Is it Redick?
When the Lakers fired Darvin Ham early last month, conventional wisdom figured that the search for a new head coach would be an extensive one. For one thing, time was on their side; the first round of the 2024 National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs had just concluded, and training camps for the next season aren’t slated to open until October. For another, logic and prudence dictated that a wide net had to be cast in order for them not to repeat their sins of the past; since Hall of Famer Phil Jackson left in 2011, they have cycled through seven bench tacticians — far from indicative of success.
Fast forward to today, and it seems that the Lakers are already close to making a decision that will most certainly determine their competitiveness in the short term. That it has taken them just four weeks to get to a point where they’re already comfortable with their shortlist hardly inspires confidence. For all the speculation that comes with dealings in high-profile purple and gold, it’s telling that practically nothing from the grapevine has them considering mentors with vast experience in the hot seat.
To be clear, there is nothing inherently wrong with working fast; after all, the Suns took a single day to pivot from Frank Vogel to Mike Budenholzer. Neither is focusing on less-heralded choices a mistake in and of itself; four-time champion Steve Kerr, for instance, had zero bench time to his name before being hired by the Warriors 10 years ago. That said, the Lakers, having been burned by Ham, were assumed to be predisposed to dotting all the Is and crossing all the Ts before taking the plunge. At stake is nothing less than the last hurrah of all-time-great LeBron James, and the not inconsiderable benefits capping his career with a title would bring to the storied franchise.
Under the circumstances, therefore, it’s a wonder why the Lakers haven’t tried going for candidates with established reputations that all and sundry cannot but respect. Get James and presumptive cornerstone Anthony Davis to completely buy in, and everyone else will follow. Instead, reports have highlighted the status of broadcast analyst JJ Redick as the frontrunner for the job, with James Borrego, currently with the Pelicans, as a close second. Nothing against them, but where is news of touching base with Jeff Van Gundy? How about Stan Van Gundy? Or Terry Stotts?
To be sure, Klutch head Rich Paul is right. The choice has to be run through Davis first and foremost. And perhaps the latter has already signed off on Redick. If so, then well and good. These days, the position is as much a matter of being in touch with the players off the court as directing them through Xs and Os on it. All the same, the Lakers owe it to themselves to exhaust all options first. This way, they have an out if the results do not align with expectations. They can at least say they did not short-circuit the process.
The Lakers may well be on the right track. When all is said and done, they may yet look to the course of action they took as the means by which they got their hands on an 18th trophy. Meanwhile, fans are hoping owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka don’t drop the ball anew.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.