Steve Kerr, Derek Fisher Owe A Debt To Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd is a pioneer. Not Jason Kidd the player, though. I mean, Jason Kidd the player was fine and all, but we’re talking about Jason Kidd, the forward-thinking-player-turned-basketball coach. The guy who, one year removed from being an NBA contributor, turned to the benches to make some extra cash via coaching some of the very same players he played against. Which is why guys like Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher owe him a cut of their money.

Over the last few months, Kerr and Fisher have been able to bank on a trend that actually started before Kidd became the Brooklyn Nets head coach. They turned from being a perceived heady NBA player into a well-paid NBA head coach. Why? Because nothing says “NBA coach” more than being an NBA point guard, I guess. Or, honestly, when an NBA owner sees a guy in the limelight, who occasionally drops smart soundbites via press conferences or on ESPN, that guy wants him as the man leading their franchise going forward. It is the same reason Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Brown and even Doug Collins are always constantly rumored for jobs. The perception of being smart, being put to the forefront thanks to TV exposure, meets the idea of a reality. The reality being that a person who sounds smart is worthy of being a head coach.

I am not arguing the merits of Kerr or Fisher, either. I’m just bringing up the notion that the two of them owe Jason Kidd some loot. Because, even though Kidd is not the first player turned coach, he is the first one of noteworthiness to do so after his first year of being a player. Now, granted, Kerr does not fall into that category, but he certainly falls into the same group as Kidd. The “I never coached a single game ever, yet I magically deserve $5 million a year” group. That is after he had an unsuccessful run as the main-man-in-charge with the Phoenix Suns. The question why, again, is answered pretty simply: Because he is a name worthy of it. Well, at least the Golden State Warriors think so.

Derek Fisher, obviously, fits more of the Jason Kidd mold. The one-year removed from being a player turned coach. Unlike Kidd, however, Fisher does not have the Hall of Fame credentials. Really, if we were to be honest, Fisher’s failures as a NBAPA leader should be used as a negative points towards him being an NBA head coach, not a positive one as the New York Knicks are saying. Seriously, for whatever it is worth, Fisher’s lockout leadership was not solid. Sure, he stood by the players to some degree, but he showed the same kind of competence that Mark Emmert encompasses while overseeing the NCAA – which is not a good thing.

Yet, Jason Kidd only makes, roughly, $2 million a year. Kerr and Fisher will see in excess of $5 million. And, oddly as it sounds, Kidd is a more proven commodity than either of those two. So, yeah, it seems only logical that Kerr and Fisher should be sending some money toward’s Kidd’s general direction. Had Kidd waited a year, hell, he might be making the same kind of money too. The least they can do is thank him by sending him something, right?

It could even be a gift basket of fruit or something. Likely something, but yeah.