5. Fire Luke Walton
Luke Walton deservedly earned the right to coach the Los Angeles Lakers after his stunning run as the Golden State Warrior interim head coach, leading them to a 39-4 start. A Laker through and through, he was welcomed to Los Angeles with open arms (especially after the firing of much-maligned ex-Laker head coach, Byron Scott) and the fans loved Luke from the beginning.
However, nearly three years have passed since Walton’s appointment and the inconsistency which plagued his roster in his first year are still happening three years on. An argument can be made that the Lakers have struggled for consistency and identity as the front office is only signing players to one-year contracts, which makes it almost impossible to develop long term chemistry and bond. But basketball, like any other sport, is results-based and the results simply have not been good enough to warrant any more time as Lakers head coach.
Mark my words, Luke Walton has a very very long future ahead of him as a head coach. I think his main focus is to bring in a better backroom staff to help guide him as well as the players.
Luke has been criticized for bringing numerous Arizona alumni to the Lakers party with much more qualified options available instead. I think he will learn from his mistakes and build upon it for the future. He will be fondly remembered but the Lakers need a new direction and I think this next guy is the person to do it.