Knicks coaching search: Jason Kidd emerges as frontrunner as Tom Thibodeau contract talks stall, per report

Kidd is currently Frank Vogel's top assistant with the Lakers and last served as a head coach with Milwaukee

Say this for Jason Kidd: He definitely knows how to nail an interview. Kidd was so great in the room 2013 that the Nets hired him to be their head coach less than two weeks after he'd retired as a player. When he eventually tried, and failed, to take total control of all Nets roster decisions, he moved on to the Milwaukee Bucks, who hired him as their head coach before they'd even officially fired their current one, Larry Drew. When that job went south, Kidd impressed the Lakers with his interview to such a degree that they reportedly insisted anyone interested in their head coaching job accept Kidd as their top assistant. 

Frank Vogel obliged. 

So that's where Kidd currently resides, as Vogel's top assistant with the Lakers as they embark upon a championship quest in the Orlando bubble. But Kidd's assistant days might be numbered. Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Kidd has emerged as the favorite to become the New York Knicks' next head coach as contract talks with Tom Thibodeau have stalled. 

Kidd's record as a head coach isn't sparkling. As Steve Kerr, with effectively the same roster, was able to increase the Warriors' win total by 16 games the year he took over for Mark Jackson, Mike Budenholzer won 60 games with a Bucks team Kidd had never been able to lead to more than 42 wins. Kidd played gambling defensive styles that often backfired, and he didn't come close to optimizing Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

And yet, it is presumed that Kidd's relationship with Antetokounmpo -- who in 2021 will become the NBA's most prized free agent since LeBron James in 2010 -- is a major feather in his potential coach cap. The Knicks want Antetokounmpo, obviously, and they have the cap space to get him. In theory, if Kidd can put them in a better position to make that happen, whatever weaknesses he might've shown as an actual coach would be worth the sacrifice. 

To that point, this comes from the Daily News piece:

Kidd, an unquestioned Hall of Fame player, is viewed by the Knicks as a conduit to attracting free agents, but there are also people in the organization who are skeptical of his coaching ability following underwhelming stints in Brooklyn and Milwaukee. As a result, the Kidd hire would come with the caveat of the front office picking at least some of his assistant coaches.

"It's basically to save Kidd from himself," the source said. 

Players are surely partial to Kidd for the reverence toward him as a player. That kind of respect never goes away. But when was the last time a free agent of this magnitude ultimately chose his next destination to play for a particular coach? If Giannis wants to go to the Knicks, which feels like a major long shot already, it will likely be the lure of New York and the opportunity to resurrect that organization that attracts him, not Jason Kidd. 

So we'll see. This is far from a done deal. Thibodeau, who has been considered the favorite to land the job since the start of the process, could relent on whatever contract demands are reportedly causing the snag. But for now, it appears Kidd has moved into the pole position.