“Kobe Wasn’t Feeling It”: Lakers Legend’s Drama With This NBA Coach Helps LeBron James Today

The Lakers’ long search for a new head coach is finally over. It ended right where it began as Rob Pelinka handed the reigns of the team to first-timer JJ Redick. With him having no experience of coaching a pro basketball team, this move could go either way for the LA side. However, there is a chance that LeBron James might get some help in his current situation as we look back on Kobe Bryant and former head coach Mike Brown’s drama from over a decade ago.

Discussing the hiring of JJ Redick in LA, former NFL star Ephraim Salaam revealed his displeasure, saying, “I don’t like it.” Due to JJ’s lack of coaching experience and the proven failure of former first-time player turned coaches like Steve Nash in Brooklyn, Salaam believed that JJ would have to be very dynamic to handle the pressure that comes with coaching the Lakers.

However, it does help his case that he will have a generational talent like LeBron on his team, who has made it to the finals with multiple coaches throughout his career and does not require an exceptional coach every time. Backing his point, Salaam recalled the time when Mike Brown was Bron’s head coach in Cleveland and when asked about his strategy during one of their playoff runs, he simply said, “I just gave LeBron the ball and got out the way.”

But when Brown became the head coach of the Lakers in 2011, that same mentality did not sit well with Kobe, who was likely looking for a more versatile coach to lead the squad to another title. “One of the reasons I never really liked him (Mike) as the Lakers head coach. I wasn’t feeling that Kobe wasn’t feeling it either,” Salaam remarked on The Odd Couple Podcast. It was evident that Kobe had issues with Brown’s methods as during a game against the Jazz in the 2012-13 season, Black Mamba hit the head coach with the now iconic ‘Death Stare’ while they faced another loss. Starting the season 1-4, Brown was fired a few days after Kobe stared him down.

Moreover, Kobe’s issues with Brown prove that LeBron is not the only Lakers superstar who has had a difference in opinion with his head coaches. While James is frequently criticized for costing coaches their jobs, that has been the case with many star players when they don’t see eye to eye with a head coach while their team struggles. So, it might not be fair to deem LeBron the villain in every story. But with JJ becoming the Lakers new head coach, the big question right now is, what can the ESPN analyst now do differently at the Lakers and buck this spiral?

Does JJ Redick need ‘the Erik Spoelstra approach’ to succeed in his new job?

While Mike Brown’s lack of versatility as a coach might have led to a rift with Kobe at the time, it shows that JJ will need to be more fluid while coaching a star like LeBron James. Getting stuck in the play-in tournament at the end of the regular season and then later being eliminated in the first round even though LeBron and AD were healthy most of the season, the Lakers’ current roster might not be equipped enough to make a run for the title. And just like it has been happening so far, if the Lakers fail again, their head coach JJ might be the first one to sustain the blame.

Amid this concern, Salaam revealed how JJ can solve that issue by diving deeper into Mike Brown’s problem, “When you don’t have the talent… you need to be dynamic.” Then, the NFL star cited the example of Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, who has found immense success even though his roster is not as star-studded as other teams. While most franchises are busy forming super teams, Spoelstra has coached a Jimmy Butler-led team to the finals two times. Moreover, he also has the unique talent of getting the best out of his role players while also being able to coach superstars like he did the Big 3 during the LeBron James era in Miami.

Maybe that’s the kind of versatile coaching JJ needs to succeed with the Lakers and hopefully get them to another title.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise to stardom. Keep checking this space for more such updates.