Getty Anthony Davis during Game 3 against the Denver Nuggets on April 29.
The search is underway for the next Los Angeles Lakers head coach, and JJ Redick is the leading favorite. But not everyone is on board with the potential hire.
Longtime insider Marc Stein reports that star big man Anthony Davis has his eyes elsewhere for his next head coach.
“It has been suggested in some corners of the league,” Stein wrote on June 5. “That Lakers star big man Anthony Davis probably prefers for James Borrego to get the job over Redick.”
This comes after Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Redick was the favorite for the job.
“No final decision has been made yet,” Charania wrote on June 4. “And the Lakers still have steps remaining in their head-coaching search process, league sources said. But the indications are strong that Redick is their leading choice at this stage.”
Stein went on to detail the familiarity between Borrego and Davis, one that’s a natural cause for his endorsement.
“Not only has Borrego been a head coach twice already in Orlando and Charlotte compared to Redick’s lack of head coaching experience,” Stein continued. “But he and Davis overlapped briefly during Borrego’s first stint with the Pelicans after Davis was drafted No. 1 overall in June 2012.”
It’s true, there’s a head coaching experience in Borrego that Redick doesn’t have. But there wasn’t much success in either of his two stops.
Borrego is 148-183 all-time as a head coach. That’s a .447 winning percentage.
For a team like the Lakers, with Davis and LeBron James still operating in a championship window, does he fit the bill? Can he deliver on their championship aspirations?
Davis seems to think so.
Lakers Could Still Hire James Borrego
Even if the Lakers move forward with the Redick hire, Davis may still get his wish, even if only partially. Los Angeles would like to keep Borrego on as an assistant in the hypothetical.
But it might take a concession from the New Orleans Pelicans as he’s still under contract.
“As first reported here May 27, it’s now an open secret in league coaching circles that the Lakers would still want Borrego on the coaching staff,” Stein wrote. “If Redick indeed proves to be their choice to take over as head coach. Yet I’ve heard skepticism about the Pelicans’ readiness to let Borrego, currently associate head coach in New Orleans under Willie Green, make that sort of lateral move while still under contract.”
It’s a move that Lakers fans know too well. Jason Kidd and Terry Stotts both were asked to take jobs as assistants after interviewing for the job and not getting hired.
Kidd said yes, Stotts said no, and what Borrego would think of the offer is yet to be reported.
Why Would Anthony Davis Not Endorse JJ Redick?
Stein proposed an interesting hypothetical of his own, regarding Davis likely endorsement for Borrego over Redick: some hard feelings over All-Defensive Team votes.
“An interesting discussion point if nothing else about the Lakers’ widely perceived top candidate,” Stein wrote. “As a season-ending awards voter thanks to his broadcasting jobs, Redick elected not to vote for Davis for either first or second team All-Defense this season.”
He went on to reference an interview between Davis and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, where they talked about Defensive Player of the Year.
Los Angeles’ star center told McMenamin that he’s no longer vying for individual awards.
“They’re not giving it to me,” Davis said on April 22. “The league doesn’t like me…I don’t know what else to do. I’m over it. I’m just going to do what I got to do to help the team win and try to play for a championship. Accolades and individual awards, I’m done with those.”
Davis is one of the best rim protectors and shot blockers in NBA history. He’s never earned Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Redick has his part in that. It seems Davis hasn’t forgotten.