The Brooklyn Nets will take part in the restart of the 2019-20 NBA season. After that, however, they will start their search for a new coach after firing Kenny Atkinson in early March.
According to a recent report from The Athletic, the Nets “have every intention of giving Vaughn a true shot at getting the job, but his already steep path just got steeper.”
With that in mind, here are the five best candidates to take the job:
5. Mark Jackson & Jeff Van Gundy
They are two peas in a pod — in the broadcasting booth or this coaching search. The longtime color commentators were brought up as potential contenders for this job vacancy soon after Kenny Atkinson was fired, yet the real scope of the situation calls for a hard pass here.
Jackson hasn't coached in the NBA in the last six years ever since a quick tenure with the Golden State Warriors went awry. Surprisingly, Van Gundy is the guy with the most recent coaching experience, leading the USA Select Team to qualify for the FIBA World Cup in 2019.
We all know how that turned out.
Van Gundy's job getting them there was admirable, using only players from the G League and from overseas to notch a spot in the big tournament. Yet, the likelihood of either of these candidates taking the helm is rather small, considering the high-caliber stars they would get back next season.
4. Mike Brown
Brown is the lone name in this list who hasn't been formally linked to the head coaching search. He has, however, been linked to the New York Knicks job and received permission to interview there.
The Golden State Warriors assistant has a strong track record as a right-hand man and an impressive .616 winning percentage as a head coach. Guys like Alvin Gentry and Luke Walton, both who have coached under Steve Kerr, have gone on to net head coaching positions in the league. Brown couldn't be far from that same fate.
Let's not forget that Brown led the 2016-17 Warriors to a perfect 12-0 playoff record as the interim coach while Kerr was absent due to a spinal injury.
Brown is well-liked by players and has a strong sense of camaraderie with his sense of humor and relaxed attitude. He also has three years of experience dealing with Kevin Durant and coaching against Kyrie Irving — a familiarity that could serve him wonders during the interview process.
3. Jacque Vaughn
The current interim coach will reportedly be given a chance to interview and make his case to keep the job. However, as unfair as it might be, the resumption of the season doesn't provide the best optics for him to do so.
The Nets are currently without Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, and most recently Kevin Durant. They could also miss Spencer Dinwiddie, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Monday and is debating whether or not to take part in the restart in Orlando.
Brooklyn could wind up sending a G League-like roster to Walt Disney World and potentially sliding to the eighth spot with only a half-game advantage over the Orlando Magic. While none of this is Vaughn's fault, coaches get judged in win-loss records, and his 2-2 sheet this season is too short a sample size to determine if he's fit for the job.
The Nets players like Vaughn, but if he struggles in Orlando the way he did during his short stint there (58-156 record in two and a half seasons as coach of the Magic), he could soon lose the chance to lead them.
2. Tyronn Lue
A strong contender for the job, considering his successful tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lue is the only head coach in this list who has earned a championship ring as a head coach (Brown has three as an assistant).
Kyrie Irving, whom he coached for two seasons, was reportedly not open to a potential reunion, but then suddenly okay with it. The dynamic here is a bit complicated due to Lue's short experience as a head coach (three years and change).
Lue thrived with the Cavs superteam, taking LeBron James and company to a Game 7 upset of the 73-9 Golden State Warriors after taking over the helm midseason. Yet his record without James and Irving was a mere 0-6 before he was fired for defending his veterans and their playing time.
As much as the name sounds like the right fit, there are some questions about how he and Irving would get along. The same could be said about his fit with Durant, who is similarly moody, and was at the other end of two NBA Finals stints against the Cavs.
1. Jason Kidd
Yes, I said it, dammit — Jason F. Kidd (the “F” stands for Frederick, by the way).
Kidd seems like an unlikely go at first, but stepping outside the optics of his tumultuous exit from the helm in his first year as a coach, he's actually the perfect candidate.
The former dime maestro hung up the sneakers and put on the suit and tie to replace P.J. Carlesimo in 2013, only months after Kidd announced his retirement from the game. He guided the Nets to a 44-38 record in his first season. He was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month twice in 2014, becoming the fourth coach to win both Player of the Month and Coach of the Month honors and the second to do so with the same team.
Kidd sought more change-inducing power, hoping to extend his title beyond that of a coach and leap into a front-office role. That was met with some resistance from then-general manager Billy King and ultimately resulted in the Nets trading him to the Milwaukee Bucks after he reportedly discussed becoming their head coach while they still had one employed.
Yet the Nets are six years removed from that debacle, under new ownership and a new front office with a different vision for their future. Brooklyn is no longer relying on stars of the past to get the job done for them, but have two players in their prime able to give them that much-need jumpstart.
Kidd has proven he can develop players as well as coach stars — largely responsible for bringing reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to the forefront. He could have another crazy-talented star in Kevin Durant, who's won two championships and two Finals MVPs.
Kyrie Irving is no slouch either, and the New Jersey native was admittedly a fan of Kidd and those Nets during their dominant run in the early 2000s.
Kidd, who spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant for Frank Vogel with the Los Angeles Lakers, checks all the boxes when it comes to the man the Nets' brass is looking for — they only need to pull the trigger before he's gone.
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