The Lakers have already received permission to interview Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina, but he is not their only target who is currently assisting a league powerhouse hoping to make a run to the championship. The other, of course, is the Warriors’ Luke Walton and the Lakers have moved quickly to get permission to interview their former 2nd round draft pick as well.
ESPN’s Marc Stein has the story:
Steve Kerr, who was named the NBA Coach of the Year on Tuesday, revealed before Wednesday night’s series-clinching Game 5 win over the Houston Rockets that the Lakers can meet with Walton as soon as a break in the Warriors’ schedule arises.
“We told Mitch that he’s perfectly welcome to talk to Luke as soon as the series is over and we have a little break,” Kerr said of Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.
Walton has long been considered the front-runner for the Lakers’ job and the favorite among a large contingent of Lakers’ fans. His combination of youth (he’s only 36), basketball IQ, Lakers’ pedigree, and current position as assistant on a historically great team check many of the right boxes for an organization looking to start anew and rebuild from what has been a horrid run in the last three seasons.
There is a flip side to these strengths, however, and many will be quick to point to these exact traits as question marks regarding his candidacy.
Being only 36, Walton is quite young and does not possess a great deal of coaching experience beyond what he’s earned as Steve Kerr’s assistant. “Lakers’ pedigree” sounds appealing on the surface, but this team just got done winning 38 games in two seasons under a former Showtime guard whose major strength was supposed to be knowing “what it means to be a Laker”.
Further, this is Walton’s first year as Kerr’s lead assistant — a role he filled after Alvin Gentry departed for the Pelicans last summer. Walton did an excellent job standing in for a sidelined Kerr to start the year (Kerr dealt with complications from multiple back surgeries over the summer), but Luke would be the first to tell you much of what he did with the team was continuing the program Kerr established.
Detractors of Walton’s candidacy, then, will be quick to point out we simply do not know a lot about how good a coach Walton is. They will reduce his run as Kerr’s stand-in to taking over the wheel of a car on cruise control and cite his relative inexperience.
I don’t think you can totally dismiss this line of thinking, but believe taking this approach too seriously is a disservice to Walton by not taking into account the path he’s taken to get to where he’s gotten.
Folks have forgotten that Luke was acting as a de facto assistant coach while nursing a bad back under Phil Jackson. Kobe used to actually joke with Luke that his path to coaching would be very similar to Phil’s who, in his playing career, suffered a back injury and got a taste of coaching preparation while playing for Red Holzman.
After his playing career, Walton served as a player development coach for the Lakers D-League affiliate D-Fenders and sat on the staff of the NCAA Memphis Tigers’ team for a year during the NBA’s lockout of 2011. And now he works under Kerr and guided the Warriors to a 39-4 record while Kerr recovered. From a Ken Berger profile of Walton in December:
Kerr, still recovering from complications that arose out of offseason back surgery and condemned him to debilitating headaches, empowered his players and coaches to make decisions. It’s the best compliment a coach can earn, that he created a winning culture that can run without him.
But that doesn’t mean it could’ve run this well with anybody standing on the sideline — or that Walton, 35, has nothing whatsoever to do with it.
“Luke is a genuine guy,” Draymond Green said. “He’s the same guy he was as an assistant coach, and guys respect that. It goes a long way, for sure.”
I am not of the mind just any person could have accomplished what Luke did with the Warriors this year. The Berger profile linked to above talks about the value add of Walton’s calm and steady demeanor, especially in the face of the big moment. There’s no panic in Walton and that aids itself to being able to deliver the type of messaging necessary in the tense moments of games — and, with the Warriors, in their pursuit of history when they were after the all-time consecutive wins streak to start the year.
This demeanor would also serve him well in the face of the Lakers’ current circumstances. A young team needs a steady and deliberate voice to shepherd them forward. They need stability and an understanding that they cannot get too high or low as they look to find their path in the league. They will have moments of doubt that come from the peaks and valleys most every young player experiences in the league. Walton — with his history of player development and in being exposed, front and center, to the habits which make up a historically great team — can be the exact type of guide they need to progress into the players they hope to be.
Yes, there’s a lot we do not fully know about Walton. We don’t know what type of offense he’d run, though assuming some mixture of Triangle and the motion heavy actions the Warriors run would be a good place start. We don’t have a lot of background on what his defensive philosophies are, though I’d guess he would be heavily influenced by what Ron Adams and Steve Kerr have implemented with the Warriors. I think, more than other potential candidates, who Walton would have on his staff as assistants would be very important to his and the team’s success.
In saying all that, however, I would fully endorse Walton were he to end up being the hire. I just see too many positives, the potential to grow with a team, and be the long term solution as head coach to not take a chance on him. Of course, we need to see how this process plays out — there has not even been an interview, nor an offer, and both sides would need to see this as the right fit. Like Messina, though, getting in the room with Walton to pick his brain and feel out what that relationship would look like is a great start. I am anxious to see how this goes.
Craig W. says
Walton or Messina – I would be fully behind either of these two candidates. If Ollie wants more player control, I think this puts him well behind the top two candidates.
For Blatt, I think the optics are wrong. He may be just the right person to develop the younger players, but his stint in Cleveland is too recent and LA is a tough market if you don’t come in with some cachet. He would be a great fit for a market where the fans don’t immediately want your scalp.
Anonymous says
I don’t want a retread — especially one that was fired by Lebron. Been there done that (Mike Brown). Luke has the most upside of any candidate — I’d have no hesitation to pull the trigger.
Anonymous says
There are two non-basketball reasons why Walton would be appealing to the FO: Magic will hesitate to go after a well liked former Laker (and Magic knows him personally) AND Jeannie/PJ like him too.So, the job is his to decline.
Sly Bly says
Lakers seem to be on the right track for new coaches, and I am torn to which I like best. I don’t think they can go wrong with Luke Walton, Ettore Messina or Kevin Ollie (no personel control). All three of them bring something different to the table. Here’s to the Lakers making the best choice…which does not in any way include Phil Jackson and the triangle offense.
LT Mitchell says
When Jimbo took over, he was hell bent on ridding the franchise of anyone and everyone affiliated with Phil. Will Luke’s connection to Phil lower his chances of being hired?
david h says
darius: I like where you’re going with this Walton thing. above all else, to me, everything about him reeks of good fortune. just look back at his past and see where it is brought him at this point in his young basketball life.
let’s just go with this for now: the beginning of the Walton era.
all else will eventually be forgiven.
Go lakers.
Anonymous says
If you haven’t seen this check it out. Kobe pulling a prank on Ellen. Too Funny.
http://ellentube.com/videos/0-atqmmwng/
Anonymous says
Anyone have insight into whether candidate’s interest is tied to the Lakers keeping the pick or not?
Along with how Jim’s promise will play out the question about our pick has got to be the biggest unknown. Would keeping the pick or not factor into who the Lakers offer the job to? Not keeping the pick could make the job a lot harder — certainly next year at least.
Anonymous says
why would we ever employ an offense that has won 11 chips when we can hire from a list of coaches with zero nba experience
Anonymous says
why would we ever employ an offense that has won 11 chips when we can hire from a list of coaches with zero nba experience
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Is this a serious question? Maybe because there are exactly 0 coaches outside of Phil Jackson who have successfully implemented such offense and last I checked he no longer coaches, is not interested in coaching and works for the Knicks. SMH. Also, have you seen a single NBA game in the last 5 years? The league has changed significantly.
@BrotherWalton - Twitter says
This is how you know this job is Luke’s to decline. The Lakers allowed Scott Brooks and Thibs to move on because they know what hire is in mind.
Loving every list of names I’ve seen. There’s no way this team can go wrong unless Rambis or Mark Jackson gets interviewed and wins over the spot.
I’m not expecting Walton to replicate the Warriors’ success. I just want to see the youth maximize their talents.
Guest says
@LT Mitchell: we sure hope Jim has learned his lesson.
Firing some longtime, loyal Laker employees was bad karma for the franchise.
Gary says
Jim is bad for business and won’t last beyond next season. Luke is a coach that any future executive would be thrilled to have in place.
We need a coach for the here & now and we need a coach that has viability beyond the current regime. Luke is that coach.
P. Ami says
Look, I’m an anthropologist. I’m trained to see how acculturation works and establishes competence or excellence. I think there is a reason that people like Kobe, Curry, Thompson and others have been successful NBA players. I think the Van Gundys being raised by a coach is also an important acculturating experience. These players and coaches were raised in an environment which helped them to maximize their potentials.
Luke Walton grew up hearing John Wooden quoted like an evangelical hears Jesusisms. Walton observed the NBA environment and didn’t need to rely on his imagination to see how players and coaches work. He was smart enough to spend a number of years being taught basketball by Lute Olson. He was coached by Phil Jackson, coached under him and then got further practice as a coach, earning his position as head assistant under Steve Kerr. That is an excellent culture to grow up in, if you want to be a coach.
Like Kerr, Walton has struck me as the sort of man who could lead men and knows the game. He can communicate and comes off as genuine. He will establish a culture and that is perhaps the key skill required by a head coach. This separates those basketball minds from the ones that only understand basketball as numbers and x’s and o’s. Walton and Messina are good choices, based on my limited knowledge. Something about Walton’s age is also appealing to me. If we get either guy, I’ll be in a great mood feeling the Lakers are righting the ship.
Anonymous says
Mark Jackson has ZERO chance of becoming a Laker coach. This is Tinseltown after all and his views on LGBT issues would turn off the Hollywood elite we all love seeing at the games. So, no. He’s never coaching here.
Robert says
Rookie Coaches: The Lakers have actually done pretty well with rookie coaches. John Kundla, Paul Westhead, and Pat Riley all were rookie coaches with the Lakers and won titles in their first year. Phil Jackson won in his rookie year with Chicago and also won in his first year with the Lakers. Bill Sharmon was not a rookie coach, but he did win in his first year with the Lakers. So – crazy stat – all of our 16 championships were won by coaches who won championships with us in their first year with the team, and 15 of the 16 championships were won by coaches who won titles in their rookie coaching years in the NBA. On the downside of this stat, no coach who failed to win a title with us in his first year has ever won a title with us in our entire 68 year history.
I see Bill Walton does not think Luke should come here. I wonder why.
KevTheBold says
Great write up Darius !
Has anyone gaged Walton’s interest in the job here?
I know there are doubters who believe he would be crazy to take on this challenge; even his own father reportedly said he should keep his job with GS.
I however, hope that he is the kind of man to understand that with great challenges, come great rewards.
He’s young and has the years to devote into developing a team from scratch and molding them into his vision.
Doing so, there is no one who could take any portion of success away from him.
A bootstrap guy building a winning team from the ground up, versus having something handed to him on a platter.
I say this is a rare opportunity for him, and I hope he’s smart and gutsy enough to see and grab it with both hands.
If not, there are other prospective coaches who will.
Isn’t it nice for a change, to have people interesting in being a part of the Lakers, even if it’s a coaching position?
I for one am loving it !
Why/Why Not says
The pros and cons that might be running through our candidates minds…
The positives:
1) The Lakers have a wonderful history and a great brand.
2) They are in a desireable geographical location.
3) The Lakers may keep their pick this year
4) They have lots of cap space.
5) They have a young core with upside.
The negatives:
1) They have a young core but no other real talent.
2) They owe two of their next three 1st round picks to other teams.
3) The Lakers may not keep their pick this year
4) They are located in the Western Division — playoff spots are hard to come by.
5) The cap is rising for every team this year and next.
6) Their management and FO are at odds (to say the least).
Warren Wee Lim says
I would be thrilled to have Luke on board. I have been clear on this from day 1. The positives, along with the optics and such do agree its a snug fit.
Luke will not be going 39-4 on us next season but he is a coach that will give hope to being .500 at least for the 1st few games. If you are realistic, you’d hope to achieve .500 with a team running with 3 lottery picks over the last 3 seasons. I fully expect the Lakers to go hard at Derozan and Whiteside too, possibly letting Clarkson go if DD agrees, finding a good home for Clarkson via SNT would be ideal as well, hopefully it includes Lou and Nick.
Anonymous says
Makes zero sense to let Clarkson walk. If they feel he’s not a long term piece they’ll sign him this summer (by matching a free agent offer) then trade him at the deadline or next summer.
Smart teams, with few assets, let their remaining ones walk for nothing. Yes, that was a joke on Jim/Mitch who have done that far too often.
LKK says
Luke would be a good choice. One other reason this is true, besides all the others previously mentioned, is his personal and recent connection to Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli. Both those players may be targeted by the Lakers in free agency.
LKK says
Bill Walton interview concerning the possibility of Luke becoming the Lakers’ coach:
https://youtu.be/XhQG2dP2AHc
david h says
p/s: thank you jerry west….
Todd says
From an article on ESPN, talking about what the Celtics do next. Interesting bonus question thrown to the panel.
__
Bonus question: If you must buy stock in the Celtics or Lakers for five years from now (2020-21), which one do you buy?
Elhassan: Celtics, without a doubt. It’s a well-run organization with stable ownership and excellent coaching. Basically everything the Lakers aren’t.
Engelmann: Celtics, without a doubt. Boston has one of best GMs in the league and multiple picks incoming, while the Lakers are not only missing a first-round draft pick, but also have a roster that doesn’t come close to Boston’s based on overall talent.
Doolittle: Celtics, even though most of their major pieces will be at least 30 in five years. Ainge is smart and the Celtics probably will enter a window of elite play in the next year or two that will still be open in 2021. For the Lakers, a lot that could go wrong in a process that really is just beginning.
Haberstroh: Celtics. They wield one of the top coaches in the league, a functional front office, a treasure trove of assets and an All-Star on the roster. Tim Duncan might not be walking through that door, but still, this one isn’t close for me.
Pelton: Lakers. Over the next five years total, I’d take Boston, whose floor is much higher — the Lakers have a long way to get to where the Celtics are right now. But one free agent could change that outlook in an instant, and the Lakers have a much better chance of landing such a transcendent star than Boston does.
Dencio says
Order of priority (IMO):
1) Luke
2) Ollie
3) Calipari
4) Messina
Clay Bertrand says
I like Walton and would certainly support him if he were the hire. The following is the KEY caveat to the Walton hiring IMO. As Darius wrote:
“I think, more than other potential candidates, who Walton would have on his staff as assistants would be very important to his and the team’s success.”
______________________________
My sentiments exactly. To take nothing away from Luke or his experiences in getting to where he is, you have to compare HIS experiences to those of the other candidates. We have to play a little Devil’s Advocate through an objective lens here. Ollie for example has been doing it LONGER than Luke has and has more hands on HC experience and developmental experience as well. Luke did really ONE YEAR of this between the D league and Memphis.
Messina has OBVIOUSLY sat aside coaching greatness as Luke has and has 20 years MORE coaching experience overall albeit mostly in Europe.
Sly Bly says, “All three of them bring something different to the table.” And this is SO true as well. Each guy has something someone else doesn’t but each guy carries his own intriguing value.
Gary, “We need a coach for the here & now and we need a coach that has viability beyond the current regime. Luke is that coach.”
___________
This is the key little wrinkle in Luke’s “qualifications” that place him above the other candidates in desirability for the purposes of pleasing the most people at the same time. It also would seem to be the only hire that could/would successfully ride out a full FO overhaul were it to take place in the near future.
We are in a place of some uncertainty to be sure but it feels like GOOD uncertainty instead of BAD if there is such a distinction.
PS: Luke isn’t a Houston guy……Cmon Morey!!!! STEP OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
matt says
I’m wondering how much byron scott in his bad coaching set back the chemistry of the team, and if he would have continued the more damage he would have caused
stats says
matt – It’s hard for any of us to know, of course, but I thought the little exchange between DAR and Clarkson after the All-star game was telling. DAR was asked something about playing time, and Clarkson whispered “Don’t say anything crazy”. That exchange tells me that the two get along and are confidants, but that there were some serious issues with the coach. It is, however, hard to know who’s to blame, as DAR is immature by all accounts I’ve read. Whatever the case, the guys certainly played like a team with internal strife. Like everyone else, I’m hoping that it can be mitigated by a new coach and maybe losing a few folks (particularly Swaggy). We shall see.
As for the Bill Walton interview: that’s some sage advice for his kid. I think Luke would be crazy to step into this maelstrom. But mine don’t listen to me, either.
PurpleBlood says
Nice posts P. Ami and Clay!
& Todd as well
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I like this point from Darius´ article:
There’s no panic in Walton and that aids itself to being able to deliver the type of messaging necessary in the tense moments of games
__
`But mine don’t listen to me, either.´
LOL!!
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
I don’t know.
If Walton can’t even lead his Rendondo Beach Park & Rec League team to victory, is he REALLY whom the Lakers want as their next coach?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N7yILLrGJM
LT Mitchell says
It’s important to seperate Luke the coach from Luke the player.
Luke the coach is calm and does not panic on the sidelines.
Luke the player was the king of panic. He played like an all-star in garbage time, but if the game was even remotely close, it was a brick and turnover fest.
Luke the coach is the assistant for a excellent defensive team.
Luke the player couldn’t guard a safety cone.
Luke the coach is desired by the fanbase.
Luke the player was desired by the fanbase about as much as Kwame and Smush.
Robert says
Todd: From the ESPN article speaking of comparing the C’s to us: “a functional front office”, and “It’s a well-run organization with stable ownership ” – What exactly are they implying? : )
matt: “I’m wondering how much byron scott in his bad coaching set back the chemistry of the team” I don’t know – but I do know you have just hit on the convenient excuse for next year’s team/coach. Some will even use it as an excuse for the FO which is weird but they will.