“LeBron’s Fingerprints Are All Over”: Skip Bayless Questions JJ Redick’s Legitimacy as HC Candidate Without LBJ

The Los Angeles Lakers’ hunt for the next head coach has turned into a soap opera. Every week, we get a new twist in the tale. While some claim to have inside information regarding the confirmation of JJ Redick for the HC position, others are busy analyzing who is the puppet master of the show. On the recent episode of ‘UNDISPUTED’, Skip Bayless stated that LeBron James would make the final call on the position, who would side with his friend, JJ Redick.

Bayless said,

“I know that Rich Paul keeps saying publicly that LeBron has nothing to do with any of this process, but I’m sorry, his fingerprints are all over JJ.”

He ridiculed the notion that Redick would even be a candidate for such an esteemed position if it wasn’t for his friendship with LeBron. It seems like Mind the Game Pod has done wonders for Redick’s career already.

The analyst also acknowledged that the two co-hosts of the podcast share a deep love for the game and their conversations on basketball are at an elite level. He said, “I’m sure LeBron has been extremely impressed with his [Redick’s] knowledge.”

https://twitter.com/undisputed/status/1796195693599637511?t=Jf-C554culLW24uBTCS5aQ&s=08

Even with Redick’s impressive ball knowledge, Bayless is unsure if taking up the HC job will be the right decision. He said, “I’ve said it before, this feels disastrous for JJ.”

The media veteran stated that the job could possibly have a psychological effect on Redick because of the politics involved in the camp. Regardless, it’s the Lakers. Who doesn’t want to be at the helm of one of the biggest franchises? Further, several analysts have even declared Redick as the new HC of the team.

NBA Insider claims the Lakers have found their new head coach

NBA insider for TNT, Chris Haynes, recently made a massive claim during his appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. He said, “I will be very surprised if their next Head Coach is anybody but JJ Redick. Everything that I’m hearing is JJ Redick.”

Detailing their progress, Haynes said that Redick is already making calls and arrangements to finalize the assistant coaching candidates who will join his staff.

"I will be very surprised if their next Head Coach is anybody but JJ Redick. Everything that I'm hearing is JJ Redick. From what I know he's doing some background, calling some assistant coaching candidates who might be able to join his staff."

–@ChrisBHaynes on #Lakers next HC pic.twitter.com/XipwSlN6wo

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 29, 2024

According to Jovan Buha and Shams Charania, the Lakers are expecting a Pat Riley-esque future with Redick. They reported that the Lakers are “viewing him as a Pat Riley-like coaching prospect who could both help the franchise in the short term and lead it for years.”

If these reports turn out to be true, that’ll be a major push for Redick’s career. But more importantly, with the Pat Riley comparisons, he’ll have massive expectations to live up to in a franchise that hasn’t seen much success in recent years.