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.
In a conversation with me, @BA_Turner and @BillPlaschke, Magic Johnson said his contentious meeting with Luke Walton had no bearing on Walton’s job security. “I said it, Luke took it and we’re all good,” Johnson said. Johnson assured us Walton will finish the year.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) November 5, 2018
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.
My read on our conversation with Magic was that he's not setting any kind of timetable for Walton. He wanted to make it clear that they won't be reactive to the ebbs and flows of the season when it comes to Walton's job. But he also doesn't regret yelling at Walton.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) November 5, 2018
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.
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