The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a huge nail-biting win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, 129-128. General manager Rob Pelinka, team president Magic Johnson, and the rest of the team needed this morale-boosting victory after a tumultuous past couple of weeks brought by the league's trade deadline.
Despite taking one away from their long-time rivals, plenty of questions await the Lakers when they face reality after the euphoria from the victory dies down. The team almost sent half of its roster and immediate future packing for Anthony Davis, possibly harboring unrest inside the locker room.
Whatever internal turmoil Los Angeles may face primarily falls on Luke Walton's lap. The Lakers head coach hasn't been spared from rumors that began even earlier than the Davis saga. Rumblings about a potential coaching change hounded Walton, but Pelinka gave an assurance that the cohesion among coach, front office, and ownership is as strong as ever.
Here’s what Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said about Coach Luke Walton…
“Luke’s done an amazing job,” he said, adding that the front office and Walton were “totally unified.”
“Our communication is lockstep,” he said.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) February 8, 2019
Only one coach has survived the bane and boon of calling the shots for LeBron James' team and that's the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra. Walton can hope that Johnson becomes a Pat Riley to have his back when the time calls for it. But the pressure on the Lakers is something that's going against his favor.
James is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2004-05 season. When the Lakers superstar fails to punch a postseason ticket, the blame will likely be pinned on the brain trust from the bench.
Pelinka's words sound assuring for Walton, but there's no telling when that guarantee will expire.
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