Los Angeles Lakers: 3 thoughts on Jason Kidd speculation

1. Kidd has LeBron James’ ultimate respect

The most important aspect of the Lakers head coaching position is their relationship with LeBron James, and if past quotes are anything to go off, LeBron respects Jason Kidd as much as anybody in the NBA.

The two were teammates on the 2008 Olympics Redeem Team that won gold. LeBron offered high praise of Kidd, stating that, “He was one of the best friends I would have, on and off the floor.” That team included Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, literally three of LeBron’s best friends in the world.

James also said Kidd was, “one of the best teammates I ever played with.” When Kidd was hired to coach the Brooklyn Nets immediately after retiring from playing in 2013, LeBron said, “He’s a student of the game. His basketball IQ is crazy and I think it’s going to make it an easy transition for him to be a coach. It’s a great thing for him.”

What more high praise do you need? The Lakers are going all in on LeBron James for the next three seasons and there seems to be some disconnect between him and Luke Walton. Hiring Kidd based off his past coaching resume wouldn’t be smart, but hiring him to manage LeBron and give the latter a coach to respect and challenge basketball-wise would be smart.

Selecting a head coach to appease one player is never an ideal thing. But when that player is LeBron James and he’s coming off missing the postseason for the first time since 2005, hiring a Hall of Fame player that he clearly has a close relationship and affinity for can’t be the worst plan of action.

As prefaced before, this is all speculation and it feels wrong even discussing a job that somebody else currently occupies. But the bashing online of this potential hire has forced everyone to ponder this rumored move, and if Jason Kidd were to overhaul his defensive system, the Los Angeles Lakers hiring him wouldn’t be as egregious as people suggest.