First-year head coach Jason Kidd of the Brooklyn Nets needed an extra time out with 8.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of a game against the Lakers in which the Nets were losing 94-96 and the Lakers' Jodie Meeks was about to take the second of two free throws. With no timeouts remaining, I believe that Kidd wanted to relay a drawn-up play to his players on the court in order to get one last look for a game winning shot. The kicker: they lost anyway.
However, Kidd was eventually fined $50,000 for his delay the game, for although he said that the incident was an accident, his words hint at sarcasm and are clearly meant to get laughs: "Cup slipped out of my hand [while] I was getting Ty. Sweaty palms. I was never good with the ball." Perhaps if the former 19-year-veteran point guard hadn't made such a mockery of his actions, the penalty would not have been so harsh.
But sarcasm aside the incident shows desperation from Kidd. Some may perceive it as dedication, as he said after the fine: "It's about trying to win," but I believe that Kidd is just overwhelmed with coaching in the NBA. He probably assumed that it would be a cake-walk, but heavily underestimated the nuances of the job. His team has been underperforming all season and if they had been winning then I'm sure he would never have pulled such as stunt as this. The only reasoning behind my opinion: Would you ever see Greg Popovich spill his drink on the court in such humiliating fashion just to gain an extra timeout? Of course not.
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