The Los Angeles Lakers’ hiring of JJ Redick has been one of the more polarizing head coaching hires in recent memory.
And when it came to his thoughts on the move, Craig Carton didn’t mince words, teeing off on the Lakers’ hiring of the now-former-ESPN analyst.
“It just shows you that if you kiss the right a**, you can accomplish anything in life,” Carton said on Friday’s episode of The Carton Show. “And that’s all this is, is JJ Redick got into bed with LeBron James and LeBron James promised him the opportunity to be the head coach of the Lakers… because there’s no other qualification he’s got to become the head coach of a storied franchise in the history of the league.
“This hire is beneath the Lakers. It shows you that Jerry Buss is probably rolling over in his grave right now. And the Lakers are a long, long way away from their heyday. It’s sad.”
Carton’s comments, while harsh, aren’t an uncommon sentiment when it comes to the Lakers’ hiring of Redick. Dating back to Los Angeles’ firing of Darvin Ham, the former NBA shooting guard had been the apparent frontrunner for the Lakers’ job, with the biggest reason seemingly being that he co-hosts the Mind the Game podcast with James.
While it’s worth noting Redick was also linked to the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons’ head coaching vacancies, the perception that he got the Lakers gig based on his relationship with the team’s star player is something he’s going to have to overcome. In addition to Carton, the Duke product already has no shortage of critics, including Nick Wright, Bill Plaschke and even some of his former ESPN colleagues. It will certainly be interesting to see how he reacts to the reaction to his hiring at his introductory press conference, which is scheduled to take place at 1:30 p.m. PT on Monday.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.