JJ Redick has never coached a game in his life. At least, not at this level. But he's already a candidate with the Los Angeles Lakers and his Duke connection may make him a candidate with the Detroit Pistons as well.
Yes, the Pistons need a coach after canning Monty Williams. He lasted all of one season. The Pistons are now paying him $65 million not to coach the team. Nice work if you can get it.
As for Redick, well, he's believed to be the frontrunner in LA, his friendship with LeBron James seemingly giving him an edge over New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego and other candidates.
Oh, about Borrego. New Pistons GM Trajan Langdon came over from the Pelicans. So in connecting the dots, you can be sure Langdon and Borrego know each other well.
Then again, so do Redick and Langdon — as both are former college stars at Duke. That Blue Devils connection could mean something, too. Or maybe the Pistons just like that Redick is on TV, serving as an ESPN analyst. Who really knows?
Then again, we have to assume that someone would actually want to coach the Pistons. They lost 28 straight (a league record) under Williams, who's a pretty good coach. Throwing someone with zero experience into the mix, such as Redick, could be an absolute dumpster fire.
That is, if it could be worse than last season. And it probably can't, as the Pistons finished 14-68.
But if Redick somehow doesn't get the Lakers job, and he wants to coach, the Pistons may be his only option. (The Cleveland Cavaliers, with the only other opening, are believed to not have an interest in Redick.)
This is just the crazy world of the NBA. Coaches fired. Former shooting guards potentially hired. And the Pistons still stink.
