Speaking at the Lakers‘ pregame press conference, JJ Redick was asked about his past issues with Doc Rivers. Redick noted that he didn’t carry any of that anger or frustration with him. He also added that his comments from last year about Rivers making excuses were regrettable in tone and delivery.
“I don’t carry beef with people. And I’m not going to get into the history of Doc and I’s relationship right now. And I probably won’t ever. He’s fine in my book.”
“After that ‘First Take’ appearance, there were a number of conversations that I had with people – both at ESPN and within the league – that provided a good amount of perspective, whether I had stayed in the media or whether I had pursued a coaching job. I will say this again, [I] regret my tone in that case. I’ve owned that and I regret my tone.”
Last year, Redick, who was an analyst on ESPN, called out Doc Rivers for making excuses, as he put it when he spoke about the challenges of taking on a new head coaching position in the middle of the season.
“The trend is always making excuses. Doc, we get it, taking over a team in the middle of a season is hard … But it’s always an excuse. It’s always throwing your team under the bus … There’s never accountability with that guy.”
Redick played for Rivers on the LA Clippers for four seasons, and while he was a good player there, the two clearly had some issues with each other that carried over for a long time. But it appears, at least from Redick’s comments, that is in the past, and the two will stay courteous and professional when around each other.
Doc Rivers Blows Lead To JJ Redick After Getting Called Out
During JJ Redick’s tirade against Doc Rivers last year, he called out Rivers for blowing leads and never taking any accountability, referencing Rivers’ record as the coach with the most series losses after being up 3-1. And tonight, Redick got to add insult to injury against Rivers, as the Lakers overcame a 15-point deficit to beat the Bucks.
In the third quarter of their preseason game, the Lakers were down 74-89 to the Bucks. But they rallied, while the Bucks crumbled, and came back to win the game 107-102. This did a lot to prove JJ Redick’s point from last season and raised more questions about the legitimacy of the Bucks as contenders under Rivers.
It appears Rivers may still have some hard feelings toward Redick. In a recent interview, Rivers defended his assistant coach, Darvin Ham, who was the former head coach of the Lakers, and questioned how the franchise could fire him after what he accomplished with them.
One can imagine that Redick being Ham’s replacement was a motivating factor in Doc’s frustrated rant.
Redick and Rivers are only going to play each other twice next season, but it will happen within a five-day span. Both coaches are going to want to get the better of each other, regardless of what they say in the media. Needless to say, these fixtures between the Lakers and the Bucks became even more must-see.
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