Head coach Jason Kidd ready to return to Bucks after hip surgery

Head coach Jason Kidd ready to return to Bucks after hip surgery The Milwaukee Bucks' head coach would reach out to his staff by sending a lot of text messages. Five weeks after undergoing surgery, the former Cal guard is returning to the bench Tuesday when the Bucks host the Orlando Magic. The Bucks went 8-9 during that stretch under interim head coach Joe Prunty, who is Kidd's lead assistant. Kidd, 42, gradually has worked his way back since the surgery Dec. 21 to fix a hip that got worn down during his 19-year NBA playing career. For as good a job as Prunty did in the interim role, the loss of Kidd threw another obstacle into the Bucks' building blueprint. Playing better three-point defense has been an issue of late in road losses to Houston and New Orleans. The Bucks are a strong team inside the arc, especially when driving the lane, but are 28th out of 30 teams in three-point shots. With eight games left until the All-Star break, the goal is to get closer to .500 to build momentum for a second-half push.