ORLANDO — If you think only the general public was stunned by the series of events that led to coach Jason Kidd being pursued by and eventually going to the Bucks, think again.
“I was blindsided like a defensive end [coming off the edge],” Mason Plumlee said after the Nets opened their weeklong stay for Summer League with a 101-81 win over the Pacers. “I had no clue.”
Plumlee, who had 23 points, was far from the only person shocked by the news that Kidd, after just one season in Brooklyn, was headed to Milwaukee to coach the Bucks.
But now that it’s happened, Plumlee said he is excited for the opportunity to play under new coach Lionel Hollins.
“I was very surprised,” he said. “I think everybody was. I know you guys were, I was, but it’s part of it.”
“I wish [Kidd] well. I’ve said constantly I had a great time playing for him, I enjoyed him as a coach. But now I’m looking forward to playing for coach Hollins. I haven’t met him yet, but I’m looking forward to that.”
It was just over a week ago Plumlee was the lone player on hand at the unveiling of the site of the team’s new practice facility in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, where everyone spoke optimistically about the future — one Plumlee was featured in prominently.
The coaching change hasn’t impacted Plumlee’s status within that future after his impressive rookie year, one in which he finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and was an All-Rookie first team selection after fitting perfectly into Kidd’s perimeter-oriented system with a lone big man on the floor virtually all the time.
But Plumlee said though it likely will be a different look to the Nets this coming season under Hollins, he thinks they are positioned to build on last year’s success.
“Anytime you feel like you have something moving forward … obviously we ended in the second round, but I felt like we made progress over the season,” he said. “But that doesn’t stop with the guys we have coming back, especially if we can get Paul [Pierce] back. We have a core there that’s played two rounds in the playoffs, and they’ve experienced things and have a feel for each other.”
Marquis Teague and Jorge Gutierrez — the other two players on the Nets’ roster participating in Orlando — were equally surprised by the news.
“I was really surprised because everything has been cool lately,” Teague said. “We had been seeing [Kidd] around, then it just randomly happened so it’s kind of crazy.
“Everybody was on the same page. We thought everything was good. He was talking to us, working out every day, so it was kind of shocking.”
More than anything, Plumlee said he was glad to get a chance to get back into the routine of playing again.
“It’s just nice to play,” he said. “It’s just good to get out on the court.
“Like you all said, it’s weird…There’s not too many transitions like this, but it’s good to get back to the court and play.”