Mark Jackson gets mention as a recent-retiree with zero experience getting handed a coaching job, but Kidd’s been a player-coach for years now. This is almost like Bill Russell’s Celtics except, you know, the titles and all that makes up the Celtics dynasty and stuff that didn’t happen in New Jersey.

The possibility of Lawrence Frank getting hired as a lead assistant actually brings back memories of Jason Kidd having Byron Scott run out of town in favor of Frank. Both those guys, for all of the success they’ve had, could be viewed as assistant coaches the last time they were paired with Kidd.

Whatever. We’ll see if this is a better hire than Maurice Cheeks in Detroit.

 

Dec. 26, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA: New York Knicks guard Jason Kidd (5) against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Kidd has reached an agreement in principle to become the coach of the Brooklyn Nets, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

A news conference to introduce Kidd in Brooklyn will happen on Thursday. Kidd’s contract is expected to be guaranteed for three seasons with a possible fourth-year team option, league sources said.

Kidd, 40, will make the leap out of a Hall Fame playing career and onto the bench next season. It’s a daring move for the Nets that promises to energize their fan base. Kidd is a revered figure in the franchise’s wayward history, and the revelation of his candidacy has inspired the public’s enthusiasm.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and general manager Billy King have been strong advocates of Kidd’s candidacy, pursuing the kind of high-profile – if risky and unorthodox – hiring that they had sought throughout the search process. The success ofGolden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson has served as a blueprint for how the Nets think Kidd can grow into the job.

The Nets missed on traditional coaching stars Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers and ultimately landed on a superstar player whom they project will evolve into a good coach.

King met with another finalist, Indiana Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw, for 4½ hours on Wednesday in New York. Once that meeting had ended, the Nets moved to finalize the agreement with Kidd.

Kidd is working to secure the services of two key assist coaches – Lawrence Frank and Tim Grgurich – to join his staff. With no coaching experience, Kidd will need to lean heavily on the coaches he hires to surround him.

Mar. 24, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez celebrates a basket in the first half against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

If it seems like the least inspiring matchups are all out East, consider this: the Bulls won 4 games less than the Nets with a barrage of injuries close to as damaging as the Wolves sustained this year, and yet they still missed out on home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs by 4 games.

Joakim Noah is going to miss more time with his bad foot. The Plantar Fasciitis Fun Police has been reaping their share of games this year, but Noah and the Bulls were complete idiots and earlier this season gave him minimal rest instead of shutting him down — you know, cuz that franchise point guard is still out will his knee injury from last Spring. So why not have your top 2 guys healthy next year instead of possibly ruining one of them? Because this is the state of mind the Bulls are in and when you’re paying big bucks you win now. Or something.

Nets probable starting lineup:

PG Deron Williams

SG Joe Johnson

SF Gerald Wallace

PF Who Cares

C Mr. Roboto

The Nets shelled out 10 million freaking dollars to retain the services of Kris Humphries and then started Reggie Evans at power forward for a huge chunk of the season. Nevermind the anemic rebounding numbers of Lopez — they’re actually really good this year, for him — the fact you’d spend Andrei Kirilenko money on Hump and then have to ditch him for a journeyman  rebounding specialist — Evans is a rebounding “specialist” in the same way a can opener is a special can opening tool — it’s the Russian reality in Brooklyn. The possibility they could win this series and call their season a success is hilarious. The best team money could be wasted on. The last-second pull-up jumpers of Joe Johnson will carry this team as long as iso-Joe can pry the ball from Williams before he jacks up his own.

Iso-Joe did have one of the more impressive highlights of the year, though.

We’ll give him that.

Bulls probable starting lineup:

PG Kirk Hinrich

SG Jimmy Butler

SF Luol Deng

PF Carlos Boozer

C Taj Gibson

Given Derrick Rose’s absence from this lineup all season, you have to tip your hat to the Bulls and Thommy Thibodeau phor maximizing the production from spare parts, Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli, et al. The problem with the Bulls is where their money is going. Between Deng making 13 million (14 million next year), Boozer making 15 million (with 15 next year and 16 after that) and Gibson set for a raise from 2 to 7.5 and then 8 — what on Earth are the Bulls thinking letting Omer Asik walk? I like Deng and all, but Butler is proving to be quite the find in his 2nd year and should be resigned at a fraction — A FRACTION — of the price.

Maybe I’m being too hard on the Bulls with revisionist history, but the idea of a Noah, Gibson Asik frontline seems more palatable than a Boozer, Gibson, Nazr Mohammed frontline heading into battle against Lopez and Wallace.

Whatever, this series is going to be unwatchable for anyone not residing in Brooklyn. And even they will only be watching ironically.

Prediction: OMG, who cares? Brooklyn, I guess. In 7.