Brooklyn Nets Officially Name Jason Kidd Head Coach

Dec 19, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson (7) looks to drive as New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) defends during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson (7) looks to drive as New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) defends during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 19, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson (7) looks to drive as New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) defends during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson (7) looks to drive as New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) defends during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Less than two weeks after announcing his retirement, Jason Kidd has been named the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

"“It’s a role I have been studying for over the course of my playing days,” Kidd said in a statement released by the Nets. “Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and that’s how I expect to coach this basketball team.”"

Via Ken Berger | CBS Sports

It’s an interesting move for the Nets to hire someone with absolutely no head-coaching experience, as they haven’t exactly shown a capacity for patience in the past and their payroll demands a win-now mentality.

That said, Kidd has been one of the greatest basketball minds to ever grace the hardwood. And it wouldn’t be surprising if that intelligence translated smoothly to the sidelines. It also doesn’t hurt that Kidd has brought a winning culture to the Nets in the past. As he lead the team to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov welcomed Kidd, saying: “Jason Kidd has the fire in the belly we need and has achieved as a player everything the Brooklyn Nets are striving to achieve. We believe he will lead us there. Welcome home, Jason.”