Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick has been making waves in the basketball media world, even making a podcast with LeBron James. Recently, Redick's name has even been thrown around as a potential coaching replacement for Darvin Ham with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Legendary NBA coach George Karl doesn't think that Redick is qualified, which he communicated via his X account.
Karl does have a point, as Redick has never coached at any level. While Redick undoubtedly has expert knowledge on basketball concepts, it may be best for him to coach in a lower-stakes environment before immediately taking on the pressure that comes with coaching the Lakers.
Regardless, Los Angeles does need to find a new coaching staff. If the organization doesn't entertain Redick, who else should it look at?
There are several more experienced options than Redick for the Lakers to look at
Although Ham wasn't able to take the Lakers to the promised land, he was at least an experienced candidate when the Lakers hired him. Although he had never been a head coach, he'd previously been an assistant for the Lakers, Hawks and Bucks.
Redick is legitimately in the running as a wild card, but there are several more qualified candidates in the running as well, via Dan Wolke of the Los Angeles Times.
“Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson was a finalist for the job two summers ago and impressed some in the front office during the Lakers’ last coaching search,” Wolke said. “Former Portland coach Terry Stotts has been high on the team’s wish list on multiple occasions, with the Lakers trying to hire him as a lead assistant, according to people familiar with the situation not authorized to speak publicly.”
Both of these options would be another first-time head coach, should either get chosen. After Ham's tenure, though, the organization may be inclined to pursue someone who's sat in the big chair before.
” (Tyron) Lue, of course, would be a primary target should he become available (and probably the same for Dallas coach Jason Kidd), but Lue’s got a job coaching the Clippers, and could get a contract extension soon,” Wolke continued. “Mike Budenholzer, Ham’s former boss in Milwaukee and Atlanta, is expected to fetch the biggest coaching contract this offseason should he take a new job. Other former coaches who have lead bench roles around the NBA include Scott Brooks and James Borrego.”
While these type of options would be the hardest to land, it's for a good reason. All of the aforementioned names have had playoff success, and know what it takes to win at the highest level from a head coaching perspective.
While Karl's GIF usage may have been slightly cruel, it's hard to deny the validity of his claims. Any profession takes years of practice and rising up the ranks before reaching the highest level. Redick jumping straight from the TV set to the NBA sideline would be ambitious at best, and potentially disastrous at worst.
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