LOS ANGELES – JJ Redick is the latest coach to speak on Mike Brown’s firing, showing an air of disappointment upon hearing the news.
Before the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, just hours after the latter fired their coach, Redick joined the chorus of coaches who have made their thoughts known on the subject. Steve Kerr, Michael Malone, Erik Spoelstra, Jordi Fernandez, and Ty Lue are just among the many who expressed a variety of emotions after hearing the news.
Speaking to reporters in Los Angeles, the Lakers head coach shared what he thought of the situation. In particular, Redick reiterated how difficult it is to be an NBA coach, considering the volatility that comes with the job.
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“Yeah, there’s obviously been a number of coaches that have weighed in on Mike getting let go,” Redick began. “Always had a great deal of respect for Mike as a human and as a coach. I knew this when I decided to do this. It’s a tough profession.
“It’s a tough profession for job security. It’s what we signed up for. I don’t have any sort of inside knowledge of what led to that, but I believe Mike Brown is an excellent basketball coach.
“He’s someone who’s, like a lot of coaches, have given their life to this game. I just have the utmost respect for him.”
Along with understanding how massive of a presence Brown has within the NBA’s coaching circles, the head coach explained how he expected the Kings to be energized by the dismissal of the former Coach of the Year.
Mike Brown’s firing sent shockwaves throughout the NBA coaching circles (
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
“As it relates to tonight, this is something we’ve talked about in the last 24 hours a bunch,” Redick continued. “You know, there are numerous examples throughout the NBA where a player gets traded, a player gets released, a coach is fired midseason, and a team has a new energy, and there’s like this instant sort of boost to the aura.
“And, you know, going into this game, we’re expecting to get their best tonight. And that means their energy, that means the way they’re pushing the basketball, that means the way they’re flying around on offense and defense.
“So, yeah, we expect them to play extremely well tonight.” And in the first half, the Kings did play with a sense of urgency, seemingly matching the Lakers at every turn, which was in line with what Kings interim head coach Doug Christie told to reporters.
“I would say more than anything, my expectations of who I am and what I expect as a person and as a coach and as an individual and dealing with them on a day-to-day basis,” Christie told reporters before the game. “We compete at an extremely high level. That is one thing that we will not compromise.
“And letting them know that we just want to go out and we want to hoop and we want to win ballgames. And that is the one thing that helps you do it. It is not guaranteed. But without it, you do not have a chance in this league. Because this is the best league in the world. And winning games at this level is extremely hard.”
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