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Charles Barkley calls JJ Redick ‘sensative’ after storming out of pregame press conference
Charles Barkley calls JJ Redick ‘sensative’ after storming out of pregame press conference
It has not been a good last 72 hours for Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick. In Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Redick, a rookie head coach, made the bold decision to play all of his starters the full 24 minutes in the second half without making a substitution.
Evidently, the Lakers blew a 12-point second-half lead and lost the game 116-113, falling behind 3-1 in the series. In Game 5, Redick benched 7-foot big man Jaxson Hayes and went extra small against the bigger Timberwolves. Los Angeles was out rebounded by 17, finishing with 16 fewer points in the paint and 10 fewer second chance points in the 103-96 loss as Minnesota evidenced.
Sandwiched inbetween, however, was another lowlight in a series of unfortunate moments for the 40-year-old. Redick stormed out of the pregame presser ahead of Game 5 after being asked if he would lean on his assistants for the substitution pattern more.
It obviously sparked conversation up until game time, including from the crew on Inside The NBA. Charles Barkley even called Redick a ‘little sensative’ amid his reaction.
“He is just a little sensitive,” the Hall of Famer said. “One of the things people say that they never watch television. We all lie. All jocks watch television. He’s been getting criticized the last 48 hours for playing those guys. And he is just sensitive. Everybody is afraid to say ‘I was wrong.’ All he had to do was say, ‘I shouldn’t have played those guys the whole second half and that’s it.’ Then it would have been over.”
This isn’t Barkley’s first hypercritical remark of Redick since he took the Lakers’ head coaching job. Earlier this season, Barkley said the first-year head coach was a “dead-man walking.”
I thought Redick had an excellent first season, but this series was a blemish. Obviously, the roster construction wasn’t particularly ideal; LeBron James, Luka Doncic nor Austin Reaves played up to expectation and it cost LA. But Redick also had a poor coaching series with some of his decision-making and logic behind it.
The reporter also asked a fair question, given the circumstance. Redick didn’t have the best reaction, point blank. It’s a learning moment for everyone, and I’m sure the last two weeks will be a big one for the Lakers’ head coach.
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