Letters: Lakers hiring JJ Redick shows how far they've fallen

June 22, 2024 4 AM PT

The Lakers hiring JJ Redick as head coach validates the scholarly thinking that the only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.

Ron Yukelson
San Luis Obispo

Why would LeBron James agree to let JJ Redick take the reins of the Lakers? A man with no bench or managerial experience at the NBA or college levels? Easy … he’s coachable.

Paul Feinsinger
Agoura Hills

With the passing of Jerry West, this question has to be asked? Does anyone believe that JJ Redick or anyone else with zero coaching experience would have been hired if he was still running the Lakers. Who’s next? Doris Burke? Seventeen NBA championships might be it for quite a while.

Tom Krug
Playa Del Rey

Bill Plaschke got it right! The Lakers are foolish in hiring a guy as head coach who has no coaching experience. Some of us would have used a stronger word than foolish.

What Mr. Plaschke didn’t say is the Lakers also hired a general manager in Rob Pelinka whose only qualification was being Kobe Bryant’s agent. What do you expect from that guy?

Dr. Buss is rolling over in his grave as his team of past glory goes down the drain.

Michele Patterson
Palos Verdes Estates

It kills me to say I agree with Bill Plaschke on anything but this time he knocks it out of the park, including his parting shot at Bronny James.

If the Lakers wanted to have a mouthpiece for the over-the-hill LeBron why not make him a player-coach? This entire sickening process just shows how far the once-great franchise has fallen. As Plaschke so accurately points out, how is it possible that they couldn’t hire a first-class quality coach? The answer is simple, just like Hurley no one with a brain wanted this job no matter the money.

Go on Lakers, make it official and take Bronny and prove you have truly hit bottom!

Jay Slater
Los Angeles

People are so quick to deem that JJ Redick can’t succeed because he’s never coached before.
How many corporate CEO’s actually know how to manufacture the gadgets their company’s sell; or the intricacies of shipping? It’s not like JJ isn’t steeped in basketball savvy.

Henry Ford attributed his success in large part to his willingness to surround himself with “eagles.” I say give JJ the chance to build his nest and then let’s see how they soar.

David Griffin
Westwood

Title talk

So Magic Johnson says he hates that the Celtics now have more championships than the Lakers? I’m not sure why since he set Boston up for the next decade by selecting Lonzo Ball over Jayson Tatum in the 2017 NBA draft because he needed a point guard to “run the show.” Never mind Lonzo couldn’t shoot and didn’t seem to care one bit when Magic called him the “face of the franchise” during his first visit to the Lakers training facility. But this is another, if perhaps most egregious, thing Magic did while running the Lakers show that hurt the team more than helped. And don’t get me started on the cowardly way he quit!

Danny Balber Jr.
Pasadena

Now that the Celtics have won the title, the Lakers can trumpet that they beat the champs in Boston on Feb. 1 (despite playing without LeBron and Anthony Davis), in addition to promoting their in-season tournament championship.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

That’s Rich

Rich Paul, LeBron and Bronny James’ agent, is quoted as saying, “There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, [LeBron] will re-sign. If that was the case I’d force them to take him at 17.”

Well, that makes it official: Rich Paul is the de facto GM of the Lakers.

Rhys Thomas
Valley Glen

Open and shut case

Shouldn’t your golf headline be “DeChambeau given Open title”? And not subtitled “inspired by [Payne] Stewart,” but “the recipient of two terribly short putts missed by Rory McIlroy at the end.” Poor Rory, it hurts the rest of us bad enough when we miss a $2 putt.

Joel Athey
Valley Village

Pundits and fans alike will be saying “Rory choked at the U.S. Open,” but this is literally untrue. He went 46 for 48 putting inside 3 feet over the weekend. He had three birdies on the back nine in the final round (and a fantastic par save on 17th hole.) Missing two short putts down the stretch magnifies their impact, but carding a 69 is hardly a choke.

Brad Kearns
Stateline, Nev.

Deal him out

So, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford apparently wants a new deal or to at least renegotiate his current contract since he is no longer guaranteed any money, although he is under contract for two more years at tens-of-millions of dollars a year, and the market for QB salaries continues to increase. How about this, Matt, honor your contract! How many Rams fans can go to their supervisor and get a raise or a guarantee they will be paid their full salary even if they do not work (“play”).

Enough with spoiled, self-centered athletes. The Lakers have enough of those for L.A., the Rams do not need more.

Matt Clarke
Hawthorne

Say, hey, it ain’t so

Willie Mays played for the hated San Francisco Giants and I was a die-hard Dodgers fan — yet he was my favorite player.

Enough said.

Steve Kaye
Oro Valley, Ariz.

I am 71 years old. I have always been a Dodger fan. I have always hated the Giants. But I have always loved Willie Mays.

I only wish that Vin Scully was still around to deliver a eulogy that we would never forget.

Eric Monson
Temecula

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