“Darvin Ham Was an Assistant Coach”: Shannon Sharpe Justifies His Protest Against JJ Redick Becoming Lakers Coach

The Los Angeles Lakers got eliminated in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, leading the front office to get rid of, not just the head coach, but the entire coaching staff. Firing Darvin Ham meant that the team was in the market for a new head coach and among the many candidates, JJ Redick is one of them. However, Shannon Sharpe is not convinced with Redick taking over the helm.

NFL legend Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson had a spirited debate on who the next head coach for the Lakers should be. While Sharpe did not have an objection to the other candidates, he wasn’t happy with Redick being considered as one on the latest episode of the Nightcap podcast.

“DeMeco Ryans was a defensive coordinator, right? You look at a lot of these guys, Darvin Ham was an assistant coach. He was an assistant coach in Atlanta, he was an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks. We’re talking about a guy, what they did for Matt Millen. Matt Millen was calling games and they gave him a general manager job. Same thing they did with John Lynch. John Lynch was calling games for Fox and they gave him a GM job…So we’re talking about a person(JJ Redick) that didn’t have any coaching experience.”

Shannon Sharpe’s main objection is the fact that JJ Redick does not possess any coaching experience at any professional level. Sharpe admitted that Redick was a good player who had a successful NBA career.

Having played with six NBA teams throughout his 15-year career, Redick found success almost everywhere he went. However, the no coaching experience did bug Shannon Sharpe.

However, he did consider Steve Kerr’s past and how he had no experience either and was awarded the head coaching position. Even Darvin Ham, who was only an assistant coach was given the keys to the Lakers.

So, while Sharpe took objection to Redick’s blank slate in terms of coaching experience, he did mention that there have been times when the head coaching job was filled with inexperienced people who ended up shining bright.

Former NBA star not convinced that JJ Redick is the ideal candidate

The jury is still out on JJ Redick’s ability to lead the Los Angeles Lakers. Redick was a sharpshooter all his life who came in clutch on numerous occasions for his team. But to lead an entire roster from the sidelines is quite different from making a tough shot while on the floor.

There may be some who are excited to see what Redick can do in a head coaching position, others are just not convinced. Former Sixth Man of the Year, Lou Williams even gave his two cents on why Redick won’t be successful.

“There’s no chance that JJ Redick is going to be able to command that locker room. Yeah, him and LeBron, sitting and drinking wine together, breaking down plays but it is different when 20,000 people screaming at you and you gotta 11 other players you gotta manage as well.”

Let’s see if the Lakers do end up pulling the trigger on Redick and then live to see the results.