OT: Luke Walton to be Lakers Head Coach
Luke Walton has agreed to a deal to become the next head coah of the Los Angeles Lakers. He previously turned down an offer from the New York Knicks.
Walton was a Warriors assistant last season and was the interm head coach at the beggining of this season, leading the Warriors to a 39-4 record, with a NBA-all-time-record 24-0 start. This was befor eSteve Kerr came back and he went back to being an assistant.
Walton was a part of the 2009 and 2010 Lakers NBA Championship teams.
His duties as head coach will start at the end of this season.
April 29th, 2016 at 10:51 PM ^
So Izzo turned them down. Interesting.
April 29th, 2016 at 10:56 PM ^
He cooled on them
April 29th, 2016 at 11:04 PM ^
it was a non-committable offer from Buss
April 29th, 2016 at 10:52 PM ^
I love them pick up. He knows the organization and did well without Kerr. Now if the Lakers could just make some moves to help him out...
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Being able to win with this Warriors team is lot different than doing it with this Lakers team.
April 29th, 2016 at 10:56 PM ^
Lakers have tons of cap space, they will be very good very quick. Nobody is mentioning KD going there but they could make a great pitch to him.
April 29th, 2016 at 11:22 PM ^
Why would he go to LA? He's winning now already, and isn't going to win anything in LA. Granted he would get more in endorsements in LA, but he is getting a lot already in OKC. He's also not an attention needy diva, at least not as much as other NBA stars.
April 30th, 2016 at 12:09 AM ^
You make it sound like no superstar on a winning team has left when they were a free agent. Plenty of superstars have done it over the years, and plenty more will continue to do it.
He wants the attention. I read an article about how he felt disrespected after his injury. He hasn't been "winning" all that much. OKC isn't going to win a finals IMO.
The highlight of living there is watching the tornados sweep over the plains.
April 29th, 2016 at 11:05 PM ^
We all know the Lakers will win the lottery and get Simmons. Russell (if he gets his head outta his own ass), Clarkson, Simmons, and Randle is a good young core.
In saying that though, as far as young talent goes, the T-Wolves look like the early OKC teams in how they're built
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April 29th, 2016 at 11:25 PM ^
I predict he will not do well, even beyond the lack of talent on their roster.
April 29th, 2016 at 11:28 PM ^
Was his success with GSW a result of just how freaking good that team is, or is he actually a good coach?
A little bit of both.
April 29th, 2016 at 11:30 PM ^
"When I think of Luke Walton coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, I'm reminded of the virtuosity of Jerry Garcia and the artistry of Bob Dylan. This, my friends, is the beautiful game." - Bill Walton
Excellent. You captured the spirit that is Bill Walton.
April 29th, 2016 at 11:50 PM ^
Babbysitting John Callipari's brat's. Have fun eating mac & cheese at the kids table
April 30th, 2016 at 12:14 AM ^
"John Callipari's brat's"
How many UK players do you think are on the team?
April 30th, 2016 at 12:18 AM ^
Randle? Any others?
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April 30th, 2016 at 12:28 AM ^
I think he meant his German sausage.
April 30th, 2016 at 12:01 AM ^
dimwitted owner siblings we would be in great shape.
Is it a great hire? He's a guy who has never been a HC outside of half a season as an interim and not terribly much as an assistant. How is that great? On its face it looks pretty mediocre to me. If Luke hadn't played or the Lakers (which is no help as a coach) would you still call it a great hire?
Not like they have talent to do ANYTHING. So, let's see him try and make chicken salad.
April 30th, 2016 at 11:52 AM ^
...but remove a terrible coach, remove Kobe, Metta and Swaggy P...all you have is young talent. You have 3 years in a row of top 6 draft picks (playing on rookie contracts), throw in a solid Jordan Clarkson, plenty of cap space to get some solid players like DeMar Derozan...and Luke Walton has the core of a team that is loaded with young talent....granted they are nowhere close to Minnesota's stockpile....but chicken salad they are not.
April 30th, 2016 at 12:35 PM ^
Byron Scott is not a terrible coach. He did well before he was with the Lakers, and he actually had HC experience. And unless the Lakers make a big splash in FA this offseason (and I don't know who they could get that would do that) losing those guys you mention doesn't do any good. They still need veteran leadership because those guys are young. And you'll only have them on rookie contracts for so long, and I think they have to pay Clarkson this year, right?
April 30th, 2016 at 11:44 AM ^
young but experienced, champion as a player and a coach, Laker. What I have learned as a fan watching coaching searches...more often than not, things work out better when you hire your #1 choice...otherwise it is only a matter of time before your next coaching search. Walton was #1 on their board, they got him...after 3 prior disastrous hires.
April 30th, 2016 at 12:32 PM ^
But when he was a champion as player and coach, he was never a main guy. He was a role player and an assistant. I just don't see why the Lakers have a young up and comer as their #1 guy. It's kinda like USC hiring Clay Helton. Those teams should be able to grab an established, proven guy. Not someone who has never done it before.
...he was a safe choice that didn't implode the team or hurt recruiting in the short term. I think is tenure will be shorter than Luke's. He led Golden State to a 39-4 record...he had the respect of the players in the best team in the NBA. Byron is not a good coach to develop young players, he was there to help close the Kobe chapter. You can knock the choice all you want, but I don't know any coach that was available that I would have preferred.
Pat Riley was also a champion that played a minor role as a head coach. Personally, I think they could have done a lot worse than Luke Walton.
If I had my druthers I'd have given a more serious look to current Spur assistant coach and Euro-league coaching legend Ettore Messina, but the thinking is that Walton and the Laker young core can grow together. I mean, Luke Walton isn't a former Cavs head coach like Mike Brown and Byron Scott so that right there makes me favorably inclined. Obviously LA is 2 years away at the minimum but D'Angelo Russell, Randle, Clarkson and Larry Nance are a group you can build around. Throw in another rookie and a max contract free agent and you might just have something.
Question- how do you know you're old?
Answer- when you remember nba coaches when they were freshmen in college. Extra old if you were out of college when they were freshmen in college....
I personally think this is a horrible hire.
Someone on this blog could of took over the golden state and can come out smelling like roses with that team and talent.
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The force is strong with this one.
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Very few games on the bench. Young team still missing several parts. 1.5 seasons before he is gone. Just typical nba thinking. Hell he might even win coach of the year next year. The nba is just terrible when it comes to head coaching decisions. Everyone usually just rotates 26 or so coaches every 3 years no?
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