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DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 25: Former NBA player JJ Redick works for ESPN at Ball Arena on December 25, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
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DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 25: Former NBA player JJ Redick works for ESPN at Ball Arena on December 25, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
After a month of vacancy for the head coaching job, the Los Angeles Lakers are just one step away from finalizing their deal with former NBA veteran JJ Redick. Reports have started to pour in, which revealed that the Lakers are “zeroing” on Redick to become the coach for the next season. This is delightful news for a few NBA buffs, but Boston Celtics icon Paul Pierce doesn’t seem to be on board with the idea. Moreover, he used a mocking tone to share his take on why the Lakers should not hire Redick.
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In his podcast The Truth Lounge, Pierce shared, “I’m gonna be honest with you, I don’t really think it is about a championship no more, but this is about putting on a good show,“ giving a new meaning to ‘Showtime Lakers‘.
He added, “This sound like a script to me. Think about this. They hire JJ Redick, or draft Bronny, or sign Bronny, I mean, does this sound like, ‘We’re tryna move in a direction to win a championship’? Or does this sound like ‘We’re trying to put on a show’?” The 2008 champion believes this is not a move that will help the Los Angeles Lakers reach playoffs.
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Paul Pierce thinks the Lakers are trying to put on a show instead of winning a championship by hiring JJ Redick and drafting Bronny James
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This is not the first time where Pierce has called out the Lakers for trying to add Redick to their unit. The last time he spoke about Redick, Pierce said he’d soon become the scapegoat.
Why does Paul Pierce believe JJ Redick is set to become the scapegoat?
If you look at the trend of firing the head coaches, Pierce’s take might make sense. When a season turns into a failure, either in the regular season or the playoffs, the head coaches are bearing the ultimate blame, which leads to their termination. Especially with the Lakers, the above trend is even more evident.
Luke Walton, Frank Vogel, Darvin Ham, and now the next in line is likely to be JJ Redick. The criticism of the Lakers should be the players that were added to the roster. Changing the head coach frequently is not likely to change the results. Magic Johnson highlighted this in his recent appearance at the ‘Bad Boys’ movie premiere.
Johnson said, “We gotta improve the roster. Matter of fact, I’m leaning more toward improving the roster. It doesn’t matter who the coach is, if the roster don’t get better, we can bring the greatest coach in the world but we can’t win.” Can the Lakers find their answer in Redick?
Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video:
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Shivatmika Manvi