Los Angeles Lakers roundtable: 4 questions about front office, next coach
4. Should Luke Walton have been fired?
Pruna: Yes. In all honesty, Luke was part of the Lakers’ young core and was dealt with just like the Lakers did with D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance, Jr.
When Luke was hired, the Lakers had a long-term rebuild in mind, so Luke had room to grow and make mistakes. But LeBron signing with the Lakers last summer flipped the script. There is no margin of error now. Luke did not make in-game adjustments well, failed to upgrade his coaching staff, fielded the worst rotations, and ultimately recorded a 98-148 record in three seasons coaching the Lakers.
Still, Luke is an excellent young coach who was mentored by Phil Jackson and Steve Kerr and led the Warriors to 39-4 on his own. He may be a great coach someday. Just not with these Lakers.
Wade: Yes. As sad as it was to see Luke go, the writing has been on the wall for a long time and once the fans, media and front office began to ask questions, it was curtains from that point. I’m glad that Walton has found himself in a new role and I wish him well, but as the coach of the Lakers, it was probably the best decision that Pelinka and Buss have made in a very long time.
Gradually improving on overall wins each year and the possibility of making the postseason this year if not for injuries was very much noted. However, I said it when I wrote that Stan Van Gundy was wrong with his assessment on Luke, and I shall say it again; 94 wins in 294 games in charge of the Los Angeles Lakers is simply not good enough.
Torres: Tough to say. If the premises of Luke Walton not firing his staff or redesigning it, maybe? I wrote a piece about Luke Walton last year on how it would be dumb to fire him early last year in response to LaVar Ball’s comments of him being a terrible coach.
Next. 3 Candidates To Replace Luke Walton. dark
Giving Luke Walton another year on his 6-year contract would’ve been great for him and the franchise, still noting he did not have the full roster to work with for two-thirds of the season, but considering how dysfunctional the front office has been, it wasn’t surprising to see him and management part ways.