The Los Angeles Lakers have started the season 4-6, and some on the outside are already calling for the firing of head coach Luke Walton.
Walton's former teammate at the University of Arizona, Richard Jefferson, isn't one of them.
In an interview with Howard Beck on the “The Full 48” podcast, Richard Jefferson says he doesn’t understand why people think Walton should be fired, as the NBA champion believes Walton has a high basketball IQ (h/t Silver Screen and Roll).
“When people are like, ‘Well, is Luke’s job in jeopardy?’, it’s like, ‘Who the f**k are they going to find that has more basketball knowledge than this guy?' Yes, he’s young — he’s younger, he’s not super young — but it’s like, give me a resume of an intelligent basketball mind that it’s in a legacy, that knows superstars.
“If Magic Johnson would have been the GM, everyone in L.A. would have been like, ‘Magic, when are you bringing fu**ing Luke here?' So don’t tell me now that Magic took over after Luke was there that all of a sudden Magic has some trick up his sleeve to invent somebody that has been around Hall of Fame players, that has won championships as a player, that grew up in a household with an MVP and that grew up as a child with MVP’s like Larry Bird and the Celtics.
“That person doesn’t exist, so Lakers organization, fanbase, understand this: Luke Walton is your best opportunity to be successful for the next 5-10 years in my humble opinion.”
Magic Johnson and Luke Walton reportedly had a heated meeting recently where Magic challenged Walton to run a better offense and Walton asked Magic for frontcourt help. The Lakers are expected to sign veteran center Tyson Chandler in the coming days.
Johnson also told the Los Angeles Times that he will not fire Luke Walton this season. Drama in La La Land, a tradition unlike any other.
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