JJ Redick responds to Charles Barkley’s comments about his job security

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick has decided not to get involved further in a public dispute with Charles Barkley after the Hall of Fame analyst criticized Redick’s team and questioned his job security on the “Inside” broadcast. the NBA” on Thursday.

“I didn’t get to the end of the clip, I have to be honest with you,” Redick said Friday before the Lakers hosted the Atlanta Hawks. “My resting heart rate is probably 64 [beats per minute]. I saw the clip, it was 64. I literally don’t care. I have other thoughts, but I don’t care.”

Barkley was responding to what Redick said on Dec. 19 when Los Angeles played the Sacramento Kings when the Lakers coach shared his thoughts on the state of NBA coverage in light of declining national television ratings. compared to past seasons.

“[Redick] He said something about us being the reason people don’t see this shitty product we have. … Yeah, we,” Barkley said. “Like we’re out there taking a hundred threes a night.”

When Redick first addressed the issue of ratings, he argued against the widespread belief that the volume of 3-point shots being made is causing too many teams to play the same style and making games less interesting.

“I don’t think the league is as homogenized as a lot of people think,” Redick said at the time. “There are certain rosters and certain players that, because of their abilities, it makes sense to shoot a lot of 3-pointers. What I think is lost a little bit in the number of 3-point attempts is what has been taken away, which is a constant decrease in the 2 long.”

Redick said 3-pointers have also led to an increase in points near the basket, as defenses can’t simply clog the interior because they must have personnel spread out on the perimeter to protect deep shots.

“The 3-pointer has allowed more room for people to really score at the rim and in the paint,” Redick said. “So that’s the strategy.”

Redick, a former NBA analyst for ESPN, also offered a detailed look at how the game is covered by the league’s television rights partners at TNT and ESPN.

“I don’t think we, and for us, I was a part of it, we as the kind of national partners have done a good job of telling the stories, of celebrating the game,” Redick said. saying. “If I’m a casual fan and every time I turn on the TV you tell me the product sucks, well, I’m not going to watch it. And that’s really what’s happened over the last 10 to 15 years. I don’t know why. I don’t care. It’s fun. Nothing is entertaining to me. This game should be celebrated.”

Redick refrained from naming names in his criticism. However, Barkley apparently believed it was directed at him.

“JJ, you’re coming for the king, you better not miss,” Barkley said, paraphrasing a line from the character Omar from HBO’s “The Wire.” “Because I can get you, brother. Remember, I got your Lakers games. You can’t hide the flaws they have. You’re just a dead man. They got rid of Frank Vogel, who did a good job. “I got rid of Darvin Ham, who “She did a good job, but you went out thinking you were going to change things up with that same ugly girl you sucked at on a date.”

Long before Barkley suggested Redick’s job could be in jeopardy, the first-year coach acknowledged it himself. Even before his first training camp as Lakers coach began, he told ESPN: “There are no guarantees in this industry. I recognize that at any moment I can be fired. That’s a reality.”

Barkley continued: “He came in thinking, ‘I can make this work.’ Damn, you can put some makeup on that pig. The Lakers suck, man.

Los Angeles is currently ranked No. 6 in the Western Conference with a 19-14 record.

Redick is not the first Lakers figure to engage in a tête-à-tête with Barkley.

In 2017, while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James also attacked Barkley.

“He’s an enemy,” James told ESPN at the time. “What makes what he says credible? Because it’s on TV?”