Boston Celtics assistant competing with ex-SG trying to podcast himself into Lakers HC role

Boston Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell is one of the primary candidates for the vacant Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job that'll see its formal interview process begin soon according to The Athletic's Shams Charania, but he'll have to beat out JJ Redick for the job.

Yes, the very same Redick who is currently a co-host to Lakers star LeBron James' Mind the Game Pod.

To say that Cassell will have an uphill battle to land the job is an understatement.

Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell a long shot to land Lakers head coaching job with JJ Redick in the mix

How awkward would it be for LeBron to have to go back to his podcast with Redick after the latter didn't land the Lakers head coaching job? Things tend to work out more often than not for James and his people -- his son Bronny, who otherwise would never be invited to the NBA Combine, may end up as a first-round pick despite averaging less than five points per game at USC -- and Redick has become a close off-court confidant to the "king" this season.

Why not make him an on-court confidant as well? Los Angeles should be willing to do anything to keep James in Los Angeles considering how little of a pitch they currently have. Drafting Bronny and hiring Redick may have to be done in tandem to keep LeBron in purple and gold.

Redick has no coaching experience, having retired in 2021. He's been an ESPN analyst since calling it a career. That might not matter, though, considering how many head coaches in recent years -- think Steve Nash with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020 and Derek Fisher with the New York Knicks in 2014 -- have been hired straight from their playing days with no coaching stops in between.