Warriors associate head coach Luke Walton is now the newest LA Lakers head coach. (Photo : Getty Images/Ezra Shaw)
The LA Lakers now have a chance to pursue their top coaching prospect but a stern objection.
According to Steve Kerr, speaking to ESPN, the Lakers have been given the go-signal to interview assistant coach Luke Walton once the first round series with Houston is over (it ended Wednesday night).
"We told Mitch that he's perfectly welcome to talk to Luke as soon as the series is over and we have a little break," Kerr said referring to LA Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.
Walton is not, by any means, the only option for the Lakers. They have also secured permission to talk with their former consultant, Ettore Messina who is now with the Spurs.
However, there is no doubt that Walton is the candidate that fans are yearning for because of his interim work with the Warriors, not to mention he is more recognized as a player of the Lakers.
It seems that the Walton hire could be imminent but it's not without obstacles. Luke's father, Bill Walton, a former NBA star who spent his last playing years with the Boston Celtics, is not sold on the idea. He was interviewed by KTVK-TV, a Phoenix, Arizona based television station and his comments where transcribed by Lake Show Life.
"Stay where he is," Walton said. "Head coaching jobs are open for a reason... What he has right now, it doesn't get any better than that. Money cannot buy what they have on the Warriors right now."
He continued: "I've been on some of the most special teams in the history of basketball - UCLA, Portland and the Celtics. I've seen the other end of the spectrum too and so I know. It's so fragile, it's so tenuous."
His conclusion: "It's like with any young person chasing their dream, in the world of entrepreneurship and startups and everything, don't change jobs for money. . . Leave a job because it's a bad job."
The Lakers coaching job is recognized as one of the more glamorous positions in the league but the scrutiny may be excruciating, especially since the Lakers have just experienced the worst three-year stretch of their franchise.
If Laker fans expect that Walton can give them a 39-4 record, that would be delusional. Walton coached the defending champions who remained intact with Steve Kerr's system firmly in place. Some may argue that Walton had the better record than even Kerr himself had (34-5) but Kerr coached the second half of the season which had more difficult games than Walton did.
Bill Walton is simply looking out for his son's welfare and it may not be anything personal against the Lakers. Luke has not had any previous coaching experience except this stint with the Warriors. That should be a consideration even though he has the best interim record the league has ever seen.
