Kidd Receives 'T' In Coaching Debut; Lawrence Frank Active As Assistant
ORLANDO (CBSNewYork) -- It wasn't just the players who were learning new skills in the Brooklyn Nets' Summer League game against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday in Orlando, Fl. Newly appointed head coach Jason Kidd picked up on some boundaries that correlate with being a coach in the NBA.
Kidd walked out onto the court in the fourth quarter to argue with a referee over a intentional foul that was not called. In doing so, the former Nets point guard stepped outside of the coaching box, resulting in a technical foul called against Brooklyn.
A rookie mistake by the new head coach.
"I've seen some of these coaches be all the way down on the other end so I can't follow their lead in that aspect," said Kidd after the game. "I learned real quickly where the box is. I deserved the 'T.' We were trying to foul a player and the referee missed it and it led to free throws and I tried to express to the referees what we were trying to do. It happens. They're not perfect. We're not perfect. So it's a lesson learned and I know I can't go past half court."
While Kidd was quiet and almost looked nervous in the first half, the energetic and competitive future Hall of Famer turned into his usual self, as he jumped up out of his seat to direct traffic on the court in the second half of the Nets' 76-67 loss to the Pistons.
Lawrence Frank was also very active in his assistant coaching role against his former team. While he leapt out to try and save Kidd from the technical, he was also seen drawing up plays during timeouts and talking to players directly, on the court and on the bench.
"Coach Frank is a mastermind when it comes to drawing up plays and stuff like that," point guard Tyshawn Taylor told reporters. "So Coach Kidd was talking to us mostly about defense. When it came to the offensive stuff that we had to work on, Coach Frank would do it."
The Nets obviously want Frank to take lead throughout games to showcase his experience and help teach Kidd how to be a head coach. He is the highest paid assistant coach in the NBA.
But Kidd's composure and strategy would not go unnoticed in his debut. He strategically made the call to intentionally foul Pistons center Andre Drummond in the fourth quarter, rightfully predicting that he would miss more free throws than he would make.
Despite the loss to one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, the Nets saw positive production from their first round draft pick, Mason Plumlee, who tallied 10 points and 14 rebounds. Taylor, who will be looking to compete for the backup point guard spot on the depth chart, led the team with 17 points.
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