Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons Luke Walton is in trouble

Reports surfaced last week that Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton could be on the hot seat. While Magic Johnson refuted them, here are three reasons Walton could be in trouble.

Well, now I finally have some Los Angeles Lakers rumors to talk about. Hallelujah! These are the most fun articles to write. It kinda makes me a sports bookie in a sense. I tell people the story, tell everyone what’s going to happen. Nothing gives me more joy than guessing right.

Well, it seems that someone has lit a match under Luke Walton‘s coaching seat. According to numerous media outlets such as ESPN and the LA Times, Magic Johnson had a tense sit down with Luke Walton this past week.

According to the LA Times, the meeting went down after the Lakers fell to 2-5 on the season (The Lakers followed that up with two straight wins, beating Dallas and Portland). Despite the meeting, the word around the campfire is that Luke Walton’s job is safe.

It is important to note that LeBron James reportedly had NOTHING to do with this meeting. Did he really need to though? He started the ball rolling (pardon the pun) with the phrase that pays…

His take Saturday night before the Portland game was much more politically correct, courtesy of ESPN…

"“It doesn’t bother me at all because I don’t pay attention to it, I don’t listen to it,” James said Saturday in advance of the Lakers’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers, when asked about the noise surrounding his team. “It actually never even gets to me really, so it’s not a big deal for us,” James continued. “We need to figure out how we can string together some great games or even good games and bring our win total from where it is now. Because that’s the business we’re in. That’s the only thing we want to do. We want to be as good a team as we can be and win ballgames.”"

Let’s be clear here. I do not believe a word that LeBron James says about not paying attention or listening to the “noise” surrounding the team.

History teaches us that LeBron James has his own ways of dealing with coaches. I went into that on full detail here about a month before the season even started…

LeBron James: his storied history with his coaches!

All LeBron James talk is of his contract, new teammates and expectations. What about the coach. Ronald Agers looks at all of the LeBron/coach relationships.

This is a piece worth reading. If you read it before, you may want to read it again. Based on the research, I believe that Luke Walton’s job is in serious jeopardy no matter what the reports say.

It’s not surprising that the explosion started at this moment of the season. Why? Well not only does Magic Johnson run the basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he is ALSO part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The baseball season ended with a Dodgers loss in the World Series 4-1 to the Boston Red Sox.

Guess who has some more time to focus on the day to day operations?!

Let’s go back to what Magic Johnson said about a possible slow start. A quote mentioned in LA Times and the piece above…

"“As I was talking to Luke, both of us were, we said don’t worry about if we get out to a bad start, we have seen that with LeBron going to Miami and we have seen that when he came back to Cleveland,” Johnson said during a news conference in September. “He is going to struggle because there are so many new moving parts. But eventually we are going to get it and we are going to be really a good team.”"

Those scenarios were four and eight years ago respectively. This was not going to fly with different personnel loaded with young players and veteran journeymen. Maybe the tide has turned a little bit.

Luke Walton’s take…

Sorry folks, I don’t agree. But here’s the start of the Lake Show Life’s “Luke Watch”… I’m going to point out the problems that got Luke Walton in trouble…

1. He’s part of the old regime…

Business 101…New management brings in its own people to run the company. The Los Angeles Lakers happen to be the second biggest business conglomerate in the NBA behind the New York Knicks. Luke Walton happens to be the last link to the ill-fated five-year tenure of Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak.

It was a totally different time and mindset for the franchise when Walton was hired. The rebuild was in effect and the Lakers did need a big name to sell to the fans while the team was overhauling the roster through the draft (also read…tanking).

How did Luke Walton get the Lakers job?

Remember, that he was the Associate Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors, you know the team that wins the NBA title all the time. Remember that Steve Kerr had to take an extended leave of absence to tend with the complications from his back surgery.

His absence was like manna falling from the sky for Walton as the Warriors had a goal of breaking the regular season record for wins that year. Walton’s record was 39-4.

Not taking away from Luke Walton’s coaching skills but we all could have read one of these articles and coached that talented squad.

Then LeBron James gets signed and the mission statement changed.

Understand that David Blatt was under the same situation in Cleveland as Walton is now. The expectations changed under the dynamic of LeBron James’ return from Miami. An NBA Finals appearance and a number one seed going into the All-Star break the next year got Blatt a pink slip for his troubles.

Walton has been under .500 for his tenure here in LA.

A slow start this season does not bode well for Walton. Magic Johnson is too much of a competitor to sit back and watch things potentially get worse. Remember, he was very critical of the Lakers decisions when Buss was the boss. If he starts linking Walton’s performance with the guy who hired him…look for a guy that LeBron has ties to.

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2. He doesn’t have a balance of how to coach this roster… 

Sure, this roster is unique (Being kind here) but it can work. Come to think of it…the roster was working. Granted it was by accident, but it was working.

Luke Walton was sent a mandate by Magic Johnson…

"“We’re going to run,” Johnson said. “Whoever gets it, we’re gone. … We’ve got a number of ball handlers, that’s how we built this team. We won’t rely just on LeBron making all the shots for people — in terms of creating the shots for people or himself. We want him also to play off of it, but that’s on Luke. I’m not here to tell you how the offense is going to go because that’s not my job and that’s not Rob’s job. Luke will handle that situation and he’s already been thinking about ways and utilizing not just LeBron but everybody.”"

Now, what does that statement mean? It means that the roster is built to get out on the break and run. In a sense, the team is built for the short term for the small ball craze that is the world of the NBA. It’s also built for flexibility for moves going forward.

One of the issues that Magic Johnson brought up in the meeting was what type of offense is being run by Walton. The vision of the front office has not been seen on a consistent basis this season hence bringing Johnson’s anger and frustration.

Charles Barkley drew a bunch of criticism for what he said about the Lakers…

Charles Barkley chooses Spurs, Nuggets over LA: 'I have no idea what the Lakers are doing'

"“What kind of team are they? Are they gonna let those young guys play, or are they going to put those old guys out there? That’s why I didn’t understand because those old guys are not their future. Ball, Kuzma, Brandon Ingram — that’s their future. So, I don’t know what the Lakers are doing. Are they going to try to groom those young guys and go forward with LeBron, or are they going to play those old guys? I think that’s going to be the most fascinating thing. I mean, I have no idea what the Lakers are doing. Are they a young team or are they an old team? I think that’s what I’m gonna be watching for the most.”"

The problem is…neither does Luke. The substitution patterns of the Lakers have been terrible. Walton looks like he is coaching an AAU team making sure everyone gets the same amount of minutes so the parents don’t get upset. Something that is totally ridiculous.

The consequence of the patterns has thrown off the rhythm of the entire team. This has really affected Lonzo Ball, who has admitted that he hasn’t been engaged for the past few games. He has a right to feel this way, when his minutes haven’t been consistent since Rajon Rondo came back from suspension.

Lonzo Ball was playing his best basketball when his role was defined. He was allowed time to develop chemistry and get comfortable within the confines of the game.

Lance Stephenson is in the same boat. He was playing outstanding during the suspensions to the point that he engineered the comeback against the Nuggets. After Rondo and Brandon Ingram returned, he couldn’t get on the floor to finish games where he flourished. Another Walton shortcoming.

It’s Walton’s job to find the right combinations on this roster. It would be one thing if it wasn’t found yet. Luke Walton found the right combination and totally ignored it and went back to the status quo.

Believe it or not…that is not his biggest sin!

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…

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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!