“Lakers in 5!” motto of Shannon Sharpe fell apart as the Lakers’ playoff run came to a disappointing end. The Minnesota Timberwolves dominated them with a 103-96 victory in Game 5. While Luka Dončić and LeBron James poured heart and hustle into every possession, putting up 28 and 22 points respectively, their efforts couldn’t outshine the towering force of Rudy Gobert, who unleashed a monster performance with 27 points and a jaw-dropping 24 rebounds. The loss sent Los Angeles packing in the first round for the second straight year—a gut punch for a team built on star power and championship dreams. Fans were left staring at the wreckage, asking the same painful question: How does a roster this stacked keep coming up empty? And the fallout was massive.

Not long after the loss, Lakers head coach JJ Redick made headlines with a pointed statement. “I’ll start with the offseason and the work that’s required in an offseason to be in championship shape,” he said, emphasizing the need for better offseason work. While Redick never dropped names, fans and analysts quickly connected his words to Luka. After all, Luka’s fitness has come under scrutiny before. Was Redick calling out his star player in public? That’s the question stirring the pot in Lakers Nation.

Robert Horry didn’t hold back when he joined Shannon Sharpe on Nightcap to address Redick’s remarks. “What does JJ know about championship shape?” Horry asked, calling Redick’s experience into question. Sharpe chimed in, stating, “He ain’t won no title.” Horry questioned Redick’s definition of championship shape. He even gave his own, stating, “For me, when you talk about championship shape, that means you’ve been there, done that.” Horry ended up falling for the statement “the weirdest things”. He wondered aloud why Redick would risk upsetting Luka at such an important juncture.

Their conversation didn’t stop there. Both Sharpe and Horry discussed Luka’s physical decline during the playoffs. “It seems to me every year Luka wears down, and he’s limping more and more in the playoffs, we saw it this year, we saw it last year,” Sharpe noted. Horry agreed, pointing to Luka’s high usage rate and ball-handling load. He suggested Luka rest more during games and let others bring the ball up. “You got LeBron, you even got Gabe Vincent to bring it up. Go stand your a** in the corner and take a break,” he said. Will Luka take this advice and come back stronger next season?

While Redick may have fired a shot at Luka Doncic, the latter had his back

JJ Redick’s recent comments about the Lakers needing to get in “championship shape” left fans scratching their heads, especially after Luka Doncic had just defended him. Following the Lakers’ playoff exit, Luka praised Redick, calling him a “hell of a coach”. He even said Redick reminded him of coaches back in Europe. So while Luka was so respectful towards the coach, how come Redick played the blame game when it was his turn?

“Not many coaches do the stuff he did in his first year,” Luka told reporters after the loss. He didn’t hold back in his support, going as far as to say it had been “It’s been nothing but amazing with him as a coach.” That doesn’t sound like someone who deserves to be indirectly called out, right? Fans were quick to pick up on the mixed signals.

LeBron James also backed Redick, stating, “Thought he had a hell of a rookie campaign for a rookie coach.” He admitted being a rookie head coach in Los Angeles is a different beast and admired how Redick handled the pressure. He claimed, “I thought he just learned every single day, held us accountable. He pushed us”. Still, with such strong support from both stars, Redick’s vague criticism suddenly feels off-key.

Sure, Redick was likely frustrated after the loss, but those words carried weight. Luka had been a leader, putting up big numbers and rallying the team late in the season. Either way, it raises a question: when your stars have your back, why aim the fire their way?