Los Angeles Lakers: 3 people not named Luke Walton responsible for slow start
By Ronald Agers
3. Magic Johnson and the rest of the Lakers front office!
Look, I love what this front office has done for the Lakers in the Magic Johnson/Rob Pelinka regime.
But if you get the credit for the team’s fortunes, you have to take the heat for the issues. Why? They are at the top of the business pyramid.
This is not about the roster that was put together for the Lakers this season. It’s not realizing the potential consequences that came with the roster moves that they set up.
The common excuse that everyone was using anticipating this slow start was the other new teams LeBron James went to in the past had slow starts.
That’s true, but those teams did not have the same uncertainty surrounding them. Plus, James was four and eight years younger, respectively.
It is not fair to put unrealistic expectations on this team based on the past. It doesn’t make any sense to the franchise, the fans or the players.
But now it’s past the players. Luke Walton is at the point of no control here and he was put in that position by Magic Johnson. Based on the reports that have now leaked all over the NBA it is clear that Johnson knows Walton is not the coach of the future for the Los Angeles Lakers.
This should be no surprise to anyone considering that Walton was not Johnson’s choice as head coach in the first place. Walton had to be totally embarrassed when this turned into a national story. Let’s just say that the Golden State Warriors wouldn’t be doing this to Steve Kerr.
Are there disagreements between coaches and the front office? Sure. Most don’t get leaked to the media without a purpose.
The aftermath of all this…
This will be a constant distraction for the team for the rest of the year. Do you think the meeting is still not a topic of conversation these days? Remember what Magic said before the Toronto game…
Magic Johnson tells ESPN 'we're not going to fire' Luke Walton barring something drastic, confirming what he said to the LA Times earlier on Sunday. https://t.co/1pkCEFuPWb
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) November 5, 2018
Luke Walton is not in a position to succeed here. Why? Because at this point he has to be seen as a lame duck coach. It’s hard to see a veteran coach be treated this way without knowing that if he does last throughout the year, he will be let go at the end of the season.
The Tyson Chandler signing was of good faith in a sense…
This is a strong message. Defense and leadership was a major issue with this team. Chandler will more than likely suffice in clearing these problems up some. But if it doesn’t, Johnson will look to find someone else to coach the team.
Speaking of the team, with enough veterans on this team with one-year contracts, they smell the blood in the water. Especially the guy who definitely is to blame in all of this…