Back when LeBron James and JJ Redick were doing their podcast together, they were best buds when it came to basketball strategy. LeBron frequently lauded Redick for his technical hoops acumen, praising his strategies in a way that grew their audience exponentially. Not coincidentally, LeBron’s praise helped Redick get the Lakers coaching job, despite the fact that all of Redick’s time on the bench came as a gunner with a knack for supplying instant offense.
This kind of friendship couldn’t last. As Tyronn Lue and Darvin Ham learned, befriending LeBron is a great idea—until you become his coach. That’s when all bets based on friendship are officially off, especially now that time is catching up to James and he’s starting to play like he’s 40.
The Lakers’ fast start had nothing to do with Redick’s strategies
When the Lakers got off to a fast start, JJ Redick was only too happy to accept LeBron’s accolades. To be fair, he did deserve some of them, as it was clear from Darvin Ham’s coaching limitations that more could be coaxed from the LA roster with a closer look and some basic moves.
But that success only happened because LeBron James and Anthony Davis were playing well. And that only happened because of the light NBA schedule early on, which allows older stars like James and Davis to stay healthy and post big numbers.
Once the schedule grind started, though, Father Time began to catch up to LeBron in a big way. He began missing three-pointers at an unprecedented rate, and in today’s NBA that’s a liability few teams can afford.
It didn’t take LeBron long to turn churlish. We’ve seen this movie before at the end of his Cleveland and Miami tenures, and James’ coaches are a frequent casualty. It doesn’t matter how friendly they’ve been before. When the basketball reaper comes calling, it’s the coaches who get the gate.
JJ Redick knows he’s in a no-win situation with Lebron James
JJ Redick is well aware of all this. As a career journeyman, he’s seen virtually every possible coaching scenario, and he knows that the performance of James and Davis is what keeps him on the bench. It’s fine to make moves and maneuver roster pieces like Austin Reaves and rookie Dalton Knecht, but the Lakers have been kicking the can down the road on doing a full rebuild for years.
What’s different about this particular Lebron/Lakers scenario is the timeline. James is close to the end and he knows it, but he wants to play for a title contender. There’s no way that’s going to happen with the Lakers, and James is already starting to express his displeasure.
LeBron could help any number of contenders get over the top, but at this point in his career he would have to do it as an add-on piece. He’s far too proud to do that, and Lebron’s body is starting to betray him in ways that are increasingly serious. He’s left the team due to ongoing foot pain, and Redick recently stated that he doesn’t know when his star will be back.
The price of a basketball divorce
Redick’s quotes about this weren’t exactly warm and fuzzy, either. He wants to keep his job, and he knows that he’s sitting in the coaching catbird seat right now, having just signed a four-year, $32 million contract.
That deal is a potential albatross waiting to happen, but Redick is betting that LeBron will either turn things around or opt to announce his retirement and provide something resembling a timeline.
It’s a delicate balancing act, but this is Redick’s new life as LeBron’s coach. It doesn’t come with a lot of job security, and it’s definitely not as much fun as doing a podcast. One way or another, these two aren’t going to be together for long. And we all know that the price of divorce is rarely cheap, especially in the NBA.