Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Derek Fisher can take a page from Jason Kidd's book in first season as Knicks coach

NEW YORK -- As Jason Kidd spoke in a hallway at Madison Square Garden before playing the Knicks, the new Bucks coach recognized a face in the middle of the media throng in front of him.

Derek Fisher stopped by to greet Kidd, who cracked that the new Knicks coach should have had a microphone on him.

“That’s what the league wants, they want you to wear a mike all day,” Kidd joked.

“C’mon rookie coach!”

A year ago, Kidd was the rookie of all rookie head coaches -- a player who traded in his uniform and sneakers for a clipboard and suit, despite having never coached a single minute in his life.

And Fisher watched with great interest.

“I think it was groundbreaking,” Fisher said of Kidd going straight from playing to coaching. “Anytime you have almost like a first or at least in recent years as far as us being able to recall a player that went directly into becoming a head coach before his jersey was even dry, that was unique.

“It kind of opens everybody’s minds to what’s possible.”

A year later, the Knicks are about to see the possibilities with Fisher following in Kidd’s footsteps. In many ways, Kidd helped pave the way for Fisher, who signed a five-year, $25 million deal despite never having drawn up a play before.

If anyone knows what Fisher is about to experience, it’s Kidd. Fisher can learn a great deal from what Kidd went through in a roller-coaster season with the Nets.

The two men share some similarities. Both played point guard and were floor generals for nearly two decades with championship experience. And while Kidd may not have coached the Knicks, he played for them with the core of this current roster. He also understands the intense glare of the New York spotlight shining on your every decision and blunder.

Naturally, when Fisher sought advice before his first training camp, he dialed Kidd’s number.

It’s a good bet Kidd didn’t tell Fisher to spill soda onto the court if he runs out of timeouts late in a game.

“To send the media Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, that might help,” Kidd joked when asked what his advice to Fisher was. “Just kidding. I [talked] patience, that’s what I told him. And I said you’ll be fine.

“You understand what you’re trying to do so patience is the first thing you have to deal with. He couldn’t ask for a better [boss in Phil Jackson]. He has patience. He understands the system. He understands that it takes a little time to get going.”

Fisher has one major luxury Kidd never had as a first-time head coach -- Phil Jackson.

Whenever Fisher has a question or needs advice, he can turn to the Zen Master and all his rings and wisdom. Fisher will need that guidance, as he will certainly experience some turbulence while teaching the Knicks the triangle offense for the first time.

Jackson is going to do everything he can to make sure his apprentice succeeds. Jackson’s reputation as an executive will be judged in part by how his first coaching hire does and how well the triangle works in New York.

And while Kidd had to learn on the go with the enormous pressure of coaching a $197 million roster designed to win now, Fisher has the benefit of having a year to grow with a star like Carmelo Anthony in his prime before Jackson can overhaul the roster next summer.

“It helps in a lot of different ways,” Kidd said of Fisher having Phil on his side. “[Jackson has] sat in that seat as a young coach, as a coach that’s won championships. When you have that type of person to lean on or to ask ... he has someone to draw from, from different experiences of how to handle different situations.”

“I think when you look at Derek, you look at management, they understand how to do that quite well,” Kidd later added. “He has a good mentor to do that.”

The Nets knew how vital it was for Kidd to have that mentor. That’s why they paid Lawrence Frank approximately $6 million for six seasons to be Kidd’s assistant. Unfortunately, the Kidd-Frank relationship didn’t make it to Christmas.

That was the lowest point of a disastrous 10-21 start that saw Kidd struggle through key injuries, a soda-spilling gaffe and a split with his mentor to go with several embarrassing losses.

Kidd even admitted he had to learn little things, such as when his team needed him to stand on the sideline and show emotion. He eventually found his coaching style and confidence, helping the Nets go 34-17 after Jan. 1. The Nets won a Game 7 on the road in Toronto before bowing out to Miami in the second round.

Kidd’s success certainly was enough proof for the Knicks and Warriors to take chances on newbies like Fisher and Steve Kerr.

But the Kidd-Nets relationship blew up with Kidd seeking personnel control, according to sources, though the Bucks coach denies asking for more power. Kidd would be granted permission to talk to Milwaukee before being traded to the Bucks for two second-round picks.

On Sunday, Kidd was asked if he wanted to be traded by Brooklyn, and he alluded to reports by ESPNNewYork.com and Yahoo! Sports about how Nets management considered firing him during the 10-21 start. Ultimately, ownership felt Kidd still had the backing of his players and stuck by the coach at that time.

“Did I want to be traded?” Kidd said. “I think once [the Nets] OK’d the talk to Milwaukee, that just showed, whatever you want to call it, rumors or no rumors [of] that they wanted to fire me in December had to have some legs.”

If there is one thing Fisher -- and even the Knicks -- can learn from Kidd’s rookie coaching experience, it’s to heed Kidd’s advice.

There probably wasn’t nearly enough patience between both Kidd and the Nets to work.

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