3. Anyone Can See That Walton Does Not Coach LeBron James!
Like it or not, Walton will end up falling on the sword for this mess and it is totally unfair. To an extent…
LeBron James has been, for the most part, above average overall and terrible on defense. It is plainly clear that LeBron James has been going through the motions and has not lived up to the so-called moniker “Best in the World”. I don’t have any problems saying this.
It seems that Luke Walton does.
Luke Walton has to be able to call out the veterans for the mistakes that they have made. This goes double for Rajon Rondo, who has shown that he can’t stay in front of an opposing guard in the NBA these days.
The offense is not the problem. The Los Angeles Lakers are in the top five in the NBA. The issue is that the Lakers are one of the five worst defensive teams in the NBA. A lot of these problems are starting with LeBron James not taking the challenge of raising the defensive intensity and demand accountability from everyone else on the roster.
You know…like lead.
Instead, LeBron James has been undermining everything Luke Walton is trying to accomplish.
You see the relationship between the coach and the team’s best player is the most important ingredient in the success of any team sport. This is not rocket science, but LeBron has not tried to put together a relationship with Walton.
I mentioned it right here…
Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Hot takes for LeBron James in 2018-19
LeBron James begins a new era with the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow night on the road against Portland.
Here are a few excerpts…
"Here’s a nice LeBron James fun fact for Lakers fans…Luke Walton and LeBron James were drafted the same year way back in 2003. They were teammates in Cleveland during James’ first tenure in Cleveland. LeBron was the superstar while Walton was so far down on the bench he had to watch the game on NBA League Pass. Now the dynamics have changed. Back then it was James running the team, now it is Walton running the team. Or is he?"
Now we are 10 games in…now does this make sense? How about this…
"–based on their past relationship in Cleveland, LeBron James may not see Walton as his peer subconsciously. If you have watched the preseason games, notice that he spends more time chatting it up with Rajon Rondo than Luke Walton. Granted Walton is into the game, and busy coaching, but this is something that needs to be watched. LeBron James probably can forget more basketball knowledge than 85 percent of what today’s NBA players know in full… If LeBron James does not partner up with Walton and come to an understanding, the young guys are watching and will have to pick sides. Rajon Rondo alone is a handful to deal with when things are not going well and he loses confidence in a coach (Fred Hoiberg, Rick Carlisle comes to mind), think about if he and James get tired of hearing Walton’s voice! If you are Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram or even Josh Hart…Who do you think they’re going to follow? The most powerful player in the NBA or the coach?"
Oh did I forget to mention that there were rumbling from the veterans about the substitution patterns? Coincidence? Nope. The veterans have been around too long for that.
Notice I end every article the same way…
The Los Angeles Lakers have started their long journey through the NBA season. Lake Show Life will be there every step of the way. Continue to check in for Lakers news, previews and reviews.
Think Luke Walton will be around for the journey? Reports say he will be…
I say he won’t!