Los Angeles Lakers fans may not be very fond of Rasheed Wallace. During his 16-year NBA career, he had a habit of playing for some of the Purple and Gold’s biggest rivals.
He was a fixture on the Portland Trail Blazers team that almost ended their 2000s dynasty before it began in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. He did play a key role on the 2004 Detroit Pistons team that did interrupt that dynasty by defeating Los Angeles in the NBA Finals.
Years later, Wallace was an important reserve for the 2009-10 Boston Celtics. That June, he almost got his second ring, but the Lakers overcame a 13-point second-half deficit in Game 7 of the championship series to get one for the thumb.
In order to win yet another world championship, they need to first hire the right head coach. Former 3-point sniper JJ Redick is thought to be the favorite to land the job, but he has virtually no coaching experience of any kind.
Wallace, who was known as a hothead during his playing days, played the role of a voice of reason when he said L.A. needs an experienced head coach while on “Sheed and Tyler” (h/t Basketball Network).
“You gonna need a veteran coach,” Wallace said on Sheed and Tyler. “You dealing with the main veteran in (LeBron James) who gotta win now. The window is looking…real thin. He’s trying to win now, then you got another veteran with (Anthony Davis), and he’s trying to win now, so then that way, it’ll be less on his body later on. I think they need a veteran players coach.”
The window Wallace mentioned seems to consist of, at the very most, two more seasons. Although James played at an elite level this season, he’s 39 years of age, and no one knows exactly how much he has left in his tank.
Perhaps Redick really does have what it takes to be the next Pat Riley, as the Lakers reportedly feel or at least hope. But it does seem likely that hiring Redick would result in the Lakers throwing away what could be the last season or two of James’ career.