Luke Walton has helped the Warriors get off to 26-1 start in Steve Kerr’s absence, but as Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report suggests, it’s been a more difficult task than it might appear on the surface. “When an assistant becomes a head coach, players hate it,” said Andre Iguodala, who went on to praise the job Walton has done at finding a balance between acting as head and assistant coach. As we wait to see if the Warriors can extend their historic start against the Cavs tomorrow, let’s have a look at a few items from around the NBA.
- The Clippers have recalled Branden Dawson from the D-League, the team announced on its website. Dawson averaged 4.9 points across seven contests while on assignment with the Grand Rapids Drive.
- Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post summarizes Deron Williams’ disappointing tenure in Brooklyn. Williams was supposed to be the face of the franchise, but he had a difficult time staying healthy and his performance on the court suffered as a result. “I felt like I didn’t know if I was ever going to be healthy again,” Williams said to Bontemps. The Mavericks signed Williams to a two-year, $11MM deal this summer.
- Jimmy Butler’s comments directed toward Fred Hoiberg have some fans wondering if one of the two will be ousted from Chicago, but Sam Smith of Bulls.com writes in a mailbag column that he’s confident both members of the pair will still be with the Bulls next season.
When Kerr comes back, you would have to think Waltons name will have to be at the top of most lists for any vacant coaching jobs.
Hopefully Walton sees the benifit it sticking around and learning as much as possible and obviously the warriors will be championship contenders for the next few years, Walton would be wise to stick around, collect a good paycheck, and then take a head coach job in a few years when he has both the repitoir and the experience. Walton can lead the troops, no doubt, but he is still following Kerrs game plan and decision making.