Brooklyn Nets: Will Jason Kidd Be There for Game 1 of 2013-14 NBA Season?
By Pete Schauer
New Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd’s lack of judgment could result in him serving a two-game suspension to start the 2013-14 NBA season. (Flickr.com photo by John Maynard)
After their first season in Brooklyn that saw them use two different head coaches at the helm, the Brooklyn Nets have finally settled with former 10-time All-Star Jason Kidd as the leader of the Nets heading into the 2013-14 campaign.
Before ever playing in a game with the New York Knicks last season—in which he signed with for just the 2012-13 season—Kidd was arrested for driving while intoxicated after crashing his car into a tree in July 2012, according to CBS Sports’ Royce Young.
Kidd recently went to court on the charges, and according to the New York Daily News, Kidd will enter a guilty plea after originally pleading not guilty following the incident.
Jason Kidd’s looking to lead the Brooklyn Nets to the playoffs for a second consecutive season. (Flickr.com photo by Keith Allison)
So what does that mean for the Nets to begin the season?
It’s likely that Kidd will face a suspension from the NBA, as Young notes that Eric Musselman, Jason Richardson and Dorell Wright all faced a two-game suspensions after DWI incidents in the past six years.
The New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy agrees with that trend, according to his Twitter account.
As expected, Jason Kidd pled guilty to DUI charge. A two-game suspension from NBA likely looming.
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) July 16, 2013
It may have been a poor decision for Kidd back on that early July morning, but let’s face it, we all make mistakes. This hasn’t been a recurring trend for Kidd throughout his career, so I don’t think this is anything general manager Billy King or Brooklyn’s brass needs to worry about.
As far as the Nets go, it would be nice to see Kidd on the bench for the first game of the season, but it’s not going to kill them. They’ll likely be without their head coach for the first two games of the season and once he serves his suspension, Kidd will be focused on guiding Brooklyn to the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
Every game is important in the NBA, but missing two games to start the season shouldn’t hurt the Nets whatsoever.
Brooklyn fans should just be hoping that Kidd has learned his lesson from this experience and moves on to help the Nets win games just like they did when he was serving as the starting point guard.
You can also find my work over at Bleacher Report and Yahoo! Sports.