Life Imitating Fiction – Sort of

My Brooklyn Monarchs trilogy centers around a fictional NBA team. I wrote and conceived of this trilogy before the New Jersey Nets moved to Brooklyn. Hearing the rumors the real team would become the Brooklyn Nets, I did briefly consider relocating my Monarchs. However, I’m from Brooklyn so that’s where I wanted to put “my” team. In Fast Break, the first book of my Brooklyn Monarchs trilogy, the hero is a recently retired NBA player. Although he doesn’t have any prior coaching experience, the Monarchs franchise hires him to be their head coach. I thought that would make an interesting story. Now imagine my surprise when life imitated fiction. Jason Kidd retired from the NBA on June 3, 2013. Then on June 12, 2013, he was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Kidd has no prior coaching experience. As I mentioned, I’m from Brooklyn. Although I love my New York Knicks (with a 3-13 record, it’s gotta be love), I want the Brooklyn Nets (5-13) to do well. So, Jason, how’s that rookie coaching season working out for you? So far, I’d say it’s a bit bumpy. Even before the season started, Kidd was suspended for the first two games of the season for pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated. Now, the league has fined him $50,000 for cheating. Long and disappointing story short, Kidd intentionally spilled a soda on the court during the Nov. 27 game against the Lakers. There was about eight seconds left to the game. The Nets were out of timeouts. “Cupgate,” as some of the media pundits have dubbed it, appears to have been a ploy to get an official timeout. Sadness. FYI: The Nets still loss, 99-94 to the Lakers. I realize even an experienced head coach could have made the same mistakes Kidd has made. However, with one of my team’s at stake, I wish the first impression of this real-life rookie head coach could have been as heroic as my fictional character’s.