In talking with reporters, Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson guarantees head coach Luke Walton's job as coach for the rest of the season. However, it seems like it could be up in the air after the season.
It seems like as of now, Johnson does not want the meeting between him and Walton to be a distraction to the team. There also has been no timetable set on Walton.
The Lakers are 4-5 on the season entering their matchup with the Toronto Raptors. Historically, when LeBron James joins a new team, that team has slow starts, for whatever reason. No one can explain it. Everyone saw this when James joined the Miami Heat in 2010 and when he re-joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014.
Whether or not Magic Johnson has enough patience with Luke Walton through the long season remains to be seen. If the Lakers continue to struggle and they don't have a winning record, then he may think a change is necessary.
Walton and the Lakers do have some bright spots this season to point out: James, Brandon Ingram, and JaVale McGee. James will be great no matter what. But Ingram and McGee seem to have good chemistry with James.
Whether this continues or not remains to be seen. Magic Johnson may not happy with a number of things, but he should be happy with those positives pointed above.
How long does Johnson's patience last with Luke Walton? We shall soon find out.