ESPN analyst JJ Redick did not hold back his criticism of his former head coach Doc Rivers this season, but Rivers is not interested in taking part in a feud with him.
During an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show, Rivers, who is now the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, said he has "nothing but love for JJ" and said he "really hopes" he gets a head coaching job amid rumors that Redick is a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers' vacancy.
Redick, who played under Rivers during their time with the Los Angeles Clippers, went on a scathing rant in February against his former coach after he didn't take accountability for the early struggles after taking over the Bucks midway through the season.
"I've seen the trend for years," Redick said. "The trend is always making excuses. Doc, we get it. Taking over a team in the middle of the season is hard. Just like getting traded in the middle of the season is hard for a player. We get it. But it's always an excuse. It's always throwing your team under the bus."
Redick even doubled down on his comments on an episode of his Old Man and the Three podcast.
"Don't regret what I said," Redick said. "It's truthful to me. I do regret the delivery. I think sometimes when you get in certain environments, you can get emotional and I regret that."
TheOldMan&TheThree @OldManAndThree.<a href="">@jj_redick</a> addresses his recent comments about Doc Rivers and the response from Patrick Beverley. <br><br>Full mailbag episode with <a href="">@talter</a> drops tomorrow: <a href=""> <a href="">
Rivers explained that he believes Redick's feelings toward him stem from dissatisfaction with how he was handled toward the end of his tenure with the Clippers, and it would eventually blow over. He added that he hopes Redick gets a head coaching job so he can gain a better understanding of the demands of being in that position.
"Personally, I really hope he gets the job because then he'll understand, some of the things that he has a problem with me and other coaches that you hear on his podcast, he'll realize it's not as easy as you think, and some of these decisions that you have to make are brutal," Rivers said.
