Gentry isn't a bad coach. Led Phoenix to the West Finals and they were an Ron tip from possibly beating us when we were at our peak. The Pelicans roster was utter trash especially with AD missing so much time. They have like four maybe five legit NBA players on the roster. I'd hardly blame it on Alvin. Even so that's one example and I don't get the logic to pass on Luke just because he had the fortune of a great team. By that logic we should've never hired Phil Jackson. I mean hell you could argue with your logic we shouldn't go after Messina because he's employed the Spurs and they just make assistants look good.
That was Ryan West, wasn't it?? I was just making an assumption today that they probably like each other a lot.
Looks like we're going to give Blatt a look....I just don't want anybody with baggage. I know he's probably a good coach but I hate getting LeBron's sloppy seconds...and as much as I hate the douche....you have to beware of coaches that have coached LeBron because I think LeBron is the main reason those teams would win as many games as they did.....not the coach. I like that we're giving these types of coaches a look and not the typical retreads that we have in the past....shows a shift in our direction.
it honestly wouldn't shock me if luke stayed due to kerr's health issues. he could very well step down after this season and why would luke pass up the chance to coach that warriors team? at this point i'm hoping for messina
I think folks have gone gaga for Walton despite very little track record. there are a bunch of assistants out there who have shown more over time. this doesn't mean Walton won't one day be a great coach, or that he wouldn't be a good hire...I just think people are blowing him up a bit. people don't like blatt, but he's got a solid track record--including his time at Cleveland, quite frankly. you don't want LeBron's sloppy seconds? I suppose that's one way to look at it. you could also be part of the narrative that exposes LeBron as a petty despot, should blatt do a good job for the lakers. anyway, Walton, messina, blatt...all solid choices, imo. I wanted something maybe a bit further under the radar, but I suppose simply not hiring red auerbach's daughter or having one of the busses hire themselves would be a step in the right direction.
Blatt's major problem: he won't be a recruiter. LeBron tanked his reputation among NBA players... I'd like Blatt as an assistant, but I think he's a good fit in NY for Head Coach.
abeer3 I could again, albeit more briefly than I have been ..... tick off 10-12 reasons that Luke would be a great choice right here, right now, potential for next 20 years, for the Lakers and as importantly why he would have star recruiter potential ...... because he has IT and star coach potential in addition to his smarts and Xs and Os. Whole 36 years of his life spent around NBA basketball greatness. Earmarked by coaches and players alike as someone who was going to be a coach someday. I think "there are a bunch of assistants out there who have shown more over time", if they were compared point by point against 36 year old Luke Walton, a Lakers insider, for coaching and relating to our young players with star recruiter potential ...... likely all come up short in the comparisons. Who are any of these guys? The Lakers are not looking for under the radar, you have to know that. Just asking in a friendly way here.
What I like about Luke and Ollie is that they're both rookie coaches without the ego or fear of job security that Scott had, which will allow us to field some legitimate assistants. Both have weaknesses they'll need covered while they grow as head coaches in this league. Ollie needs help offensively and I'd bet the farm Luke will need help implementing a defensive scheme (you teach what you know and Luke was never known for his D). Also by going with either of them, the FO retains the most power. A veteran coach will demand a piece of the pie or some degree of roster control. While a rookie coach might still get his voice heard, they haven't yet earned the right to have complete control and they don't yet have weight to throw around. Not saying that's a good thing given how f***ed up our FO is right now, just pointing out a plus from their perspective.
Track record is overrated. What was Riley's track record before stepping away from the microphone? Phil's track record before the Bulls was D-League. Man can either coach or he can't. Jerry West, Phil, and Kerr all believe that Luke has "IT". Good enough for me. You know he's going to blow Byron's doors off. But yeah, I'm all for spending $$$ to line up a couple of top level assistants.
Man that is so true. That image above of Clipper Fan showing his true colors, with mostly empty seats behind Clippers' bench for Game 5 against Portland. They already quit. Bunch of front runners. That's how much LA fans "love" the Clippers. The booing at Dodger Stadium is always hysterical. :Headbang:
I don't think Luke turns us down if we offer him the job outright. I just can't see him saying no. But if he does it means he either doesn't think he's ready or he feels like he owes GS to stick around, and either one of those reasons I can respect. My gut is that Luke will say yes. What do you guys think about bringing in Michael Cooper to coach some D?
Luke's a surfer dude Deadhead growing up in LA. He has a home in M a n h a t t a n B e a c h. Luke's going to put 2 and 2 together I hope.
Coop has a pretty long coaching history already. He coached the WNBA Sparks to back-to-back Championships in 2001 and 2002 (almost got another one in 2003). He was an assistant coach to the Nuggets and even the interim head coach for a month until Karl showed up (4-10 record). Then he went to the D-League and coached the Albuquerque Thunderbirds to a title. Since 2009 or so he's bounced around from the Sparks to USC and now he's in Atlanta with their WNBA affiliate. I'm not sure what kind of relationship he has with Luke or if he'd want to be an assistant over here, but he's got a decent resume.
I definitely get that because of Boron, but do you really dislike Worthy working with Randle? I think he helped his game a bit this offseason, especially using his quickness with that first step - Worthy's calling card. Later he went away from it a bit, probably because he was told to focus more on the team game and he got less of those iso opportunities. But still, I think Worthy did a good job with Randle. And Worthy's as Showtime as it comes. Coop did a nice job as HC of the Sparks IIRC, and his book "No Slack" is still the best thing I've ever read about individual defensive principles - something that guys like Clarkson and Randle could really use more of!
And I think Luke will surround himself with good to borderline great assistants, somewhat like what Kerr did. Unlike what BS did with a bunch of no names.
That was probably the first really awful sign of what was to come... The names he chose were almost as uninspiring as he is.