Report Card/Exit Interview: Luke Walton
Report card: The end of Walton's season garnered most of its headlines for news that he wasn't dating Britney Spears- Luke's got a steady lady, but it's nice knowing if things go bad, a post-rehab, head-shaved wacko on a public rebound from this guy remains an option- but the early ink was all about his improved play. Phil Jackson expected to use Billy Boy's to spell Vlad Radmanovic, but Cat Stevens' training camp began on a lousy note and he never picked up his game. In the meantime, Luke bumped his stats in just about every major category and his November was ridiculous from behind the arc. And when Lamar Odom went down, he did a solid job picking up some slack. The additional heavy lifting caused by Kwame Brown's simultaneous absence eventually took its toll on Walton, who began struggling before suffering his own ankle injury. Upon returning, his now-slower step (combined with a bad finger) conspired to crap up his playoff series. He remains a defensive liability and is likely better served coming off the bench. But there's no arguing his value as a role player (considering how the team struggled almost immediately after he began watching games in civvies), especially in a system like Phil Jackson's, which caters to his strengths. I think Luke is smart enough to realize that he wouldn't thrive on certain teams and all indications seem to point towards him resigning with the Lakers. Assuming the dough's not outrageous, good news for both parties. And good news for Britney, who could use a local source of inspiration during this difficult time. Final Grade: B-
-AK
Luke Walton's exit interview is located below the jump.
The interview began with everyone giving Walton a little crap when he entered the room carrying a bunch of envelopes and papers, plus two home jerseys.
Luke Walton: (Laughs) They gave me my mail. They said, "Get out! We don't want to see you again!"
Q: You only have a yellow jersey? What about a purple one?
LW: No, they kicked me out before I could get my hands on one. (Laughs)
Q: How did your meeting go?
LW: It was alright. We just kind of talked about how disappointed we all were at how the season ended. And not just in the playoffs, but just the way we were playing for those last couple weeks and into the playoffs.
Q: Were the playoffs a disappointment for you personally, considering you were heading into a contract year?
LW: Yeah, but not on that level. They were a disappointment to me because it's what we play the whole year for. It's the best time of the year and to be playing at a level, I didn't think we were playing nearly as well as we could have or should have been playing. That's frustrating as a player, when you play this long together with the same team and you can never really get that chemistry going that you need to win. It's why I was mainly disappointed.
Q: Do you want to come back here next year or do you plan to look at all your options?
LW: I definitely gotta look at all my options. Like I said before, in a perfect world, I'll be back here in L.A. You're only a free agent once or twice in your career, so I definitely have to go out there and see what else is available.
AK: The struggles you had throughout the series against Phoenix, how much of that do you put on health and how much do you just say, "I may have had a few bad games, period?"
LW: It's tough to say how much it is, because you tell yourself you're fine and you mentally get ready for each game, but obviously, when your body won't let you do things that your mind is telling you to do, things that you think you should be able to do, it makes it frustrating. And when you play a good team like Phoenix, where they just run and run and run, it's tough to not be able to compete at the level that you prepare yourself to play at.
AK: I don't know if you heard, but after the Game 5 loss, Kobe singled you and Lamar Odom out and appreciated how you both played through these injuries. How does it feel to hear that?
LW: Kob told me the same thing after the game yesterday. I didn't know he had said that publicly, but you know, it's bittersweet. It's nice to hear, but it still doesn't help that I feel pretty crappy about the we ended this year.
Q: What about L.A. appeals to you?
LW: Everything. I grew up in San Diego, right down the street. I love the Laker franchise. It's the best from top to bottom. From what I've heard from other guys around the league, guys on my team that have played other places, it's the best run franchise around. I love the people out here. I love my teammates and the coaching staff. There's not really too many negative about L.A.
Q: Maybe the smog? The traffic?
LW: Traffic? I live in Manhattan Beach. We practice in El Segundo. (Laughs)
Q: When you say you're looking at your options, are you talking about dollars. Situation? What are you looking for?
LW: Everything. It's not just money. It's not just the number of years I can sign for. It's gotta be a good situation for me. A team that plays the right way. A team that wants to win a championship. It can't just about money, otherwise the rest of your life might suck. A whole package type of thing.
Q: As somebody who's been here for a while, do you feel like this team is further along than when you first got here?
LW: Well, it's tough, because when I first got here, they had Shaq and they just got done winning championships. Then we hit rock bottom, everyone left and we lost 19 out of 22 games. Now I definitely feel like we're going in the right direction again. I don't think we advanced as much as we'd like to this year. I think last year at the end of the year, we really had a lot to build on. And early in the year, it looked like we had built. We had gotten better as a team and we were going to start competing for championships again and then we kind of got hit by the injury bug and it was all downhill from there. We're definitely in the right direction, but it would be nice if we made some bigger strides this year.
AK: Having played with Kobe for a while, how hard is it to see him voice frustrations?
LW: The thing with Kob, which makes him such a great player, he's the best competitor in the league. He won't lose. He hates losing. It is frustrating. It's frustrating for me. It's frustrating for all the guys, but Kob won those championships, so it's gotta be that much harder for him and it's just one of those things where you know he's pissed off a lot of those times when he's talking. He knows that everyone's giving it his all. I don't think he's trying to be negative towards us. He's just frustrated with losing.
Q: How far away from being a contender do you think this team is? Phil mentioned being one player away.
LW: Yeah, I don't think we're far away at all. I think, with the team we have right now, if we were playing basketball the right way, the way it's supposed to be played, we'd be able to compete with all these teams a lot better. As far being an NBA champion, we might just be one player away. It might be all we need, but basketball is funny. On paper, you can have a great team and you're not any good. Unless you actually get the guys together and they're willing to play on the same page, willing to do it all for each other, that's the only to ever really know if you're able to win a championship or not.
Q: How's your ankle right now?
LW: My ankle's fine. I've had plenty of ankle injuries before. It's just tough in the NBA. You play so many games that you don't ever get a chance to get it back to full strength.
Q: But no surgery?
LW: No. I'll just take a couple weeks off. Get it strong this summer. A little beach volleyball will strengthen it up. (Laughs)
AK: In terms of your game, what specifically are you looking to improve?
Q: Everything. I think what I bring to the table is that I'm an all-around basketball player and in the summertime, obviously, I focus on my shooting the most, when I'm doing my workouts. I run 2-3 miles a day and try to do everything I can to be a better player. It's not just one thing I go into the off-season and try to be better at.
Q: Did you get a sense in your meeting about whether the team would like to have you back?
LW: Yeah. Definitely. Besides them giving me my jersey and my mail and kicking me out, it was an alright feeling. I'm pretty sure they like me around here. They know I'm a team guy that wants to win. There's never any reason to get rid of guys like that, so I don't see any reason why they wouldn't want me back.
Q: Will you bring any offers you get back to the Lakers?
LW: Yeah. Definitely.
Q: Do you plan on being active in the process or are you going to let your agent handle most of it?
LW: Yeah, I'm definitely going to be involved with it. This is where I'm going to spend the couple years of my life, so I'm not gonna let him go out and try to (just) get money, so he can get a bigger cut if it's some town I don't wanna be in. (Laughs) It's definitely a thing I'm going to be very involved in.
Q: What type of situation are you looking for? In terms of where you'd fit best?
LW: I guess they told me I'm not supposed to talk about any (specific) teams. But just teams that are competing for championships. Teams that have good coaches. I like motion offenses, as opposed to isolation. Just different little things like that will be the teams I'll have my agent go out and try to get a hold of.
Luke Walton is a pure 6th man, not a starter. He just doesn't have the physicality to play small forward in the NBA. However, with his passing, his ability to work inside for the 5ft turn-around, and especially for his knowledge of the triangle, he'd be a perfect 6th man.
Posted by: troy | May 08, 2007 at 03:39 PM
AK,
"Q: When you say you're looking at your options, are you talking about dollars. Situation? What are you looking for?
LW: Everything. It's not just money."
His answer is obviously in code. I can't believe you didn't follow that up with a tough question about Britney. Something like "Are you going to mount Baldy this offseason?"
Posted by: exhelodrvr | May 08, 2007 at 03:51 PM
Luke is my dude a B+ this season. He came out with fire, lead the league early with the 3-ball and you could see the improvement in his game. Hopefully, he won't get a Derek Fisher offer (huge numbers) that's just too good to pass up. I'd hate to see him on another team. I think Luke and Farmar have more to offer due to their college programs. Bynum and Kwame have some faults that are directly connected to not playing any college b-ball. A high school coach isn't preparing guys for the NBA they are trying to keep a school district coaching job, my H.S. coach was also the history teacher. Go figure?
Posted by: lakerfaze | May 08, 2007 at 03:56 PM
Exit Interview Outtakes
Luke Walton
G1: Hey, Luke... I am your father.
LW: [laughing] Real original, dude.
G1: No, seriously. You can't tell?
LW: [puzzled] What are you talking about?
G1: I'm Bill... you know, "Pops." The best passing big man to never play more than two seasons in the NBA?
LW: ...
G1: I know I look different, but... well, you seen that Doctor Who show?
LW: Uh, not really.
G1: Well, the Doctor keeps coming back with different faces whenever he dies, and you know, it's one of those things.
LW: What?
G1: I'll prove it. I bet you noticed that there are 52 members of the press in here, well, today marks the 52nd anniversary of the day that James Dean refilmed the cult movie "Oxycontin Drama Queens," which, by the way, made $5.1 thousand dollars in its debut weekend.
LW: Well, that sounds like something he'd say, but..
G1: [interrupting] I counted eleven BMWs on my way through the parking lot, which coincidentally is the number of stripes on the Himalayan Mountain Climbing Club's flag. Recently they were sponsored by the Manchu Monk Snowshoe Co., but there's been some drama over there after the Club Chairman told the Shoe company's President "Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-galunga."
LW: This is getting really weird.
G1: Luke, you're an awful basketball player. Stop dating Brittney Spears.
LW: Whaaa??? DAAAADDD???!?! IT'S YOU!!!
G1: Kidding. Had you going there, didn't I?
LW: I hate you.
Posted by: generic_one | May 08, 2007 at 03:56 PM
exhelodrvr
Mt. baldy~ fkn classic! Line of the week!
Posted by: lakerfaze | May 08, 2007 at 03:59 PM
Report Card/Exit Meeting:KL "Beast"
Angry_Laker: How did your meeting go?
KL "Beast": It was pretty good. Pretty good. The guys at the sanatorium said I would be free to go in couple of weeks. Until then, I could still use the internet!!!
Angry_Laker: Did they give you things to work on?
KL "Beast": Yeah, they told me to keep working on my offensive posts. Get my body in great shape, because I feel like they're counting on me. I think I'm going to have to do that, put myself in the best shape possible. I think that's what's most important, to put my body in a way where I can site for 24Hrs a day by the PC in a white padded room. That's pretty much what I have to do?
Angry_Laker: How are you feeling today (one day after the loss)?
KL "Beast": Um... How am I feeling today? Let's try to put it nicely. I feel like crap pretty much. It's tough. I wanted the Suns to win to show these Lakers fan what Nash is next coming of John Stockton. So it was very disappointing that we came so close. Once again, Nash will be League MVP and playoff looser!!
Angry_Laker: In some ways, did this season feel like a rookie season for you, in terms of being part of everything from start to finish?
KL "Beast": Yes. You can say it that way. Not in my head. In my head, I was a in love with 'Steve Nash' and stuff like that. But definitely, it felt great to be a hater from start to finish.
Angry_Laker: What is the feeling like right now? Is it disappointment? Is it frustration? Is it anger?
KL "Beast":: Well, I was angry yesterday after the loss. But now, I had a nice, quiet night after my tranquilliser injection. I played with my imaginary friend and I feel better. But I think that we all care about each other. I think we all wanted to do something special. It's not like we were trying to go on vacation early. We are professional haters. We want to hate at every post. If you know us, you know we're going to try to do our best to hater at every occasion. So it was very difficult for us not to do that.
Angry_Laker: Is it your preference to stay here? And did you get that sense that you'll be here next season?
KL "Beast": My first choice is to be here at the sanatorium for the rest of my life. I don't control all that stuff. I got the sense that I would be back here next year, but who knows what's going to happen? I'm hoping to be back, so you guys know I want to be here. So know that and that's it. Hopefully, I'll be a here for life.
Angry_Laker: You just said that you're expecting changes. Is that based on conversations you've had with the doctors, or is that because of the way handled the Suns loss?
KL "Beast": No, the only reason I say that is because of what I read in the my medical report to the governors!!!
Angry_Laker: Can the Suns as is compete for a championship? If they get Nash gets a nose job and D'Antoni be more mature?
KL "Beast":To be honest, I truly think so. If you look after the Laker series, we really were in tune with each other. We really had that team arrogance!!
Angry_Laker: You mentioned the frustration you're feeling. Is there any comfort that can come from knowing that the series against the Spurs will be a short one for the Suns?
KL "Beast": No. No. To be honest with you, I know this is going to sound a mental case, but I would have rather Suns beat Lakers every year and the team never win a title!!
Angry_Laker: Do you feel like you improved this year?
KL "Beast": Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Even though my season had a lot of upper’s and downer’s, stuff like that, I always stayed ready. I always worked on my hate. I feel like right now, I can knock down the wide open Kobe!! I can go and knock his block off. And my hatred also rose to another level.
Angry_Laker: Speaking of being negative, you've always been known for having a lot of negative energy. Do think you could apply to the ‘Betty Ford Clinic’ and use it to reconcile the way things happened?
KL "Beast": I'm gonna have to. You know, I've been down that way before. .
Angry_Laker: You come out with an intensity and negative energy that nobody else can seem to match. Are you sometimes disappointed that your energy wasn't always matched by your teammates?
LA GUY, OriginalTarugo, Steven & Gunner24
KL "Beast": Disappointed?
Angry_Laker: Thank you KL "Beast":
KL "Beast": Can I return to my room now!!!
Two Men in White coats: Yes!!! As soon as we release those chains and shackles!!
Aaarrrhhhh!!
Angry_Laker
Posted by: Angry_Laker | May 08, 2007 at 04:03 PM
Not really sure what this grade is based on.
The expectation for Luke coming into this season was that he'd sub for Radmanovic off the bench. That's why Rad Man was given a long term contract at the mid-level while Luke was left to play the whole season on the last year of a low-paying contract ($1.25 mil- good for 11th highest paid player on the roster).
Instead, he made a significant leap in his play, was clearly the third best player on our team (when Lamar was out, he was forced to act as our #2 option), and played hurt for us despite the fact that he had no contractual safety net after the season.
The bottom line is that Luke's contribution this year far exceeded the investment in which the Lakers put into him. So while I would agree that Luke is a B- at best when compared to other starters at the 3 in the L if you just look at quality of play, he was an A for the Lakers (or A-/B+ if you wish to deduct points for getting hurt) as far as value is concerned.
Posted by: Sean P. | May 08, 2007 at 04:04 PM
I definitely expect to see Luke Walton back here next year, coming off the bench if we add slightly below franchise guys or starting if we land someone like KG.
Posted by: Andrew Z | May 08, 2007 at 04:09 PM
Good grief! Another Laker who's not willing to say, "I need to work on my Defense." A player with limited ability like Walton should demand much more of himself, especially after getting the chance to prove himself as a starter all season, and not living up to the demands of the position.
Walton looked like he was "phoning it in" for way too many games for other teams to be at all impressed. Sure, he has a high Basketball IQ, but he could have done much more this season to help the team.
B- is a very generous grade for a season when Walton's performance was pretty mediocre. If VladRad had ever come out of his coma, Walton would have been coming off the bench. As it was, the bench played many more minutes at his position than they might otherwise do for a starter, and at times it was hard to understand how Walton got the minutes he did play.
I'd be very surprised if Walton or his agent have many if any other offers to consider. Let's just hope the Lakers don't overpay him to return.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | May 08, 2007 at 04:10 PM
generic-one,
Dude, love the "interviews". Can't WAIT to hear Kwame's.
Posted by: Andrew Z | May 08, 2007 at 04:12 PM
So Many EXcuses. Cupcake could have draft Howard or Boozer or Barbosa or Monte Ellis but nooooo, after all 23 other GMs passes and so must he. Trade Shaq, yes but why not try to get an expiring contract? Why not invovle a third team if the Miami deal was so bad? Cupcake gave Mckie $5M TO SIT ON THE BENCH! guess how much Matt Barnes is earning this year? $750K! Cupcake signed that snowboarding demon "Vlade the impaler" to a 5 year $30M contract and then turned around and gave Cookie Monster $10m WHY? their games are exactly alike. CUPCAKE has made one decent trade in 7 years and that trade brought us Evans. Trust me, this is beyond even bad luck, eventually you would think he would stumble on something by accident. Cupcake can't be trusted or expected, to trade for or draft or sign decent players, even Isiah Thomas drafts very good players every year.
Posted by: THE TROLL | May 08, 2007 at 04:13 PM
Hey! We now live and work in Costa Rica. You guys and the Times are our best contact with the Lakers. Please keep on going. You gotta like Luke, you gotta!
John
Posted by: John | May 08, 2007 at 04:20 PM
ex, nice, he's going to mount baldy...haha
generic1 keep it up.
We got a funny thread goin
Posted by: greek dude | May 08, 2007 at 04:24 PM
Just remember, when indulging in all this trade talk...
GMs will be interested in the guys who show desire and heart. It is going to be Lamar, Luke, Rony, and Farmar who will be the first people inquired about. This is the part of the team that will be keys as to whether the trade goes through or not. By not putting Bynum on the table (I agreed with this decision) we lost out in the Kidd discussions. If you want to keep these key, desirable building blocks, then there may not be any room for any trades.
Think what will be left after the trade when you demand we get 'xxxx'. We are not going to be able to keep the heart of the team if we want an 'all-star'. If we have two all-stars and no other heart on this team I don't think we will be very good.
Posted by: Craig W. | May 08, 2007 at 04:31 PM
Nuggets coach, George Karl made a very good comment about Luke:
"Luke Walton is the glue holding the Lakers together"
I hate to say it and I hate to see it happen but Luke Walton played his last game with Lakers; He is 27 and not getting any younger, it's harvest time for Luke. He says has been playing for passion of basketball and likes Lakers and all that stuff, but never ever underestimate the power of that green paper called MONEY.
Unless Luke Walton is ready to take a pay cut, Lakers will not be able to afford him considering their "Hostage Situation" in Minnesota.
Posted by: Cyrus | May 08, 2007 at 04:59 PM
We're stuck with this team, basically, for the next two years give or take a few players. My suggestion is move Phil into the front office and try to get J Van Gundy to coach. Phil's already said that he's too physically beat up to coach much more and that players took advantage of him around that fact. And Van Gundy is a player's coach. Phil is going to have to move on anyway. Let's look to the future. And all this talk about getting KG is fantasy. I'd give it a 1% chance because nothing is impossible, but that's about it. It just ain't gonna happen.
Posted by: juststartover | May 08, 2007 at 05:02 PM
Juststartover is right!
The Van Gundys are very successful coaches. They will win many championships.
Posted by: Jeff & Stan | May 08, 2007 at 05:24 PM
Two reasons why Luke Walton will be gone this summer:
1. Luke is a good player that Laker got on shooting forward. However there are many shooting forward better than him than could really help the Lakers. As said earlier, he will be known as a passing forward or a glue forward, Should the lakers give him $ 5M, remember the last game he made 2 pts, gargantuan t/o's and being fouled out.
(Kurt Rambis and Brian Shaw were bench players during their time, did you ever remember them making only 2 pts on the last game of the season when the Lakers was in dire need offense or regular contributor? Basically, this is also the reason why PJ played
Smush as a starte, he was looking for the player will regularly contribute on "CONSISTENT" basis.)
2. The second one is THE main reason why he will not be a Laker? The teams that will trade their Superstars of above averaged stars with the Lakers will ask for the young players with trade values and potentials, like: Bynum, Farmar and Luke. (The organization should not have trashed Smush Parker cuz' we could have used him as part of the package in as much as we're over the cap.)
I don't know if somebody has posted this, it was announced by Steve Hartman that Joe McDonald's program at K570 7:00pm there is SCOOP!!! Hint: a SHAKE UP AT THE LAKER FRONT OFFICE.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | May 08, 2007 at 05:31 PM
Hey John in COSTA RICA,
I envy you guys. I lived in CR for a few month, it's beautiful there.
Can you get games in live broadcast in CR?
Cyrus
Posted by: Cyrus | May 08, 2007 at 05:37 PM
Report Card/Exit Meeting:The Gunner aka Ball Hog (KOBE BRYANT)
GRADE: WHATEVER. HE DOES HIS OWN THING.
Q: How did you feel about this year?
A: It was a little hard but I manage to win another scoring title. Just what we needed.
Q: When you starting ranting after Game 5 of the Suns Series, what brought on?
A: Well alot of frustration....I mean, you bring the right players in here and I definitely can beat Wilt Chamberlain's record.
Q: When you said "Do something. And do something now!", what that because of the lack of help you have?
A: Not at all. I'm just trying to get management to understand if you bring in the 4 more point guards who can get the ball up the court to me and only me, hey it does not matter if I have to go 1 on 5, i'm going to get mine! It's hard when other players are taking the shots away from me so, adding a few more point guards will secure my scoring titles until I retire.
Q: Lamar Odom had a great game 5 with 33 points. How do you feel about his performance?
A: I actually was not paying attention. All i knew was that i was seeing the ball less and less down the stretch. I really feel if he's not going to run the triangle they way it should be ran through me, maybe we should looking at trading him.
Q: Kobe, what about the people who said you shot the team out of game 1 and game 5?
A: I'm the leader of this team. That's one thing Shaq never understood and we had to do something about him. I dictate if we win or lose. You tell me who in the league is getting more shots than me. Not one person. If you want to win a scoring title you have to demand the ball at all times. Win, lose, or draw it's what you see in the box score that counts!
Q: Kobe, is the triangle isolete?
A: Not at all. I can understand why some critics feel that way but as long as the ball is going through my hands it's going to run smoothly. The triangle does become stagnant when i'm not getting enough picks or I'm having to ask for the ball 2 and 3 times down the court.
Q: What about those fans who believe in your style? Are you sending them the right message?
A: Basketball is not a team sport. You have to get yours at all cause. Magic, Stockton, Nash...I mean did those guys truly understand anything about how you make your team better? The franchise is better when you're selling tickets and people come to see me put on a And 1 show. I've been lucky to have a supporting casts in the past who could mask my deficiencies on defense. Thanks Horry, Fox, and Fisher. But it allow me to be consider a 1st team defender even if my only concern is offense.
Q. Speaking of And 1 players. Does that style fit the NBA game?
A: Oh most definitely. That's the way this game should be played at all time.
Q: I heard you've embrace some of the fellow bloggers who worship your name this year?
A: ROLL CALL: KIWI, MAMBA24, FAN OF THE MAMBA, TIM-4-SHOW, FAITH. THAT'S JUST SOME OF THEM. I LET THEM COME OVER TO MY HOME AND WE DUEL IT OUT ON THE PLAYSTATION 3. AND YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET....I EVEN LET THEM BE ME ON NBA 2K7. THEY ARE ALL MY APOLOGISTS.
Q: Why do you think Phil decided to come back out of retirement?
A: Because I make his triangle work. He knows it. Shaq knows it.
Q: Even one still talks about Shaq and how you put him under the bust. Any comments on why you did that?
A: Man....you know....I aint going to go down without taken someone else down with me.
Q: The number 24. Why?
A: Average 24 shots a game. shooting percentage 24%. Only one shot clock and the 24 seconds need to be about me. 24 months before I opt out of my contract and move on to take over another team. Nothing can stop me!
Q: Well the last question...Congratulations on the new website. HelpKobe.com
A: Thank you. Me and some of my apologist worked out this strategy over the past 12 months on ways, i can get some of the non shooting guards, forwards, and centers to at least come over to LA and embrace my spotlight.
Q: Oh, i did have one more question...Any predictions next year?
A: One more scoring title. Nothing more or nothing less. that's all i'm asking for. And tune in to HelpKobe.com where I'm going to be updating all my Apologistic fans on how you can improving your scoring and play like a ball hog.
THANK YOU KOBE. AND YOU HEARD IT FIRST HERE. KOBE HAS GUARANTEED ANOTHER SCORING TITLE NEXT YEAR.
Posted by: gunner24 | May 08, 2007 at 05:49 PM
I just really wonder how much a guy like Walton can fetch on the open market...hes a big risk in the sense hes really only had one decent season,has played in the triangle,and is injury prone...I just dont know if he really does any one thing well enough for anyone to go too overboard...but who knows?
Posted by: Kiwi | May 08, 2007 at 05:55 PM
Just listened to Kupchak on 570. He sounded liek the typical front office goon. "We're all upset about the results this year," "Could've been a 50 win team..." Whatever dood. Give us something we can believe. He sounds like all the rest of 'em. Nothing is going to happen and we are all gonna hear the same story next season guys. Sorry.
Live from the pit pf despair
LkrFan
Posted by: PhxLkrFan | May 08, 2007 at 05:55 PM
Edwin Gueco,
I haven't seen anything posted regarding that SCOOP to be announced at K570 (hopefully Kupchack is out and West is in) .
Please post details if you have any. Thanks
Cyrus
Posted by: Cyrus | May 08, 2007 at 05:59 PM
Fatty,
Add that in your list, John is from Costa Rica and RicPic from Uruguay. Hey guys, do you have any players out there that can help the Lakers? Are there anymore there outside of USA? Please sound off to be included in Mamba 24 roll call.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | May 08, 2007 at 06:03 PM
Ok, I've missed a couple of days so I might be out of the loop, but I just wanted to throw a couple names out there and see what you guys think.
Mikki Moore:
Tough defender, good outside jumper, and good shot blocker. Can prolly get him for half the mid-level, depending on what Jersey offers him.
Antonio Daniels:
Has shown he can be an assist machine, has a good mid-range jumpshot, is a big guard and is a decent defender. We've made trades with Washington before so they might be willing to make something happen.
Jermaine O'Neal:
Don't have to say what he brings to the table, but I do want to hear what you guys think about the rumors about him going to the Knicks? I personally don't think it's gonna happen, but does this put more of a sense of urgency into the front office, or do you guys think they don't care cuz Garnett is our #1 choice? I honestly think our best chance of getting better, and keeping LO is to try to swing a deal to get O'Neal since I think they'll be looking for draft picks, and cap space.
Thoughts?
Posted by: Weave-Man | May 08, 2007 at 06:11 PM
". . there is SCOOP!!! Hint: a SHAKE UP AT THE LAKER FRONT OFFICE."
Please Please, tell me they fired JIM Buss.
Posted by: p ang | May 08, 2007 at 06:13 PM
Mitch didn't mention anything about any shake up on his interview 20 minutes ago.
I hope Luke stays a Laker. He has to stay in LA, otherwise how's his acting career going to develop?
Posted by: ajax | May 08, 2007 at 06:24 PM
Gunner24 we know what type of student you were at school::
I bet you were guy who always asked if you if he could borrow your essay or copied the +A grade students homework!!
Man, try and come out with an original thought for once in your life!!!
I know plagiarism, sequels and covers are greatest form of flattery to original pieces of work. I guess!!!!
But come on, I can't say I surprised that Hater has not got an original thought.
As I have always said, 'You can tell a Hater!!!, but you can't tell him much'
Aaarrrhhhh!!
Angry_Laker
Posted by: Angry_Laker | May 08, 2007 at 06:29 PM
I hear you ajax. He said it's coming at 7 so we'll see.
Posted by: PhxLkrFan | May 08, 2007 at 06:32 PM
Edwin Gueco,
Two reasons why Luke will be a Laker next season
1. As you said yourself, he is a glue to this team, KB24 likes his game and he makes all those guys a lot better. Luke brings some intangibles to the Lakers. He also has the experience in the triangle offense. Every team has a luke walton on their team.
2. He is a very good passer, good IQ and a very intelligent player. However, I believe he will come off the bench next season.Why would the lakers not want to resign a good guy like this?
The beauty of having a non flashy guy on a team are the intangibles, they also bring to a team, 1. Comrade relationship 2. Good leadership 3.Well disciplined and well coached personality. The ability to get a nice genuine person on your team is priceless.
Luke will be a laker next season, but will come off the bench.I believe he should be limited to 25-30 minutes of playing time.
Posted by: A A LOS | May 08, 2007 at 06:39 PM
Generic_one-
You win 100 Internets for the Doctor Who reference.
I almost died laughing.
Posted by: Jeff | May 08, 2007 at 06:44 PM
Something BETTER happen. Otherwise we BOYCOTT this team. We are loyal fans, and we WON"T BE DISRESPECTED BY A BUNCH OF SUITS. Anybody with me?
Posted by: juststartover | May 08, 2007 at 06:58 PM
Attention all Kobe Haters & Shaq apologists:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Shaq-to-Mavs-;_ylt=AsTlsu3GeJOYWc0DhKtP5F28vLYF?urn=nba,31476
After that, we'll hear The Big Playoff Whore b*tch about how greedy and selfish D-Wade was during this year's playoffs.
Posted by: utzworld | May 08, 2007 at 07:00 PM
What time is the anouncement on 570?
They just said its not about Jerry West... :(
Posted by: tim | May 08, 2007 at 07:00 PM
Jim Buss is movin' on up. Good thing? McDonald likes it. I don't know. We'll see. Can Jim Buss be as good an owner as his dad?
Posted by: PhxLkrFan | May 08, 2007 at 07:13 PM
THE TROLL:
You can't even cite Matt Barnes.. he's been on like 5 teams in like 4 years and did stints in the D-league, etc, etc.
Every team he played for said they like him, but in the end they never offered a contract to make him stick. Sometimes players blossom under certain systems and coaches, it looks like it's Matt Barnes' time to shine.
to paraphrase: many people slept on mattbarnes and he's showing that he can play. it's one of those diamond in the rough/one in a million type things so you really can't expect it to happen all day, every day, especially with jim/mitch at the helm.
Posted by: socalife | May 08, 2007 at 07:21 PM
Matt Barnes is a great example of how critical the "system" is in the NBA. You can float around for years until you come to a team that just seems to fit your style of play. Unfortunately, the triangle is a system that just doesn't work well for most players. Who wants to come to the Lakers when playing in the triangle is equivalent to serving detention time in high school? The "triangle" has had its day. Even Britney has disavowed it.
Posted by: juststartover | May 08, 2007 at 07:41 PM
If the season lasted 6 weeks I would give Luke an A+
Leading the league in 3 pt %
Great passing, driving to the basket.
Even a wirly twirly highlight shot that was fantastic.
LUUUUUUUUUUUKE!!!!!!! was the chant heard on the blog.
But before his injury, he had dropped to 42nd in 3% and ended the season at 65th. Shooting 38%.
He was making more TO's than assists.
Luke was in a slump. a big one, then the injury. A mild sprain, according to Luke that lasted 60 days. Tendinitus had set in. Luke came back before the playoffs and played with pain.
His playoff perfomance was regrettable. Even Luke said not to judge him by the playoffs.
Luke showed what he is capable of, but he played too many minutes, was worn down before his injury, and ended the season with a wimper. Several times against the Suns, I noticed him not even offering to raise his hand to contest a shot. I had Luke at a C- and C- effort.
He could be a an important piece off the bench, he his definately an intangible person, which we need, but not an impact person to really compete for a title. I think the question is, how much do you pay him?
Will his tendenitus become chronic?
Fatty from Arizona, Welcoming our new bloggers from Costa Rica and Uruguay. Keep em coming John and Ricpic.
Anybody from Antartica, Mcmurdo or South Pole, we would love to hear from you.
Posted by: Fatty | May 08, 2007 at 07:46 PM
Luke Walton's Report Card:
Passing B+
Rebounding C+
Scoring C-
Agility F-
Speed F-
Vertical F+
Defense F- - - - - -
Durability D+
Basketball IQ A-
Consistency C-
Basketball DNA A
Likeability/Chemistry A+
Leadership B
Notes:
His overall grade averages out somewhere between a D+ and a C-. We need at least a C+/B- range for the mid level. Luke would be a nice fit if he played with three or four legit or potential all-stars, but with our roster's makeup, his game has way too many deficiencies, especially on the defensive end.
Conclusion:
NO PASS. We love you Luke, but you must go. We'll give you a call if your talents are needed in the future.
Posted by: mitchell | May 08, 2007 at 07:53 PM
He wasn't supposed to tell you about us all playing NBA 2k7...
I once lit him up for 50 playin that. But darn it, you weren't supposed to know that either.
Please don't tell.
Posted by: Tim-4-Show | May 08, 2007 at 07:55 PM
Bang, Bang, Bang!!!
All over in flash, I guess that sums you up Gunner24!!
All flash and powder, your material is of little substance and lasts in the mind mere nanoseconds!!!
I only ask one thing of you, can you please just try and keep up, if you can!! Your posts are becoming a little one dimensional!!!
I guess, you next post will say ‘Kobe is ball hog.’
The post after will say ‘Kobe is a ball hag’.
Guess what your posts remind me of the effect you get when you put two mirrors parallel to one another. i.e the same theme is infinite reflection of your hatred!!!
Aaarrrhhhh!!
Angry_Laker
Posted by: Angry_Laker | May 08, 2007 at 07:56 PM
Report Card/Exit Meeting: Angry_Laker
Grade: a complete angry idiot
Q: Why do they call you Angry_Laker?
A: Aaarrrhhhh!!
Q: Can you speak up? What's that?
A: Aaarrrhhhh!!
Q: Is there something wrong with your mouth?
A: Aaarrrhhhh!!
(at this time, Kobe hears the conversation and joins the room)
Kobe: Hey Angry, turn around and show them why they call you Angry_Laker. Now bend over...
Posted by: gunner24 | May 08, 2007 at 08:24 PM
Luke Walton will not be back as a Laker next year.
Posted by: troy | May 08, 2007 at 08:27 PM
The George Karl quote says it all: "Luke Walton is the glue holding the Lakers together." Well, we saw how well the Lakers held together." Karl would have to be sniffing the glue to mean that quote as a positive.
Please add glue to the list of things we need to improve on for next season.
Also, no props to Walton for playing with pain. LaMar showed how a true "warrior" (to use a Kobe word) plays with pain. Walton may have all-star DNA, but he never called upon it when we needed him to. If he had a different last name, he'd probably be playing in Europe or the D-League.
Fellow bloggers, please don't paint me as Mr Negative. I'll stand tall for Kobe and Lamar and Ronny and Farmar any day. They just need more worthy teammates. As Kobe said, LA isn't about winning seasons, it's about winning championships. The true test for all those coming and going has to be, "Are you a player of Championship caliber?" The line forms right here!
Posted by: Rick Friedman | May 08, 2007 at 08:31 PM
JOE McDONALD'S HOAX
Joe McDonald's BREAKING NEWS turns out to be an OLD NEWS. To be exact; 3 weeks old. After making a big fuss about the "SCOOP" to be announced at 7PM on K570 today, he comes out and announce his Breaking News which "just fell in my lap" he said.
"...and Jim Buss, one of owner Jerry Buss' sons, is being groomed to eventually serve in that capacity."
This is word for word out of APRIL 18 article by By Steve Springer, LA-Times.
How desperate is Joe McDonald ? Is it lack of rating, attention or listeners? Or, his sandwich was wrapped in a 3 weeks old newspaper and it caught his attention and he forgot to look at the date.
Well, whatever it's, it makes him less popular.
PS: AK and BK,
I know this has nothing to do with Luke Walton report but where else could I have posted this comment. As I said before; I am new to your site and I don't know my way around here very well. So, I you want to post it somewhere else it's OK with me.
Cyrus
Posted by: Cyrus | May 08, 2007 at 08:47 PM
Luke is bench player, if you keep putting these bench players around Kobe, don't talk about going to the next round. People said good things about Luke, because they want to beat Lakers, they want you to live in the small world. Lakers and Phil wanted to promote Luke, but the truth shown on the floor in the big games, you can hide in the regular season, but in the playoff, you can't hide your weakness.
Posted by: bluesky | May 08, 2007 at 08:54 PM
George Karl see a big advantage in having Walton
playing small forward.
Carmelo will score 40 at him easily in any game.
Walton is the glue that hold the Lakers
from being a more competitive team
Posted by: jorema | May 08, 2007 at 09:38 PM
If the Lakers can get some impact players here, it's fine to keep Luke as a decent backup here.
Posted by: gdchild | May 08, 2007 at 10:03 PM
Colorado still loves the LAKERS!
Posted by: Hugo Boss | May 08, 2007 at 10:19 PM
The reason I think Luke will remain a Laker: Phil Jackson loves Luke Walton. Even though we acquired Vlad, Luke has said that last summer Phil told him to get ready to play a LOT of mins this year. Phil just loves the guy.
I think AK hit it on the head. Luke brings some good things, but his defense is too crippling and he should come off the bench. I pretty much agree with Mitchell's grades he gave out on Luke...cept I'll even say I do think Luke's passing and basketball are very good...but overrated. I'm not joking, but I think Luke has thrown 5 of the 10 worst passes I've ever seen by any player ever. Yeah he can make nice passes, and sometimes fancy passes, but then every once in a while he throws the worst pass ever. He'll give you a nice no look....and then fail miserably at a simple entry pass. Also, I think the basketball IQ has to average lower than an A....while offensively Luke has a very high IQ, I think there is a thing as defensive IQ also. Guys like Horry while not athletic anymore, still plays awesome help defense. So mainly, I love Luke the 7th man, hate Luke the starter. As someone else pointed out, Luke doesn't measure up to the standard starting SF in the L. Luke gets an F in speed, quickness, agility, vert, and defense....yet plays a position that you really can't afford to have someone THAT unathletic. Now you can mention all kinds of benefits Luke brings....but I strongly feel none of it compares to what we lose on the defensive end. On average, the starting SF is typically one of the most athletic players on the team, so Luke's defense is more exposed and even more a liability. But more important than that, a superior athlete at the SF helps the entire team defense tremendously and in your SF you hope to have what is your most versatile help defender. It allows you to guard the perimeter better while also providing help defense and improves defensive rotations. Something Luke can't do.
Honestly, I know Vlad was a huge bust this year, but I really feel like he is a better answer at the 3. He is taller yet quicker, and it seemed like he was totally lost in the triangle....but at the same time, he isn't a bad passer, so hopefully it will get better as he gets more time in the offense. And yeah his defense was suspect, but it was better than I thought coming in and it was still better than Luke's. Hopefully the Lakers can also bring in an athletic long SF in the offseason to complement Vlad's shortcomings. Really, having a great defender at the 3 would help our team so much. Kobe and Lamar are long and athletic and Kwame plays good post D at least and Bynum is athletic for his size. Really, our defensive liabilities at the PG and SF positions were enough to make us a terrible defensive team overall.
So, I think its a good idea to give Luke the boot. I don't mind keeping him....cept I'm sure they'll pay him more than I think is his market value (or value to the team.)
AK or BK,
Do you have any info on this? Does it seem like the Lakers will resign Luke, and if so, for how much?
Posted by: wiZo | May 08, 2007 at 11:57 PM