to do. In steps Joe Prunty, who will be the interim head coach for the rest of the season. In his debut Monday night just hours after Kidd’s dismissal, the Deer squeaked by the Suns for a 109-105 victory without Giannis, who had a scheduled day off due to knee soreness. Prunty is no rookie when it comes to coaching, as he was a long time assistant under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich before working under Kidd since his days with the Brooklyn Nets. When Kidd had hip surgery last season, Prunty led the Bucks to an 8-9 record and has always had a good rapport with the players. In fact, the vibe has been great at practice this week as the players look forward to moving on this season with some familiarity at the helm.

The Bucks can still accomplish a lot of things this season. At 24-22, they are in the thick of the playoff race currently in the 8th spot. Only three games separate them from the 3rd seeded Cavaliers, who are 27-19. With a lot of basketball left to play this season, there’s plenty to look forward to in a wide-open Eastern Conference. While the search for a new coach will take place for the rest of the season, there’s no time to panic. Prunty is a solid guy to lead this team for now and who knows what can happen once Jabari returns to this lineup.

The Jason Kidd era is officially in the books in what can be described as a roller coaster of emotions. He got Milwaukee to a certain point but it was simply time. As for who should be the next coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, that’s tough to say. Names like David Fizdale, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Popovich’s top assistant Becky Hammon have already been floated around but they have plenty of time to figure that out. The focus now has to be on finishing the season strong and seeing what they can accomplish under Prunty, who could use this as an extensive audition to show his capabilities as an NBA head coach moving forward.