Nets Reach Into Past and Make Kidd Coach For the second time in his storied N.B.A. career, Jason Kidd has been asked to play savior for the Nets, a franchise that has been moved and transformed but is forever seeking credibility. The Nets signed Kidd as their coach on Wednesday, banking that his basketball acumen and his Hall of Fame credentials can lift them into championship contention, despite his lack of coaching experience. It was a stunning and unconventional move. Kidd, 40, just retired as a player on June 3, after one season with the rival Knicks. Although many former players have become successful head coaches without first serving as an assistant, few have gone straight from playing to coaching so quickly. "Jason is a proven winner and leader with an incredible wealth of basketball knowledge and experience," General Manager Billy King said in a statement. This will be a natural transition for him to move into the role of head coach, as he embodies the tough, smart and team-first mentality that we are trying to establish in Brooklyn. The precise terms of Kidd's contract were unknown. A person with knowledge of the deal said reports of a three-year deal were inaccurate. Kidd will be introduced Thursday at a 2 p.m. news conference at Barclays Center. "This is a tremendous opportunity to be named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and it's a role I have been studying for over the course of my playing days," Kidd said in a statement. Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and that's how I expect to coach this basketball team. I am truly excited about this next phase of my basketball career. The hope is that Kidd can do for the Brooklyn Nets what a younger Kidd once did for the New Jersey Nets. Twelve years ago, the Nets acquired Kidd from the Phoenix Suns and were instantly transformed, from a laughingstock to a title contender. Behind Kidd's playmaking, the Nets made the finals in 2002 and 2003. They made the playoffs in each of his six full seasons. "Jason Kidd has a long and legendary history with the Nets and with the city of New York," Mikhail D. Prokhorov, the Nets" owner, said in a statement. He has the fire in the belly we need and has achieved as a player everything the Brooklyn Nets are striving to achieve. We believe he will lead us there. Welcome home, Jason. As one of the greatest players in Nets history, Kidd will surely resonate with fans, an important consideration for a franchise still working to carve out its niche in New York. On a more practical level, Kidd should have a strong influence on a Nets lineup that was notably lacking in intensity last season. The Nets won 49 games - their most successful campaign in seven years - but they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the grittier Chicago Bulls, who won Game 7 on the Nets" home court. With no salary-cap room and little roster flexibility, the Nets will need improvement from within. Much now depends on Kidd's ability to motivate and inspire his three star players: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. In his interview this week, Kidd gave a detailed rundown of how he would use each player on the roster. He also impressed team officials with his analysis of the Nets" playoff demise, offering insights on specific games and situations. The Nets seriously considered only two candidates: Kidd and Brian Shaw, another former N.B.A. guard with a sharp basketball mind. Shaw, currently the associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers, has been an assistant for nine years and is highly regarded around the league. He remains a candidate for several other openings. While Shaw has the stronger résumé, Kidd brings assets that are more difficult to quantify but are possibly more valuable. He is among the greatest point guards to play the game and is universally respected by players. During his season with the Knicks, Kidd was highly influential in persuading Carmelo Anthony to play a more team-oriented game and in helping to corral the volatile J. R. Smith. It was Kidd's knowledge and commanding presence that proved to be the critical factors, along with his reputation for improving every team he has ever joined. Kidd helped the Dallas Mavericks win a title in 2011. Team officials hope that Kidd can follow the model set by Larry Bird, who took over the Indiana Pacers in 1997 and guided them to the finals three years later. Bird had no coaching experience, but he hired a staff of veterans, led by Rick Carlisle and Dick Harter. Kidd intends to do the same, and he has reached out to Lawrence Frank - his former coach with the Nets - and Tim Grgurich, a longtime N.B.A. assistant, among others. Kidd will be the Nets" third coach since they moved to Brooklyn, following Avery Johnson, who was fired in mid-December, and P. J. Carlesimo, who was let go after the season. While Williams has a shaky history with coaches and chafed under Johnson, Kidd has a built-in advantage: he and Williams are friends who share an agent and mutual respect. "Excited to get to work under our new head coach @RealJasonKidd," Williams said on Twitter Wednesday night. Great leader and great basketball mind. Will be a great head coach.