When Jason Kidd became coach of the Brooklyn Nets last season, just days after his NBA career had finished, it created a new path for veteran players to follow to the sidelines.

One year later, though he has moved on from Brooklyn to Milwaukee, Jason is no longer the only coach who has transitioned from playing to a head coach position. Another one of his peers, Derek Fisher, is making the same move this season, becoming coach of the New York Knicks immediately following an 18-year playing career.

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The two were able to catch up for the first time since Fisher became a coach, on Monday in New York as Fisher’s Knicks played host to Jason and the Bucks. During his pre-game media session, Fisher gave credit to Coach Kidd for perhaps opening that door.

“I think it was groundbreaking,” Fisher said. “You know, you have almost a first, or at least in recent years, becoming the head coach of an NBA franchise before his jersey was even dry. That was unique. And so every time you have that kind of example, that opens everybody’s mind as to what’s possible.”

Fisher also noted that as he watched from afar as Jason transitioned so quickly from playing to coaching, he remembered thinking about how wise the decision to do so was from a veteran player’s perspective.

“It was smart to take the wisdom and experience he’s gained from almost 20 years as a player. Very few things in life you’re an expert in before you even do it, and to be an expert at the game of basketball before becoming a coach is a gift.”

The transition wasn’t always easy for Jason as he found out quickly that even though a coach is a leader of the team, his position on the sidelines left him with far less control of what happened on the court than he had as a player.

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“You find out quickly you don’t have the ball so you can’t take a charge, you can’t come up with a steal,” Kidd said. “You might see someone who is open on an extra pass. You can’t make the pass. You can only communicate it to them, show it to them, and hopefully at some point the trust and respect kicks in and they find it.”

Perhaps the most surprising part of the job for J-Kidd last year in Brooklyn was dealing with depth issues on the roster when players are injured. Over the course of the season, Jason lost all but one of his opening night starters for a long period of time. As a result, it took the Nets a while to find their footing as they scuffled to a 10-21 start.

But once Brooklyn was able to establish a rhythm, they thrived and Jason was twice named NBA coach of the month over the final four months of the NBA season as he helped the Nets get back on track to reach the playoffs where they advanced to the second round.

“You have no control of injuries. A new group, players and coaches, it takes time. Chemistry isn’t just something that comes overnight,” Jason said. “When you look at trying to put in a system, it takes a little time to put down the foundation. Then players get comfortable with it, then it clicks and then it goes.”

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As for Fisher, Jason believes the new Knicks coach, a long-time NBA veteran known for his leadership of five NBA championship teams is well suited for the role and will be well prepared to handle it by his mentor, Knicks president Phil Jackson, an 11-time NBA champion as a coach.

“I think it’s a smart play. You look at Derek’s career, he’s going to be a great coach in this league. His personality, he’s never going to panic. He’s been in big games during seasons and the playoffs. The championships he’s won. He has all the ingredients to be one of the best coaches in this league, given time.” Kidd said.

“You look at Derek, you look at (Knicks) management, they understand how to do that quite well. He has a good mentor who has won championships, the type of person to lean on. It’s not like this is going to be Phil’s team. It’s Fish’s team. He definitely made that clear. But he has someone to draw from, how to handle different situations.”

Asked if he had any advice for Fisher, Jason quipped that the new Knicks coach should give gifts to the New York media to earn their favor, before sharing his most honest advice.

“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.”

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