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Anthony Davis will play for a different coach next season after the LA Lakers fired Darvin Ham following the team’s first-round playoff exit. Ham guided the Tinseltown team to the 2023 Western Conference finals where they were swept by the Denver Nuggets. This year, they could not make it past the opening round versus the same opponents.
Reports have surfaced over the past few weeks that LA is looking at James Borrego and JJ Redick as the top candidates to replace Ham. NBA insider Shams Charania topped the talks by saying that the Lakers are “zeroing in” on the former sharpshooting guard turned ESPN analyst.
Marc Stein, another veteran NBA reporter with extensive league contacts, had this to say about the LA Lakers’ coaching dilemma:
“It has been suggested in some corners of the league that Lakers star big man Anthony Davis probably prefers for James Borrego to get the job over Redick.
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"Not only has Borrego been a head coach twice already in Orlando and Charlotte compared to Redick's lack of head coaching experience, but he and Davis overlapped briefly during Borrego's first stint with the Pelicans after Davis was drafted No. 1 overall in June 2012.”
James Borrego was Monty Williams’ top lieutenant with the New Orleans Pelicans when the team drafted Anthony Davis No. 1 in 2012. Borrego, however, left the team to take his talents to Orlando as an assistant coach to Jacque Vaughn. He eventually took over Vaughn under the interim tag in 2015 before the Magic hired Scott Skiles. Borrego’s coaching experience is perhaps his biggest edge over JJ Redick.
James Borrego and Anthony Davis could still reunite in LA
The LA Lakers are reportedly looking at JJ Redick as their next coach, but they are also rumored to be interested in hiring James Borrego. In such a scenario, Anthony Davis’ former coach will again serve as an assistant, a role he plays under Willie Green in New Orleans. It remains to be seen though if AD will be happy with that kind of arrangement.
NBA observers have raved about JJ Redick’s analysis in his work with ESPN and other social media platforms. He is also a podcaster who recently started a show with LeBron James to talk about nothing but basketball. “King James” wanted Redick to co-host the show because the NBA superstar was interested in working with an impressive basketball mind.
Reports also surfaced that the Lakers prefer to get Redick because he is “LeBron’s guy.” The four-time MVP has a $51.4 million player option for next season and getting Redick will be a way to keep him in Los Angeles.
Anthony Davis and James Borrego can still work together with the Lakers. But, AD may have to compromise and get his guy to work as an assistant rather than the lead coaching role.
