JJ REDICK SAYS HELLO BY DROPPING F— BOMBS, WHILE LAKERS FANS ONLY YAWN
At least the podcast has been shuttered between the new coach and James, but in truth, Redick brought foul-mouthed trickery that might impress LeBron and won’t produce better than a 41-41 record
Let me remind the Lakers of various Kobes and Magics and Busses that another team owns 18 NBA title banners, one-upping their 17. It’s possible the Boston Celtics will win at least one more. Let me remind the Lakers that LeBron James turns 40 in December, that his son Bronny can’t make jumpshots in college basketball, and that no podcasting relationship helps a win-loss record in a difficult Western Conference.
Thus, it doesn’t matter to me that the new coach — also LeBron’s podcast partner — fired two big f-bombs during a media conference Monday. This was JJ Redick’s way of firing back at those who think he’s a joke, entering the world’s biggest league with no more experience than coaching 9-year-olds on an AAU team.
“I don’t have a great answer for your question. Because I really don’t give a f—,” Redick said in a nice suit with a pocket square. “I want to coach the Lakers. I want to coach the team. I don’t want to dispel anything. I don’t. I want to become a great coach in the NBA. And I want to win championships. And I want my players to maximize their careers. That’s all I f—ing care about.”
That’s a frothy way of saying hello and creating pizzazz on sports websites, including the Los Angeles Times. But in due time, he will be required to stop Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just to avoid 11th place. And that could provide nothing but shaky strategic content for “Mind the Game,” much less for Lakers fans who faintly remember championships and haven’t seen a downtown parade since June 2010. Celebrities still go to games, but we’re down to Bad Bunny and no Jack Nicholson. In due time, they’ll realize Steve Ballmer is opening one of the all-time arenas over in Inglewood, where the Clippers will play much closer to the Pacific Ocean than Crypto.com Arena.
We did not hear Redick apologize to the late Jerry West, who was angered when he said Hall of Famer Bob Cousy played against “plumbers and firemen.” Nor did we hear him apologize to Kobe Bryant, who didn’t like Redick and denied him the ball during Team USA tryouts for the 2008 Olympics. “This motherf—— ain't letting JJ Redick score in practice,” Bryant said.
So they share the f— word. “I don’t look at the current roster as that far off from being a championship-caliber team,” Redick said. “If you look at the NBA right now, the group matters more than ever.” Best of all, the podcast has been shut down. Hooray for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who get along on the court without tech. “For the time being being, and hopefully it's a very, very long time, I am excommunicated from the content space,” Redick said. “So there will be no podcast. ... I'm done with podcasting for now.”
But who’s in this “group”? James is a serious injury away from the Lakers drafting high in the lottery. Anthony Davis already has been seriously injured. The rest of the roster doesn’t belong in the postseason. Nonetheless, general manager Rob Pelinka looked half-asleep as he introduced his third coach in five years. “JJ is a fierce competitor and has an extraordinary basketball IQ and understanding of the modern game that will energize players and excite fans,” he said. “His rigorous analysis will immediately unlock new opportunities for our roster while setting a foundation for player development over the long term. He brings an intense dedication to innovation, advancing the game and staying at the forefront of an ever-evolving league. Beyond his basketball acumen, JJ has a care for people and genuine empathy that are critical for connecting with players today. This is an exciting time for Lakers basketball.”
Maybe someday, after James joins ESPN to replace Redick on broadcasts, we will see hope for the purple and gold. I am more intrigued in checking out the Intuit Dome, where Ballmer has the most global toilets of any 18,000-seat arena and has farmed out to Austria for the best pretzels and California prime farms for the best frankfurters. He wants fans to watch the game, at all times, with killer food.
Turn east on the 105 and go north on the 110, and you’ll travel 13.7 miles to see a dude who has coached kids dropping fresh f-bombs. Jonathan Clay Redick is his full name. LeBron will ask for a trade at the deadline, and Dallas will be listening, as Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers looks at the coach and realizes he’s an old man.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.