Why the JJ Redick hire could raise some eyebrows in NBA circles
The Lakers made a splash in the head coaching cycle with the hiring of JJ Redick and while NBA fans know that Redick is a basketball genius, his hire could still be rubbing some people the wrong way. Redick has shown his prowess for being a media member and creating buzz in his post retirement era but becoming the head coach of the Lakers is a completely different beast than podcasting. Redick was named the Lakers head coach after a bizarre coaching search that included UConn head coach Dan Hurley saying the Lakers didn’t offer him enough money and the Lakers circling back to Redick.
There are conflicting reports on if Hurley was ever seriously going to be the Lakers coach but the fact the team flew Hurley to Los Angeles and went through the process shows there were some question marks they had on Redick. For me the question marks aren’t around Redick’s basketball knowledge or his profanity infused press conference that seems to have rubbed some of the old school media the wrong way. For me the issue with Redick being hired by the Lakers is the process in which he took to become a head coach.
Redick has never been a head coach anywhere and is now the coach of arguably the most famous franchise in the USA. Although Redick is as smart as they come when it comes to basketball I have to think this moves still rubs people around the league the wrong way. Look at who many think is the best coach in the league Eric Spoelstra and how he got his job, climbing the ranks from being a video assistant with the Heat paying his dues and working his way up the coaching ladder.
How about NBA Champion head coach of the Celtics Joe Mazzulla who grinded his way from lower level college programs to the G League and then the Celtics. Or even Celtics top assistant coach Sam Cassell a guy who’s basketball knowledge can’t be questioned who has been working his way up the ranks and paying his dues has yet to be rewarded with a head coaching opportunity. While there have been some Celtics assistants to be awarded jobs this offseason many thought Cassell would be the next one to become a head coach.
I don’t discredit Redick’s basketball knowledge but the immediate jump from podcaster to head coach after never really paying any dues has to be viewed with a concerned eye. There are dozens if not hundreds of assistant coaches in the NBA and college that have been grinding for years to get the opportunity Redick has that weren’t even looked at for this opportunity. The other side is that it’s the Los Angeles Lakers and maybe Cassell or any of those other top assistants would be a fool to take the job with maybe the shortest leash in the NBA as their first, but the process in which Redick was awarded it has to be frustrating for those coaches who have been putting in the work for years.
Redick could be a great coach for the Lakers but this has nothing to do with his actual coaching ability, because we have no clue what that is. But it’s hard to argue that JJ Redick would have gotten this job if he didn’t have a podcast with Lebron James and I think that’s a bad look for the NBA and the Lakers.
