Notwithstanding the impression it created, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss鈥 refusal to reply to a public query on the fate of head coach Luke Walton was more a good reflection of her trust in president Magic Johnson than anything else. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to give you the answer to that question,鈥 she said while guesting on the Sports Business Radio Road Show yesterday. Lest her noncommittal remark be construed as a vote of no confidence, however, she took pains to praise the embattled bench tactician for doing his best through a spate of injuries that included a long absence by the lone All-Star LeBron James.
鈥淚 think [Walton] has done a terrific job,鈥 Buss said. 鈥淚 think he is a hard worker, and he is somebody that players gravitate towards, and he鈥檚, I think, done an incredible job under a lot of challenging circumstances.鈥 And she鈥檚 right. Prior to James being sidelined during a Christmas Day match that resulted in a victory against the powerhouse Warriors, the Lakers were fourth in the West and seemingly en route to breaking their embarrassing record of five straight seasons out of the playoffs. When he came back, they were already on the outside looking in and slated to embark on a finishing schedule deemed among the hardest in the league.
Parenthetically, Buss noted that 鈥渋n terms of basketball decisions, I will always defer to Magic. He鈥檚 brought a vision of the kind of team we鈥檙e going to build and a vision of what Lakers basketball is going to be. And I think you can see that. But we鈥檙e still building that roster that will get us there.鈥 Ironically, the goal of improving the talent base may well have been a contributing factor to the malaise that engulfed the purple and gold heading into the trade deadline. In a bid to acquire perennial Most Valuable Player candidate Anthony Davis, Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka made available to the Pelicans just about every player not named James, leading to bruised egos when the sought-after deal fell through.
Given Buss鈥 pronouncements, one thing鈥檚 clear: Walton moving forward or moving on will depend on Johnson. And it bears pointing out that he鈥檚 a hire of the previous dispensation. Interestingly, his retention has been pegged as having roughly the same odds as the appointment of former Cavaliers mentor Tyronn Lue. In the end, though, the Lakers鈥 progress will depend more on the personnel they have. As Buss disclosed, they have 鈥渆verything plotted out … This will be an important offseason for us in regards to that plan.鈥 Indeed.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994.
