Former NBA player Channing Frye expressed skepticism about JJ Redick potentially taking on the role of head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, calling it a “death sentence.”
Frye cautioned against the idea, particularly highlighting the challenges of coaching a team with star players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
In an interview on NBA TV, Frye emphasized the pressure and expectations that come with coaching a high-profile team like the Lakers.
“To be honest, I think it’s a death sentence. I think he’s jumping on a grenade…,” Frye said. “I think JJ is a coach. I know for a fact JJ Redick is a coach.”
He underscored the complexities of managing egos and making strategic decisions, especially for a first-year coach like Redick.
“But taking that job… it’s a lot,” Frye continued. “You’re jumping into not only coaching in NBA when you haven’t ever done that before, but you’re also coaching Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, LeBron James… This is not a let’s learn your way through. They were crushing Darvin Ham for not having the right substitution pattern.
“So for me, I wouldn’t take that job… To me you need to bring in somebody who’s going to command that locker room and who’s going to say ‘Bron, I understand what you want to do, but this is my vision for the roster that we have.’
“And also the roster has issues. You could be Phil Jackson and you’re still going to have with those things. As a first-year coach, I wouldn’t recommend that job for anybody.”
