Former NBA sharpshooter has taken an interest in coaching recently and his name has surfaced as a potential person to fill the vacancies left behind by fired coaches. The Lakers were considered a given to sign JJ, but the latest word on the street suggests that the Pistons could swoop in with an offer that disrupts their plans.
“James Borrego could be a name to watch, league sources told Yahoo Sports, as well as ESPN analyst JJ Redick,” wrote Vincent Goodwill. “Redick is currently a prime candidate for the Lakers job, so it isn’t known how much traction Detroit could actually gain.”
The Pistons are fresh off the firing of their former coach, Monty Williams, who was brought in just last summer and given a historic contract worth six years, $78.5 million. But after leading the Pistons to an abysmal 14-68 record, which included an NBA record 28-game losing streak, experts began to question if he even wanted the job at all.
When the team’s new President, Trajan Langdon, was given full control this summer he had the ultimate green light to make this call and he chose to move from Williams after just one season to try his own choice for the position. So far, the list of candidates is pretty short but both of the Lakers’ top choices (James Borrego and JJ Redick) are people they will consider for the job.
Nobody knows what Redick is looking for in his first head coaching gig but one has to imagine that he’d sooner link up with LeBron James and the Lakers than hitch his wagon to the Detroit Pistons, who are headed nowhere in the Eastern Conference.
Then again, being coach of the Pistons comes with a lot less pressure than the Lakers, and JJ might just thrive in an environment where he has full control over what happens on the court and behind the scenes.
Stephen A. Smith Says The Lakers Should Pursue Monty Williams
The Lakers are still reeling over being rejected by UConn coach Dan Hurley and he was clearly among their top choices for the job. But with him off the board now, and still no clear choice in sight, the Lakers are starting to feel some major pressure to push this process along.
Unsurprisingly, Redick has once again emerged as the top candidate for the Lakers but there are reports that he may not want to deal with the Lakers’ drama. If so, they may want to heed Stephen A. Smith’s advice and bring in 52-year-old Monty Williams for an interview.
“I know we’ve been talking a lot about JJ [Redick]. With Monty Williams available, that is a situation the Los Angeles Lakers should look at,” said Stephen A. “I’m rooting for [Jeanie Buss] to find the right person for the job.”
The Lakers have cycled through coaches at an alarming rate and it’s no wonder why the front office is desperate to find one that sticks. In what could be the last stretch of LeBron’s career, they need someone who can get results right away while also building toward the future.
Williams, who coached for the Suns and Pistons, doesn’t have the best track record right now but there was a time when he was leading a veteran group in the Finals. If he can tap into that for the Lakers, he could make a huge difference for them.
Of course, with just a few weeks to go before free agency, the Lakers are on the clock to get it together and if they begin next month without a man in the locker room it will make it much harder to bring any new players to the Lakers.
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