Ex-Coach Luke Walton Discussion

Also, can we call it a "Phil Jackson curse" (or a ZenMaster curse, if you will ) at this point?

Phil is pushed out and Jeanie breaks up with him ---> not one normal coach since then.

 

I don’t think the blame should be completely put on Luke.

If anything, I thought this was sort of expected when you have no reliable depth at the center position. We look pretty good when McGee is on the floor.... but we don’t have any solid options to backup McGee. McGee cannot be relied on to play 35 minutes a game throughout the season.

That is on Magic and Rob. You can only blame coaching so much, but Luke doesn’t have the players to resolve some of the team issues, which is mainly on the defensive end (ie post defense, additional rim protector). It’s not an accident we are horrible defensively when we play small ball... we don’t have a small, mobile defensive bigman that can run the floor like Draymond Green.

Ironically, Julius Randle would have been a great fit in that role. That’s on Rob/Magic again.

Why is this a surprise to Magic? Did he not remember last season, the Lakers also looked awful defensively at the start of the season but suddenly took off when they made Randle a starter after having him come off the bench?

 

Yeah it seems like he's not on the hot seat, and this was more a scolding by Magic. But if things don't improve then he's definitely headed to the hot seat.

 

Also did anyone find it odd that media reports used the term “Magic admonishes Luke Walton”?

I found that to be a strange verb to use to describe the conversation and had to look up the definition.

However, one thought that popped into my head is.... maybe it was Pelinka who leaked the conversation to the media. Of everyone in the front office, I just feel he would be the one to speak like that. Maybe he did it to put pressure on both Luke and the players (who like Luke) to play better. The message is essentially, “the team needs to do better otherwise Luke gets fired, and the players coach gets replaced by potentially.... Mike Brown (example only). So play better or you will have to play for someone you guys may not like”

 

Could replace Messina with Snyder, too.

The mikes were a huge part of the descent into the gutter.

 

This thread has become one long played out joke, and I’m not even a big fan of Luke’s. There’s nobody better out there available. It would be an utter embarrassment to have to revamp the culture again after just a month ago praising Walton and what he’s done with the culture.

If you are actively rooting for Luke to get fired, then you’re actively rooting for the Lakers to lose, because excessive losing is what it will take. If that’s what you want...

 

Nope. I personally believe that the ball boy that visits LB could do a better job.

 

So this meeting was on Tuesday following the Monday come from ahead again loss to the Timberbulls. Can't imagine Luke feeling tense at all as the lead evaporated again on Wed vs Mavs. Yikes.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-sp-lakers-johnson-walton-20181102-story.html

 

What about the coach of the year last year from Toronto?

 

lack of a system is inexcusable

I'm glad it's being addressed as it needs to be.



step up yo' game Luke

 

Haha...tortured not so much, but I hear he's in to being Pissd'on.

 

I want luke fired if we're excessively losing

 

Well there it is folks. Irrefutable Proof that even the great Magic Johnson lurks on Lakersball and has been reading @bfc1125roy , LFR and Cranjis McBasketball.

Major props to Barns for the incredible amount of juice this site has gained in a short period of time. How else to explain when you see something like this happen in the same time frame and the language in the reporting of it?

 

The thought of the coaches we passed on literally upsets my stomach

 

Kevin Ding had an article about Snyder years ago about the time we hired Scott; Kobe respected him; they use to talk basketball all the time while he was an assistant under Brown, reportedly.

He is a top 5 coach now...