Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka announced during a press conference on Thursday that the team had made an interesting move by giving head coach JJ Redick a contract extension. Redick is going into the second year of what was originally a four-year contract, and while the Lakers didn’t give any details about the extension, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that it is a two-year extension.
Many people are questioning the wisdom of this move, especially since Redick, whom the Lakers hired last June, has no previous coaching experience at the pro or college levels. While he did a solid job last season, he has lots of room for improvement, and the jury is still out on whether he’s a good enough coach to guide a team to the NBA championship.
Advertisement
Sam Amico of Hoops Wire called the extension “unnecessary” — a word that is likely on many people’s minds when it comes to the move.
“Redick’s rotations in that Timberwolves series were widely questioned — including the infamous Game 4, when he stuck with the same five players for the entire second half. ESPN noted no coach had tried that in at least 25 years. The Lakers blew the lead and lost.
“That’s the ‘last impression’ Redick left, and in L.A., those impressions matter. Extending him now doesn’t just feel premature — it feels unnecessary.
“… Maybe Redick becomes elite. Maybe this all looks wise in a few years. But right now, it reads like a franchise betting on stability for stability’s sake.
“And if Redick’s next playoff run looks anything like his first, the Lakers may find themselves stuck with a coach they extended for no good reason. And pretty soon, no LeBron [James] around to make it look better.”
Redick, a former NBA sharpshooter, guided L.A. to a 50-32 record and the third seed in the Western Conference last season despite major roster changes and a couple of prolonged and mysterious slumps.
The team has cycled through a number of coaches since Phil Jackson retired in 2011, and since then, it hasn’t held onto one for more than three seasons. It may be putting pressure on itself to make good on its hire of Redick for many seasons to come by quickly giving him an extension.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Analyst calls JJ Redick’s contract extension ‘unnecessary’