Wish all of the Redick doubters and haters would take the time to watch those podcasts. You cannot do that without coming away with a great deal of respect for JJ Redick and his basketball mind. No comparison to the other remaining candidates.

Head coach – Jj Redick

Lead assistant – Terry Stotts

Assistants – Rajon Rondo, Jared Dudley

Would feed families. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/6fGBiQcvPH

— Ryan Rueda (@iDude14) June 13, 2024

Fck Borrego.

We all in for Jj! pic.twitter.com/RjLcC9ZIBx

— Ryan Rueda (@iDude14) June 13, 2024

With the Finals likely ending Friday night, this was the Woj bomb I was hoping for this morning. Of the remaining candidates, JJ is the only one with a chance to achieve the Lakers goal of becoming a legacy coach.

The Lakers are not going to change direction after declaring they were seeking a longterm coach in the mold of Riley or Jackzon and hire James Borrego. Instead, they have logically returned to JJ Redick as the next Lakers head coach.

This is great news that’s more important than losing out to Hurley or watching Boston win its 18th. This is the news that will lead to the Lakers finally embracing the three and the modern game.

JJ Redick will be the Lakers next great HOF head coach.

James Borrego is “gaining traction” to become the Cavaliers’ next head coach, per @wojespn (https://t.co/7AAYQw6TT7).

Borrego landing in Cleveland, while JJ Redick secures the Lakers’ gig is the likely result.

Redick is interviewing in Los Angeles this weekend with Rob Pelinka. pic.twitter.com/tP0ltrJBfs

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 13, 2024

With Finals likely over Friday, it makes perfect sense for Lakers to interview JJ Redick and, if he wows them as expected, hire him as their next great head coach ala Riley and Jackson. Lakers want legacy coach and Redick is only candidate with that potential.
🥂📣😍🙂💜🌟🏆 https://t.co/kAIrXHwq6Y

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 13, 2024

pic.twitter.com/LQODlsGUCf

— GoldenKnight (@GoldenKnightGFX) June 13, 2024

It’s happening. pic.twitter.com/DN8G9HkMXD

— Ryan Rueda (@iDude14) June 13, 2024

Built for the Los Angeles spotlight.

.@jj_redick 🤝 pic.twitter.com/PlYl4wzoCi

— Ryan Rueda (@iDude14) June 13, 2024

Hi DJ. Always, I continue to enjoy stories

That one hits hard. RIP 44, to me you were the greatest Laker.

I spent my entire childhood watching my shadow in the driveway as I practiced copying the Logo’s quick release jump shot. Such a shame that Jerry ended his career as a Clipper instead of a Lakers. RIP, Jerry. You will always be a Laker to me. Watching those you admire and respect pass away is the toughest part of growing old.

Just heard. : (

Jerry can finally, truly rest. Something that proved elusive to him in life.

Jerry West is also the perfect counter for modern fans who believe guys from back when players had side jobs as plumbers and waiters couldn't compete in the today's NBA. Jerry would still be one of the greatest guards to play the game if he were in this year's draft class. 🐐🐐 https://t.co/MdXBdNPNUH

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 12, 2024

Somewhere in hoops heaven, Kobe and the Logo running it back together.

— Yinoma2001 (@Yinoma2001) June 12, 2024

Jerry pointing to where Kobe would have been 😔 https://t.co/7y3ceSXGdE

— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) June 12, 2024

Jerry West lived a profound basketball and American life — iconic as a player, executive and looming figure in the history of the game. He was an MVP, a champion, a gold medalist, a dynasty-builder and literally the league’s logo. His loss leaves a massive void. pic.twitter.com/vE3fQc5XuE

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 12, 2024

My favorite Jerry West quote:

“F*ck the Boston Celtics”

Rest in peace to one of the greatest Lakers ever.

— 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 (@SixthManJake) June 12, 2024

Walton and west within weeks is just so brutal for basketball. Better start appreciating our legends while they’re here.

We don’t do it enough. Especially in regards to how good they actually were at the sport

— Dime Dropper (@DimeDropperPod) June 12, 2024

Brian, I can remember clear as day listening to Chick call the game as the Lakers won their 33rd straight victory against the Hawks with a 44-point win. I also listened to the streak getting broken by Kareem and the Bucks. That's one NBA record I don't think will ever be broken. https://t.co/txnLbDFoaH

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 12, 2024

pic.twitter.com/NQPORbyOAV

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 12, 2024

The time Jerry West left the media silent in his defense of LeBron James:

“It’s ridiculous… It’s hard for me to believe that someone doesn’t recognize his greatness… This guy does everything. He’s like a Swiss Army knife.” pic.twitter.com/N8Cf47jFlJ

— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) June 12, 2024

Man, loved Gail Goodrich too. Played against him in pickup game at Laguna Beach main court when he was a junior at UCLA. We had held court for two hours when Gail showed up with several friends. Needless to say, the game was a rout but Gail was cool about it and friendly. https://t.co/txnLbDEQl9

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 12, 2024

We used to play at main beach courts in downtown Laguna Beach every weekend. We had held court for two hours when Gail and his gang showed up. Games were to 11 points, win by two, no 3’s so 1point per bucket, winners outs. We took a 3-0 lead, including a logo jumper by me. Goodrich then proceeded to make 6 straight shots as they scored 11straight on us.

JJ is also the only one of the four candidates who's a strong advocate for the modern game and will have the Lakers shooting 35-40 threes per game so Lakers do not have huge disadvantage they have to overcome every game. JJ Redick is only candidate to embrace 3-point revolution.

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 11, 2024

I like Micah. Seems like a no Shizz guy.

Hopefully live from Philly.

From above article:

…

LOS ANGELES — UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley publicly rejected the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, a brutal look for the NBA’s most followed and scrutinized franchise.

Hurley reportedly turned down a six-year, $70 million offer that would have made him one of the six highest-paid coaches in the NBA, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. That might seem high for a first-time NBA coach, but it could also be seen as low for the league’s third-most valuable franchise.

If Hurley was their guy, the Lakers needed to blow him away with an offer, and they clearly did not. This saga also resurfaced a nagging question that management and ownership will inevitably have to face:

Are the Lakers just … cheap?

The Hurley whiff could be a miscalculation of strategy, but it’s possibly worse than that. The Lakers might not have had the offer-he-can’t-refuse budget to hire the leader they so desperately needed in Hurley.

Many around the league look at the Lakers’ primary ownership group and wonder if they can keep pace with the newer wave of billionaires investing in NBA franchises.

The Lakers weren’t cheap when they acquired Anthony Davis in 2019 via a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. They set the market for a star player at a time when teams were hoarding first-round picks. The Lakers sent nearly every pick they had to offer, along with a lengthy list of players, including Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.

Was it an overpay? The Lakers believe their 2019-20 title justified the price.

The Lakers also weren’t cheap when they traded for Russell Westbrook, adding one of the highest-paid players in the league at the time to pair with the expensive contracts of LeBron James and Davis.

It was a terrible basketball decision, of course. But cheap? No.

The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, revenue-sharing program and other rules work to ensure that teams can’t buy titles outright. The Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers have the highest payrolls this season, but none advanced past the first round in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers got to the Eastern Conference Finals with one of the smaller budgets this season.

The Boston Celtics are above the luxury-tax threshold, but their NBA Finals opponent, the Dallas Mavericks, are not.

The Buss family—led by governor Jeanie Buss—doesn’t even have the best financial resources in their own city, thanks to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his estimated $126 billion net worth.

But none of the other 28 franchises can match Ballmer’s wealth. And the Clippers have a hard time matching the league where it counts, having yet to win a championship.

The fact that the wealthiest owners aren’t guaranteed titles is, in part, why the NBA works as an institution. The Lakers may not have the same bankroll as others, but the brand itself is among the most popular in the league, and the team doesn’t need to rely on ownership to infuse funds to thrive.

Dating back to the late Jerry Buss, who purchased the team in 1979, the franchise has historically prioritized investing in players more than management and coaching. That shifted to an extent in 1999, when the team hired head coach Phil Jackson to get Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal over the hump (which touches on the issue at hand).

But the Lakers are a repeat tax offender this season, their fourth straight year in the tax, and they have been over the cap in seven of the last 13 years (with the dip corresponding to the rebuilding years after Bryant’s Achilles’ injury). While they haven’t gone deep into the tax like the Warriors and Clippers, they have as many titles as the other two over the last handful of years (one for the Warriors in 2022).

The Lakers have made some gross miscalculations in recent years, but flat-out “cheap” in roster construction? That hasn’t been the issue.

No Salary Cap on Staffing

The Hurley offer looks like history repeating itself. The NBA has many rules on how teams can build out rosters, but it doesn’t have any limits on staffing expenditures.

Buss preferred to invest the team’s money in players, but he also underpaid Jerry West, which (in part) led to the loss of one of the best front-office minds in the industry. The Jackson hiring for five years and $30 million was the right change-of-course move that paid dividends.

Today’s Lakers didn’t go all-in for Hurley when facing what could be the final run of James’ career (assuming he opts in or re-signs this summer). Despite James’ endorsement, the franchise also hesitated while negotiating with Ty Lue in 2019 because he wanted a longer deal than the Lakers were willing to give.

Lue is widely respected as one of the league’s top coaches, but the financial commitment was the hurdle. If the answer was fear that he might not work out and the team would be locked in too long at a high salary, that’s where wealthier ownership won’t hesitate. In the worst-case scenario, fire the guy and pay him what he’s owed.

The Phoenix Suns will pay the recently fired Frank Vogel for another four years not to coach. The Lakers, meanwhile, hired Vogel in 2019 on a shorter deal and fired him in 2022 despite having won a title in 2020.

If Vogel was the right hire and the Westbrook trade was the championship killer, then the issue isn’t cheapness. It’s simple basketball decision-making. If Lue was the one to pay, then yes, the team was too spendthrift in the moment.

The general opinion around the league is that the Lakers have a very frugal front office. The Clippers spare no expense with a massive staff, but the Lakers’ sparse front office lacks common features, such as a pro personnel department. Outside of the scouting department for the draft, L.A. doesn’t have scouts spread throughout the league watching NBA talent on a nightly basis in person like other franchises.

Still, a Lakers fan might ask, “Well, what has that big budget done for the Clippers?”

That’s a fair rebuttal. The Clippers have nothing close to the hardware the Lakers can boast. The old-school Dr. Buss way of running a team is almost unparalleled in championship riches, but the Lakers of 2024 still don’t have a coach, and frugality got in the way.

Hurley may have wanted to stay in Connecticut, but the Lakers chose not to push the envelope. While media reports often lack context or full details of an offer, L.A.’s starting number wasn’t enough for Hurley to come back to try to negotiate it up.

Path Forward

The Lakers could now return to the idea of hiring JJ Redick to lead his podcast partner and Co., or choose James Borrego. Or find another answer entirely.

James needs to decide his future, with the most likely outcome being a three-year deal in Los Angeles. He’s the oldest player in the league, and L.A. may never solve the Nikola Jokić/Denver Nuggets problem while the three-time MVP is in his prime.

But finding the right coach to guide both the front office on personnel decisions and the team on the floor is a must.

Most NBA teams will aspire to stay below the second apron this offseason to avoid increasingly restrictive penalties. Even the deep-pocketed Clippers haven’t extended Paul George, and Joe Lacob’s Warriors may not pay Klay Thompson what he seeks. The economic climate of the league is shifting, and the Lakers are not at a significant disadvantage.

The Lakers have never been “cheap” with star players, but they need to join the modern NBA with their infrastructure. If their current state of affairs is a conscious choice, that’s one problem. If they can’t afford to pay top-dollar for a front office and coaching staff, that’s another altogether.