Ex-Coach Luke Walton Discussion

I'm not sure exactly who he meant. The only name that immediately came to mind was Shaw.

I wonder honestly the difference between getting the Kings job and being an assistant in LA... I know the conventional wisdom is that it's always better to be a head coach, but look at the track record of our assistants lately: Snyder, Clifford, Messina. Besides Byron's staff, we've had a good group. The next coach of the Kings has to know he'll be there for a year or two and while he's there it's going to be a nightmare navigating through that front office... I wonder if someone like Vogel could look around and decide it's better to wait a year on head coaching jobs than take a job in a crappy situation like Houston, Sacramento, or that Memphis roster.

 

Couple of takes:
1. I think the one who really truly clashed with Byron was probably D'Angelo and reading between the lines I think D'Angelo probably rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Not that he's a bad kid or anything, but he's kind of blase about work and is content to let things come to him. I think there were probably a lot of people that wanted him to be a more focused and aggressive guy and I don't think that's his personality. He's that kid who has always been so talented that he can get by without necessarily studying every single night. You could clearly see Randle and Russell clashing at times out there. Clarkson seemed to be the bridge between them, but I'm not surprised Byron couldn't connect with a kid like that. They need a different kind of teacher. Not every kid is a hard-hat and lunch pail kind of kid like Randle is. Some kids need more nuanced teaching and I think Luke can do that.

2. Clarkson and Randle back in the gym already? Damn I love these kids. I know we've all come up with trade scenarios with one or both of them gone, but I wouldn't be upset in the slightest to keep both of these guys forever and ever. You've got to love the fact that they love it here, are dedicated to their craft, and want to be great. That's not always easy to find.

3. They really do seem truly, genuinely excited about Luke. I think they respected Byron, but that doesn't mean they liked him or bought into his system. I think Randle is looking forward to averaging more assists and trying to be Draymond and I think Clarkson is looking forward to being his own unique version of one of the Splash Brothers. I don't know where Russell is, but I'm sure he's just as excited as well.

 

That's my hope! If I were him I wouldn't be jumping at the opportunity to go to any of those three places. Memphis is alright, but they're really hurting for talent and they're not a free agent destination. Heck they may lose Conley this summer too which would just leave them with an aging Randolph and Gasol in an NBA that is increasingly shrinking and speeding up...

Probably wishful thinking, but I'd love to nab Vogel and Shaw if they don't take head coaching positions elsewhere.

 

I'm not giving up on Clarkson yet. He's already said he knows he has to work on his defense, and considering one of his best qualities is his desire to prove his detractors wrong, I'm still hoping he can turn himself into an average defender.

But I know I'm an optimist on this point

 

Agreed all around. I think if nothing else Luke is going to be good for the kids on this roster, because he's a positive guy, and he's bringing in a system to play to their strengths, rather than try and force them into something that doesn't. Another thing I took away from this is Clarkson talking like it's a done deal that he'll be here next season. That may not be the case, we don't know what other teams could try to pull to make it hard for us to match, but he's talking like he's going to be here. He's preparing like he's going to be here. He's a hard worker, so I can't say he wouldn't be working for next year already if B0ron were still coach, but I don't think he'd be genuinely excited for next season.

The guys are excited now, they're looking forward to it now. I think if Luke helps us keep Clarkson, maybe at a reasonable price, we'd already be seeing the benefits of him as a draw. Some other free agents out there could have the same feelings, could actually want to come here to play for him. B0ron, I honestly don't think anyone would want to come play for, the only reason they would is if we offered absolute max money on a long term deal. Now, who knows, we might attract some players we might not have with B0ron.

 

To be fair, we've seen nearly about half a season more of Clarkson than Randle. Randle has only played one full season. Clarkson clearly plateaued this year while Randle adapted towards the end. I'm not convinced Jordan has plateaued but there's a decent chance of that being true. Don't forget too that Jordan is 2-3 years olee than Julius.

Both are hard workers though and a new coach should bring them life.

 

Almost never do you see someone standing still... Oh I can't wait for this offense.