Writer suggests Lakers add longtime NBA coach to JJ Redick's staff
By all accounts, JJ Redick's first season as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers was fairly successful. Although he had one or two miscues along the way, he kept them together through up and downs and multiple changes and guided them to the third seed in the Western Conference.
He was hired a year ago despite having no real experience as a coach at either the pro or college levels. But the former NBA sharpshooter showed plenty of aptitude as LeBron James' co-host for the "Mind the Game" podcast, and it is presumed by many that his role there led to him getting the Lakers' coaching job.
But Redick can continue to get better, something he admitted during his final press conference following his team's exit from the NBA playoffs. Part of that improvement could come in the form of making a prime addition to his staff.
Svyatoslav Rovenchuk of Lake Show Life suggested that Redick and the Lakers should make a bold move by hiring Tom Thibodeau to be an assistant coach.
Via Lake Show Life:
"Tom Thibodeau was let go from his head coaching position for the New York Knicks after the team lost in the Eastern Conference Finals," Rovenchuk wrote. "There are plenty of flaws to Thibodeau as a head coach. However, as an assistant, Redick would get some much-needed support from the veteran mind."
Thibodeau's coaching career began when he served as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 1989-90 season. In the mid-2000s, he helped the Houston Rockets become one of the league's top defensive teams as an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy, and in 2007, he became the Boston Celtics' associate head coach.
The Celtics instantly became one of the greatest defensive teams in NBA history with Thibodeau essentially serving as their defensive coordinator. They won the world championship in 2008 and were minutes away from winning another one in 2010 until they choked away a 13-point second-half lead in Game 7 of the NBA Finals versus the Lakers.
Thibodeau was recently fired by the New York Knicks after being their head coach for five seasons. He helped them reach the playoffs in four of his five seasons there and has been credited with building a winning culture and helping them become contenders after two decades of ineptitude.
At age 67, he may or may not have any real interest in continuing to be a coach.
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