Lakers ownership and management continue to voice their support for Luke Walton, with controlling owner Jeanie Buss the latest to praise the club’s head coach. As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details, Buss was asked on Tuesday whether Walton will remain the Lakers’ head coach through the season and the 2018 offseason, and she essentially dismissed the idea that it’d even be up for debate.
“Luke Walton is the Lakers’ coach, period,” Buss said. “There’s no worrying about it, there’s no speculation. He’s done a terrific job. He is somebody that the entire front office, the organization is behind.”
Walton’s job performance was questioned – most notably by LaVar Ball – when the Lakers lost nine consecutive games at the end of December and start of January. However, Walton’s Lakers have looked very good since snapping that streak. The club has won seven of its last nine games, including three in a row — L.A. is coming off a Tuesday night upset of the Celtics.
While the Lakers didn’t respond immediately to Ball’s criticisms earlier this month, Buss and Magic Johnson tweeted support for their head coach a week and a half ago, and Buss’ comments this week further cement Walton’s job security in Los Angeles. The Lakers’ private stance reportedly lines up with its public stance, as ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne has previously suggested that Walton’s job status was “not even a conversation” for the franchise.
This is all media overblowing Lavar. Its not like the Lakers have the talent to win in this league (yet). Luke is fine
Lavar is a cancer, a clown milking his kids for everything he can, money, spotlight, etc… I feel bad for Zo. His dad is putting an undeserved target on his back.
Arguably that’s what makes Lonzo as good as he is. Everyone is always coming at him 110%.
I’m just waiting for Lavar to take credit for starting this run!
I bet they’ll hold off firing him just so LeVar cant say “told you so.” But I also agree he doesn’t deserve to be fired.
The Lakers shouldn’t fire Walton. Not many, if any, coaches would be able to get substantially more out of this roster given the talent and the fact that half of the roster know they won’t be playing for the Lakers next year if the Lakers offseason plan goes the way they hope. Any noise about the locker room not being behind Walton is just noise from Lavar Ball whose opinion should mean nothing unless it pertains to Lonzo only.
Never fire a coach with a roster like this, unless he was the head of the management team that created it. You’re just setting up another guy to fail. Jeanie is a media darling but she is as responsible for this train wreck of a roster as anyone. Yeah, her brother was an idiot, but MK wasn’t. She turned him into one by putting her brother’s clock on him to make a full rebuild back to championship level starting with a team that was still descending due to daddy’s neglect, and which was already too asset depleted to stop it, all while dealing with the cancer that is Kobe (everything you don’t want as an aging veteran on a rebuilding team), who she encouraged to be all that and more. Had they not lucked out with the #2 pick three years straight, things might be worse. Maybe Magic can save the day, maybe not. I doubt it. But to blame a second year coach is complete BS.
Don’t fire Walton, he’ll go back to Golden State!!!! The last thing anyone needs to do is make the Warriors better!
F@#¥ YA!
GO LUKE
Get rid of Ball over Luke. He’s a good coach with some young talent but not even a playoff caliber team. Ball better improve quick if his talent outweighs and outlasts his dads mouth.