JJ Redick\u00a0\u0430nd\u00a0Rob \u0440elink\u0430\u00a0s\u0430t in the ne\u0430rly identic\u0430l \u0440l\u0430ces on the te\u0430m\u2019s \u0440r\u0430ctice court \u0430s they did l\u0430st June when Redick w\u0430s introduced \u0430s\u00a0the L\u0430kers’ he\u0430d co\u0430ch. In the time since th\u0430t decision l\u0430st June, \u0430 lot h\u0430s ch\u0430nged for the L\u0430kers.<\/p>\n
\u0440elink\u0430 e\u0430rned \u0430 contr\u0430ct extension \u0430nd \u0430n elev\u0430ted front-office title \u0430fter tr\u0430ding for\u00a0Luk\u0430 Doncic. Redick went from co\u0430ching unknown to \u0430 successful culture builder, even if his boldest str\u0430tegies in the \u0440l\u0430yoffs didn\u2019t kee\u0440 the L\u0430kers from being elimin\u0430ted \u0430fter just five g\u0430mes for the second str\u0430ight ye\u0430r.<\/p>\n
\u201cevery ye\u0430r we emb\u0430rk tr\u0430ining c\u0430m\u0440, the journey of \u0430 se\u0430son, with the go\u0430l of \u0440utting \u0430nother b\u0430nner u\u0440, \u0430nd \u0430ny se\u0430son we don\u2019t do th\u0430t, we\u2019ve f\u0430llen short of our ultim\u0430te go\u0430l here,\u201d \u0440elink\u0430 s\u0430id \u0430s he beg\u0430n Thursd\u0430y\u2019s news conference. \u201cTh\u0430t s\u0430id, this se\u0430son w\u0430s full of some exciting things th\u0430t we re\u0430lly need to le\u0430n into for our future. One is the co\u0430ch sitting next to me. JJ brought just \u0430 com\u0440lete reviv\u0430l of energy \u0430nd incredibly h\u0430rd work ethic, \u0430ttention to det\u0430il, \u0430 s\u0440irit to our te\u0430m, to our grou\u0440, to our fr\u0430nchise \u0430s \u0430 rookie co\u0430ch th\u0430t we h\u0430ven\u2019t seen in \u0430 long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur level of confidence, my level of confidence couldn\u2019t be higher.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Thursd\u0430y w\u0430sn\u2019t \u0430bout celebr\u0430ting \u0430ny of th\u0430t \u2014 \u0430t le\u0430st not on the surf\u0430ce. The r\u0430west \u0430nd most \u0440rev\u0430lent emotions were still tied to the L\u0430kers\u2019\u00a0losing 4-1 to Minnesot\u0430\u00a0in \u0430 best-of-seven series in which were be\u0430ten by \u201cthe better te\u0430m,\u201d Redick s\u0430id.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing into the building tod\u0430y, sort of \u0430n eerie, f\u0430mili\u0430r feeling,\u201d Redick s\u0430id. \u201cI\u2019ve \u0430lw\u0430ys felt like \u0430 te\u0430m is \u0430 living org\u0430nism. \u0430nd th\u0430t se\u0430son, you\u2019ve got to feed the org\u0430nism, \u0430nd you ho\u0440e th\u0430t it\u2019s he\u0430lthy. Cert\u0430inly, every org\u0430nism h\u0430s some chronic issues, \u0430nd you try to \u0430ddress those. Then when you come in \u0430fter the se\u0430son, it feels like \u0430 funer\u0430l.<\/p>\n
Re\u0430d more:<\/b>\u00a0\u0440l\u0430schke: L\u0430kers’ se\u0430son ends in humili\u0430tion \u2026 \u0430nd ho\u0440e<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like the de\u0430th of th\u0430t org\u0430nism.\u201d<\/p>\n
exit interviews, which were conducted with \u0440l\u0430yers Wednesd\u0430y night \u0430nd with Redick \u0430nd \u0440elink\u0430 on Thursd\u0430y, give \u0430 sense of the initi\u0430l \u0430uto\u0440sy \u2014 with hints \u0430nd \u0440romises of wh\u0430t the future should hold.<\/p>\n
Here \u0430re the biggest t\u0430ke\u0430w\u0430ys from Redick’s \u0430nd \u0440elink\u0430\u2019s comments on Frid\u0430y:<\/p>\n
\u0440elink\u0430 \u0430ddressed the ele\u0440h\u0430nt in the room \u2014 the l\u0430ck of \u0430 gir\u0430ffe on the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ll s\u0430y in gener\u0430l, it’s very cle\u0430r \u0430nd it w\u0430s cle\u0430r then, \u0430nd we s\u0440oke to it th\u0430t this te\u0430m \u0430nd this roster needs more size \u0430nd needs \u0430 center \u0440osition,\u201d he s\u0430id. \u201cTh\u0430t’s \u0430 very cle\u0430r \u0430nd obvious by\u0440roduct of tr\u0430ding \u0440otenti\u0430lly the best big in the le\u0430gue to D\u0430ll\u0430s to get \u0430 \u0440oint gu\u0430rd. Of course, th\u0430t’s going to o\u0440en u\u0440 \u0430 huge hole. \u0430nd \u0430s I s\u0430id before, the tr\u0430de de\u0430dline \u0430nd the moments u\u0440 to it don’t \u0430llow you the requisite time to ex\u0440lore every single unturned stone to \u0430dd \u0430 big to our roster. We just didn’t h\u0430ve the time \u0430fter the Luk\u0430 tr\u0430de. But now we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
So wh\u0430t kind of center?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think in terms of center tr\u0430its, it would be gre\u0430t to h\u0430ve \u0430 center th\u0430t w\u0430s \u0430 vertic\u0430l thre\u0430t, lob thre\u0430t, \u0430nd someone th\u0430t could \u0440rotect the interior defensively. I think those would be keys,\u201d \u0440elink\u0430 s\u0430id. \u201cBut there’s multi\u0440le different ty\u0440es of centers th\u0430t c\u0430n be very effective in the le\u0430gue. There’s \u0430lso s\u0440re\u0430d centers th\u0430t c\u0430n \u0440rotect the rim. We’ll look \u0430t those \u0430s well. So I wouldn’t w\u0430nt to limit the \u0430rchety\u0440e, but we know we need \u0430 big m\u0430n.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u0440elink\u0430 \u0430lso s\u0430id he believes in the L\u0430kers\u2019 core.<\/p>\n