The Chicago Bulls need credibility this offseason after being stuck in NBA purgatory for the better half of this decade, and losing their head coach, Billy Donovan, only hurts them more. Their roster and front office have very little, if any, credibility. Adding credibility is a must this offseason, and hiring recently fired head coach Jason Kidd does that.

Let’s be clear, I’m not the first one to have the idea of a union between former Dallas Mavericks head coach and Chicago. However, focusing on Kidd’s impact off the court is just as important as his impact on the court. Kidd is not only a Hall of Fame point guard and a top-10 all-time player at the position, but he’s also had a solid record as a coach.

His overall record as a coach shows some inconsistency with a win percentage of 49.6 percent. However, it should be noted that he has had five seasons of a .500 record or above. He also had the playoffs in five seasons, including two trips to the Western Conference Finals, one of which resulted in an appearance in the NBA Finals.

Jason Kidd has the skills the Chicago Bulls need

Let’s also keep in mind that Kidd has a good track record of player development, especially those with playmaking skills. Players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Cooper Flagg, developing guard-like skills, are key examples in this instance. That’s another good reason why Kidd would be a fit on a developing young team.

They already have a large wing playing point guard in Josh Giddey. At 6-foot-7, Giddey fits Kidd’s ideal point guard already and has a baseline skillset, so Kidd’s not working from scratch on a younger prospect. As of last season, he averaged 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 9.1 assists. That being written, Giddey is still just 23-years-old and still has room for improvement. Kidd would be getting an ideal prospect to develop if he were hired in Chicago.

On top of that, while it’s true the Bulls haven’t been in real contention for the better part of the past decade, they do have roster flexibility and about only $93 million committed in salary cap space for next season. They also have two first round picks in this upcoming draft. Theoretically, Chicago has a chance to rebuild relatively fast if new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham can hit on all his moves this offseason.

Kidd also comes with questions

All those are great reasons to hire Kidd; however, let’s not ignore some of the negatives that come with hiring the former All-NBA point guard to become the next Bulls head coach. There’s a reason why Kidd is available now, just about three seasons after appearing in the NBA Finals.

The biggest flaw Kidd has as a coach is his inability to develop or sustain relationships with players on his roster. In Mirin Fader’s book about Giannis’ development, excerpted at The Ringer, she had this to write about Kidd’s coaching style with both the Brooklyn Nets and the Bucks.

“His coaching style with the Nets, and then with the Bucks, was described as ‘psychological warfare’ by one former player.”

Not something that most fans or players would love to hear. While it didn’t affect every player. There were some instances where it rubbed players the wrong way. For example, when Kidd was fired from Dallas, former Bucks point guard Michael Carter-Williams responded to a tweet, hinting at his own negative experiences.

It doesn’t help that Kidd co-signed the Luka Dončić trade and allowed that relationship to deteriorate either. However, despite these negatives against Kidd, the Bulls shouldn’t be scared off from hiring him. Besides all the previously listed reasons above, the roster has no established star with an ego or established way of doing things. This helps Kidd install his methods with little pushback on how harsh they may or may not come across.

In total, the Chicago Bulls seem like an ideal landing spot for Jason Kidd to continue his coaching career. Despite his prior reputation around the NBA, that doesn’t impact the situation in Chicago. His track record of developing young talent and the flexibility that the Bulls have this offseason are the reasons why this union would work.

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