Since the departure of Darvin Ham from the designation of LA Lakers’ head coach, several have expressed strong interest in filling the vacancy. Recently, JJ Redick has come across as quite the candidate for the role, sparking some wild discussions within the league. Amidst the anticipation, NBA Insider, Brian Windhorst, discussed if the former player has any real chance of landing the job, along with his bond with LeBron James.
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Furthermore, the 46-year-old believed that Redick’s friendship with James may not come to his aid in this scenario. After all, the 4x champion has rarely been involved in the process of selecting a new head coach. Additionally, Windhorst emphasized how fleeting the Lakers star’s bonds with his contemporaries have been in the past.
“LeBron’s friendships in the NBA, for the most part, tend to fall out as quickly as they start. There is a long line of former teammates that he was buddy buddies with, that when it’s over, are gone. The true close people in his life, have been close people in his life for 15 or 20 years”.
“The Lakers have very few good candidates… LeBron [James] doesn’t get involved in coaching hires… LeBron’s friendships tend to fall out as quickly as they start.”
Brian Windhorst on the possibility of the Lakers hiring JJ Redick
(via @dpshow)pic.twitter.com/zsiUijCSDO
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 7, 2024
Despite the seeming harshness of the statement, there also seems to be an ample amount of truth to be explored here. While JJ Redick is clearly a very smart basketball mind, he is unproven in the realm of coaching. To give the former sharpshooter such a big job right out the gate would be bordering on lunacy.
On top of this, the 39-year-old has always prioritized winning over personal relationships in the league. After all, the league has witnessed various such instances over the years.
From changing franchises to turnover in the rosters, James has become infamous for the flippant nature of his interpersonal relationships. Thus, as Windhorst pointed out, Redick should expect no benefit in this regard from his friend.
Does JJ Redick stand a chance?
At this stage, the prime candidate for the role remains former Milwaukee Bucks head coach, Mike Budenholzer.
The championship-winning tactician has been on the radar of the franchise for some time now, with his salary being speculated as the sole obstacle in negotiations. However, the organization could make a push for him in the coming days considering his experience with managing aging squads and star players.
Other than Budenholzer, former NBA head coaches such as Terry Stotts, and Kenny Atkinson emerge as major candidates for the role. Alongside them, the Lakers’ long-time assistant coach, Phil Handy, also stands out as an option. His familiarity with the squad and knowledge of its intricacies could help him slot right in as the franchise’s next leader.
JJ Redick: “Shooting is like a regime-switching stochastic process wherein a variable probability of success depends only on a hidden Markov chain parametrizing the transition matrix across discrete flow states.”
LeBron James: “Mm, I’ve always said that.”https://t.co/TrrAq4C94W https://t.co/U7IB1eqeo1 pic.twitter.com/J7unOhD5ZB
— hod tog (@tropicsentence) May 1, 2024
In comparison to all these names, Redick seems like a novice, with no prior experience of coaching in the NBA. However, his analytical skills mesmerized supporters over and over again. This undoubtedly helps him build somewhat of a case for himself, allowing his name to remain in the mix.
That said, his chances of being picked for the hot seat remain little to just about non-existent.
