Subscribe
Follow Us
A source with knowledge of the situation speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic that the New York Knicks have not yet spoken to the Los Angeles Lakers about interviewing JJ Redick for their vacant head coaching position. It remains unclear whether the Lakers would grant permission to the Knicks if they did call, for a variety of reasons.
First and foremost, it should be pointed out that the Knicks have placed front offices in awkward situations by seemingly only having interest in currently employed head coaches. This forces those coaches and their bosses to sit down and have a conversation about the level of interest they might have in coaching the Knicks, who just fired their most successful head coach in decades after making the Eastern Conference Finals.
So far, the Knicks have asked the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Chicago Bulls for permission to interview their head coaches and have been denied by all of them in turn. One popular message league sources have indicated could be the reason: It's not a particularly stable atmosphere.
It is worth noting who the Knicks haven't called, as Amick did in his piece. No calls have been made to the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, either Finals team, or the Lakers. The belief around the league on this front is that New York isn't contacting teams about coaches they know they can't get.
Now, the Lakers haven't exactly been the essence of stability for head coaches, but it is believed they're committed to Redick long-term, which makes his current gig a lot more enticing. So, the Knicks may not have come calling about Redick in part because they don't believe he'd be interested.
As far as how the Lakers would handle the situation if the Knicks did ask to speak with Redick, it's hard to say.
Article Continues Below
The Lakers really like Redick and believe that he's not only been a very good coach in this first season, but also that he will get better with more experience. They're also very comfortable and confident — especially now with Luka Doncic in the organization — that they are a destination head coaches would want to get to. It's fair to debate that stance because of their recent track record with coaches, but this is how they feel, according to sources.
As an example, the Lakers were so confident in how much their players and coaches like working there that, when Joe Lacob called Jeanie Buss about a trade for LeBron James two seasons ago, she reportedly told him to talk to James about whether he'd want to leave Los Angeles. James declined. Buss could, therefore, grant similar autonomy to Redick, so that he wouldn't hold it against her if he was interested but couldn't talk to James Dolan.
Side note: It honestly feels like a blessing to not have to speak to James Dolan, but that's neither here nor there.
That said, the Lakers, as was the case with the teams listed above, might just want to avoid the headache altogether and decline the Knicks' advances. This wouldn't make Redick any less interested in the opportunity if he were, but it would allow everyone to move on.
One thing is for sure: Sources close to the team do stress that communication is a strength of the Buss, Rob Pelinka, and Redick leadership team. So, if New York did come calling, Pelinka and Buss would have a conversation with Redick before deciding on interview access — if they haven't already.
