Lakers coach JJ Redick directs his players during a 107-102 preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. (Morry Gash / Associated Press)
Despite past tensions and public criticisms, Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers and Lakers coach JJ Redick said there are no bad feelings between them.
“We’re fine,” Redick said before Thursday’s game. “I don’t carry beef with people. And I’m not going to get into the history of Doc and I’s relationship right now. And I probably won’t ever. He’s fine in my book.”
Redick and the Lakers went on to beat Rivers and the Bucks 107-102 for their first win of the preseason.
During a media appearance last season on ESPN, Redick pointedly questioned Rivers’ sense of accountability after the coach talked about difficulties in taking the Milwaukee job in the middle of the season.
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“I’ve seen the trend for years,” Redick said on “First Take.” “The trend is always making excuses. Doc, we get it. Taking over a team in the middle of a season is hard. It’s hard. We get it. It’s hard. … But it’s always an excuse. It’s always throwing your team under the bus.”
Redick said Thursday that he apologized for the tone of his comments, which ESPN posted on YouTube under the headline “JJ Redick goes SCORCHED EARTH on Doc Rivers for making excuses!”
Rivers, who coached Redick for four seasons on the Clippers, said the comments aren’t an issue.
“It’s never been really for me,” Rivers said, before adding that “coaches, they pour into players. They really do. They pour in a ton of love to players. And oftentimes that love is rejected, it’s just the way it is.”
Rivers said he expected Redick’s Lakers to be strong when it came to “execution stuff, because that’s what we were known for when he played for me.”
Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers watches during a game against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. (Jose Juarez / Associated Press)
“Ran a lot of it,” Rivers said. “As a matter of fact, I watched the first two games and many of the sets we ran with the…
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