If JJ Redick ultimately lands with the Los Angeles Lakers, it doesn’t sound like Doc Rivers will be first in line to welcome him into the NBA head coaching fraternity.
Rivers joined the latest episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show podcast and during the interview, the current head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks addressed his feud with Smith’s current ESPN colleague.
“JJ’s had a problem with me for a while,” Rivers said. “And that’s fine. Players do. When you coach, you can be called a player’s coach, or whatever you want to be called, but if you make decisions that the player doesn’t agree with and in JJ’s case, we didn’t sign him back. With the Clippers, I stopped playing him as much because he wasn’t very effective in the playoffs.”
Rivers also noted Redick’s best career numbers were under him with the Clippers. Redick actually had a higher scoring average with the Philadelphia 76ers, but his career undoubtedly took off when Rivers made him a starter in Los Angeles. Rivers may have helped Redick’s playing career, but that didn’t stop the current ESPN analyst from going after his former head coach on First Take a few months ago.
Earlier this year, Redick appeared on First Take and ripped Rivers for never accepting accountability after the newly appointed Milwaukee Bucks head coach complained about the challenge of taking a team over midseason. Redick later said he regretted the delivery of his rant, but not the substance.
Rivers left ESPN as their lead NBA analyst for Milwaukee’s coaching job and a $40 million contract in January. Ironically, the move worked out great for Redick, opening the door for him to join ESPN’s lead NBA broadcast alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke. A few months later, however, Redick might is looking to make the same jump Rivers did.
Redick is a leading candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers coaching vacancy and reportedly already has LeBron James’ blessing for the job. And Rivers admitted to Smith he’s hoping Redick gets the job. But not because he thinks Redick is a perfect fit in Los Angeles. Rivers hopes Redick gets the job because he’s predicting a sort of rude awakening for the current ESPN analyst and podcast host.
“I really hope he gets the job,” Rivers said. “Because then he’ll understand, some of the things that he has a problem with me and other coaches that you hear on his podcast – he’ll realize, not as easy as you think. And some of these decisions that you have to make are brutal.”
Rivers recalled having a similar awakening during his early years as a head coach. According to Rivers, he had a blow up with former head coach Pat Riley while playing for the New York Knicks.
“I decided I was gonna coach five years later and it took me about two years,” Rivers recalled. “I remember calling Pat Riley and I said, ‘Coach, I’m sorry for that argument. I see now what you saw, but I didn’t see it then.’ And I think a lot of players who get in this business find that out.”
But if Rivers is expecting to eventually get that same call from Redick, he’s probably going to be waiting a long while.
