Current LA Lakers coach Byron Scott previously coached current Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd to two NBA Finals appearances with the New Jersey Nets.
Kidd and Scott have never faced one another on the sidelines, but that will change on a frosty Wednesday night in Wisconsin. The only thing colder than the weather in Milwaukee may be the relationship between the former player and the former coach.
"He's kind of known for being an a-hole," Scott said at Wednesday morning's shootaround, according to Mark Medina of the LA Daily News.
"I never got that story," Scott said about unconfirmed reports that Kidd went to management and asking them to remove the coach. "I always said though, 'Where there's smoke, there's fire.'"
Scott, however, sounded as if he had moved forward: "I'm in a much better place, and I'm sure he's happy where he is."
Even if the weather permitted, Scott did not sound interested in playing golf with Kidd any time soon. He did not believe the relationship required repair and chose to describe his interactions with Kidd as "cordial."
"The bottom line is we had a lot of success together, as well," Scott attempted to put a slightly positive spin on the conversation, but that hardly balanced his earlier comments.
When asked about Kidd purposely spilling a drink to stop play after running out of timeouts against the Lakers a season earlier, Scott said he was surprised Kidd only received a $50,000 fine. Kidd became the butt of a great deal of jokes, and the spill did not even ultimately result in a win. Still, the fine seemed light considering the unethical tactic.
With the Bucks, however, Kidd appears to have a young core that could turn into contenders for an elongated period of time. Holding a winning record and in line to make the playoffs, the Bucks have quickly turned around a team that finished bottom in the NBA a season ago.
Kidd maneuvered a move to Milwaukee in controversial fashion, but since arriving in Wisconsin, the Bucks have looked a noticeably better team. Currently, the Bucks are on pace to win nearly three times as many games as a season ago.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets, where Kidd previously coached, have declined and currently find themselves out of the playoff picture. Even if he is an "A-hole," Kidd's work on the sidelines makes up for not necessarily being liked by his former coach.
"I respect him as a basketball player and now as a coach," Scott said.
