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‘I’m already dead’: JJ Redick not fazed by Charles Barkley – or anyone – doubting Lakers


JJ Redick often thinks about a quote from the HBO miniseries about World War II that aired in 2001.

“There is an incident in Band of Brothers where they are fighting and one of the soldiers is really scared and asks the other, ‘how do you know how to go out to fight?’ “Remembers Redick. “And he says, ‘Because I’m already dead.’

Redick embraced that philosophy when he took over the Lakers in June with no coaching experience. It was a coping mechanism to distance himself from the painful reality that the coach’s seat in the NBA has become a lightning rod for blame and a revolving door.

“When I took this job, I almost died,” he said. “So, I know this job well, but it’s not even on my radar. I’m already dead.”

During LeBron James’ seven seasons with the Lakers, head coaches Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham were both hired and fired. Vogel led the Lakers to their first championship in 10 years in 2020 and was fired in 2022; Ham helped the Lakers reach the Conference Finals in 2023 and was fired in May.

Redick entered this situation with his eyes wide open.

So far this season, the Lakers have had some wild swings. After winning their first three games, followed by a six-game winning streak in November, Redick was widely touted as the solution to the Lakers’ woes over the past few seasons.

Then they moved on to a stretch where they lost eight of 11 games, sitting in tenth place in the West from late November to early December. Now, they are climbing again, and are currently in fourth place after winning eight of their last 11 matches.

During the loss, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas expressed the irony that Ham suffered from the Lakers’ problems while Redick did not.

“Hey, tell Ham to come back, man,” Arenas joked on his podcast, “Gil’s Arena.” “…We need someone to blame. I just want to be like, ‘Coach. Coach’s fault.’

Heck, even in the midst of their current win streak, TNT analyst Charles Barkley interrupted highlights from the Boston Celtics’ 118-115 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday to play Redick on an episode of “Inside the NBA.”

“He’s a dead man walking,” Barkley said. “They fired Frank Vogel, who did a good job. They fired Darvin Ham, who did a good job. But you went out there thinking you were going to change things with that bad girl you went with. The Lakers stink.

“He went in there thinking, “I can make this thing work. Hell you can! You can put makeup on that pig! The Lakers stink, man. Come on man.”

Barkley’s anger was fueled by Redick’s comments last month when asked about his thoughts on declining TV ratings and whether he thought the three-pointer contributed to that.

As part of his long and detailed response, Redick said he didn’t think the “nationals” did a good job “celebrating the game,” something Barkley clearly took on board even though he wasn’t specifically told.

As for Redick, he said he didn’t care about Barkley’s words.

“I’m not completely successful in this piece, I’ve got to be honest with you,” Redick said Friday before the Lakers hosted the Atlanta Hawks. “My resting heart rate is about 64. I watched the clip, it was 64. I don’t really care. I have other thoughts. But I don’t care.”

[RELATED: LeBron James says NBA has bigger problems than All-Star Game]

But being in contention named Barkley is never a good thing for someone who occupies one of the 30 most dangerous positions in the NBA.

In 2023, six coaches were fired, including Doc Rivers, Monty Williams, Nick Nurse, Mike Budenholzer, Steven Silas and Dwane Casey. Just last week, the Sacramento Kings shocked the NBA world by firing Mike Brown, the reigning Coach of the Year in 2023.

Of course, outside opinions like Barkley’s hold little water in terms of Redick’s job security. But then again, the national conversation is buzzing and Barkley’s voice carries a lot of weight.

Barkley added that he is now focused on Redick.

“JJ, you’re going to want the king, you better not miss it,” Barkley said. “Because I can get you, bro. Remember, I have your Lakers games.”

Through it all, Redick tried to ignore the noise.

Redick has opened the season with unanimous success. He was an unknown person. We knew he was a 3-point specialist just by watching him play. And we knew he was a basketball fan from hearing him talk about the game as an ESPN analyst. But a newbie coaching one of the league’s top franchises?

This was going to go very well. Or worse.

James and Davis opened the season singing his praises, praising his preparation and his vision.

And it seems they still feel that way.

After Redick challenged Davis to “win the MVP,” he responded by being at the top of that conversation earlier in the season. And Friday, when asked about the Lakers’ improved offense, James chalked it up to being ready, which, it seemed, was a hat tip to Redick. “We all know where we’re supposed to be,” James said.

But Redick knows the season is long and there will be more problems.

The good news about Redick, which can help him to hear outside noise, is that he seems to be the biggest critic of all.

While he said his resting heart rate remained unchanged while watching Barkley’s rant, it’s clear that’s not the case when the Lakers lose. He is incredibly animated during the games. And crushed when things don’t go as planned.

He even admitted that he goes to the dark place (under him) after the games and pours the film.

So, while Arenas pointing out what he sees as a double standard and Barkley being fully loaded on Redick may signal that Redick’s days as a bright-eyed, green-tailed, clipboard-wielding golden child may be over, he clearly is. willing to take the heat.

“I signed up for the hard stuff,” he said. “I didn’t sign up for easy things. I enjoy solving problems.”

This is obvious: There are many eyes on him. He’s in LA. His time of grace is coming to an end.

Good for him, now the Lakers are shining.

But if that changes, his critics will come after him, whether he plays dead or not.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously managed the Sports Illustrated league, i Los Angeles The Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio The Express-News. Follow him on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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