Jason Kidd may be gaining traction as candidate for Knicks’ head coach job

We at P&T headquarters don’t always agree, particularly when it comes to advocating for one of the 11 candidates for Knicks head coach. How do, however, agree on one thing: We do NOT want Jason Kidd.

So guess who’s gaining steam in the head coach race, according to Stefan Bondy?

Stalled contract negotiations with Tom Thibodeau, the favorite for months, has elevated Jason Kidd to a frontrunner, the Daily News has learned.

Kidd, a brilliant Hall of Fame player, is viewed by the Knicks as a conduit to attracting stars, and his relationship with 2021 free agent Giannis Antetokounmpo is a boost. But there are also people in the organization who are skeptical of his coaching ability following underwhelming stints in Brooklyn and Milwaukee. As a result, the Kidd hire would come with the caveat of the front office picking at least some of his assistant coaches, according to a source.

“It’s basically to save Kidd from himself,” the source said.

These three paragraphs are a fine distillation of everything that has been stupid about this franchise for the past few decades: botched contract negotiations, an obsession with star-chasing, and a potential head coach who must be saved from himself.

The Bucks vaulted from a .500 club to a title contender almost immediately after replacing Kidd, but these are the Knicks, so of course we have to think about all the wonderful stars the Hall of Fame player can attract. Sure, there’s no evidence that Kidd attracted any star players to Brooklyn (who had already traded for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett before hiring Kidd) or Milwaukee (who drafted Giannis and traded for Khris Middleton before either were stars), but maybe Giannis loves Kidd soooooo much he’d be willing to leave a title contender and a crapload of money to join up with the guy who led Milwaukee basically nowhere.

Of course, this could all just be a negotiating ploy on the Knicks part. Marc Berman seems to think so, claiming Tom Thibodeau still has a 65 percent chance of winning the job. Berman also mentioned Mike Miller as a dark horse candidate to get the job.

At this point, I’d just take Miller. If owner James Dolan doesn’t want to fork over the cash to sign Thibs, then just sign Miller on the cheap. I don’t see much of a difference between the two at this point (as long as they don’t re-sign Elfrid Payton).

But please, Knicks, do not hire Jason Kidd.