Lakers Got Their Coach....LUUUUUUUKE!!!

[Lakers4Life]

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[Lakers4Life]

Earlier today, the Los Angeles Lakers and Luke Walton reached an agreement on a multi-year contract for Walton to become the next Head Coach of the team, it was announced by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Walton will begin his new duties at the conclusion of the Golden State Warriors season.

"We're excited to bring Luke back to Los Angeles, where we feel he's going to start an outstanding coaching career," said Kupchak. "He's one of the brightest young coaching minds in the game and we feel fortunate that he'll be leading the on-court future of our team."

Walton, 36, will be the 26th head coach in franchise history, and the 22nd in the Los Angeles era.

Walton is currently in his second season as an Assistant Coach with the Warriors. Earlier this season, he posted a 39-4 record as interim head coach in Steve Kerr's absence, including a 24-0 start, the best start in NBA history.

Walton enjoyed a 10-year NBA playing career (2003-13), averaging 4.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 564 regular season games with the Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Originally selected with the 32nd overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, he was a member of championship teams with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010.

After his playing career, Walton served as a player development coach for the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the 2013-14 season. He also served as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis during the 2011 NBA lockout.

[KobeMVP888]

Very smart statement, but then again, Luke Walton is VERY SMART. I am VERY PROUD to be a fellow Arizona Wildcat and I am even more proud that I defended Luke Walton against all his haters on our previous blogs when he was a rotation player in Phil Jackson's back-to-back championship teams. I always felt he was an important contributor. Maybe Fish and MWP will be members of his staff. I also hope that we get some fucking PLAYERS!

Good luck, Luke! I'm glad you ignored your father's advice and had the balls to take the job. I look forward to your post game pressers!

[Lakers4Life]

"......I hate the Lakers and just can't find it in me to hate on the Luke Walton hiring. It's the first smart Lakers move in like 4 years."

-Bill Simmons



Even this guy likes the hire

[KobeMVP888]

[KobeMVP888]

"......I hate the Lakers and just can't find it in me to hate on the Luke Walton hiring. It's the first smart Lakers move in like 4 years."

-Bill Simmons

Even this guy likes the hire

How old is this baby? Yeah, I "hate" the Celtics, too, but he's a fucking journalist. Maybe it's the "first smart move in like 4 years"because their hands were tied. Maybe if they had made more "smart moves" we'd have still been mediocre and saddled with payroll for average players. Fuck him. In the end, maybe Mitch Kupchak's long term patience will pay off.

[3Peatkb24]

I love the hiring!

[KobeMVP888]

Ding:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2636 ... les-lakers

[3Peatkb24]

He reminds me of Brad Stevens, we will be in the Playoffs next season.

[3Peatkb24]

I had him 1B, I loved Ollie but love Luke as well. Our FO did Great on this IMO

[3Peatkb24]

BIG BAD LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE!

[Julius Russell]

Makes me think we go full in youth movement despite 'deadline'
We go in draft Lottery assuming nothing positive.

To me, this move in a vacuum is good but I am so curious who we add.

[KobeMVP888]

Let's put this in a fresh perspective that flatters MItch and Jim. We live in an immediate gratification society, so if something doesn't happen RIGHT NOW, it's deemed a failure. The more I ponder this move, which is useless without adding players, of course, the more I applaud Mitch and Jim's LONG TERM patience. In terms of the perspective I referred to, we can all agree that the Lakers are all about championships, not mediocrity, so it's just as bad to finish in the middle of the pack like we did in the 90's as it is to be a bottom feeder. In the 90's it took 9 seasons of Mike Dunleavy, Randy Pfund (remember him?) and Del Harris (with other interims sprinkled in) before the arrival of a certain Philip Douglas Jackson. This time we went through 3 head coaches in only 6 seasons before hopefully arriving at the right one (who the fuck really knows though).

Let's also remember the shit roster Phil Jackson inherited in 2005 in his second stint with us, a roster that included a freshly overpaid starting small forward in Luke Walton, with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown rounding out the starting 5. Lamar was our power forward and #2 option, but we did have Kobe in his prime. While Luke inherits a vastly different shitty roster, supposedly he loves our young players, which is encouraging to me.

Anyway, our last chip before Phil guided us to the Promised Land in 2000 was in 1988. If Luke matches that dry spell, we're looking at 2022 for our next one. I can live with that, but I am hopeful that it will come sooner.

L-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-k-e!!!!

[Julius Russell]

Sooner is not likely.


But it's the journey

[KobeMVP888]

Here's the best article I've read about Luke's hire yet.

Ramona Shelburne:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15433 ... nal-lakers

Plaschke was OK today, too, but not post-worthy IM(notso)HO.

And this is pretty cool, too.