Don’t Do It JJ! Don’t Become the Next Coach of the Lakers

JJ Redick, please listen to my plea… DO NOT take the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job if it is offered to you! It’s not that I don’t think you are capable of handling the position. It’s more the fact that I don’t believe ANY first-time NBA head coach is capable of handling the position.

Why It’s Not A Good Idea…

Since retiring as a player, Redick has established himself as a known presence in the media and podcast world. JJ knows basketball, he’s smart, good with the analytics, and good at breaking down the X’s and O’s of basketball. It’s not a secret that he’s interviewed before to be a coach (with the Toronto Raptors) and he has expressed his possible interest in becoming a head coach. But we are talking Los Angeles here, and we’re talking about the Lakers. Bringing in a young/new head coach to take over a veteran team, in a major city, where the expectation every year is an NBA championship, is not a good idea.

Let’s not forget to mention that he would be coaching, arguably, the best player in the league’s history, Mr. LeBron James, who is only SIX months younger than Redick himself. They communicate well on their MIND THE GAME podcast, and their chemistry it notable, but on their podcast they are equals. On the court, you can’t have your head coach and your top player be equals. What happens when JJ wants to take LeBron out of the game and LeBron won’t leave the court? What happens when JJ wants to run one end of game play and LeBron wants to run something different? What about Anthony Davis? How will he react when JJ calls him out for playing soft or not being aggressive enough?

Look At the Past…

Throughout the recent history of the NBA, it doesn’t fair well for first time coaches when they take over a veteran team. Examples include Adrian Griffin with the Milwaukee Bucks, Steve Nash with the Brooklyn Nets,  and David Blatt with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s challenging enough learning how to be a head coach, defining your coaching style, and learning how to navigate an 82 game season from the sideline. If on top of that you’re expected to win right away, that just raised the difficult level of your job. Now, before anyone brings up the name of Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors, that was a rarity and also a different situation, that’s not an apples to apples comparison. When Kerr took over for Marc Jackson, the main core of the Warriors was young.  Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green had 5 years or less of experience. Coaching a young team hoping to make the playoffs is much different than coaching a veteran team looking to win it all.

Minimal Upside…

I have no doubt that JJ Redick could become a successful coach in the NBA (or WNBA, or college, or wherever he chooses to coach). I have no doubt that he can be the coach of a championship winning team. But if offered the job of being the next coach of the Lakers, he’s looking at minimal upside. If he loses, he loses while having a roster filled with two Top 15 players. If he wins, then he’s only winning because he has a roster filled with two Top 15 players. How long will GM Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss give JJ to win? One season? Two? Three?

Be patient JJ Redick, be patient. Continue with media, continue being on the top NBA broadcast team for ESPN, continuing with your strong presence in the podcasting world, the Lakers head coaching position is not the right job for you.

[Featured Image Source: The Spun]