With the Los Angeles Lakers losing nine consecutive games during the 2017-18 NBA season, LaVar Ball's comments about head coach Luke Walton only added fuel to the fire. While it was a challenging stretch in December against championship contenders (Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and Houston Rockets), the team's effort has been poor since their recent meeting.
As head coaches are usually the first ones to go in these type of situations, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN shares Walton's job status in Los Angeles is ‘not even a conversation' at this point of the season:
Luke Walton's job status is "not even a conversation" according to a Lakers source. https://t.co/7UoivlCUtH
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 7, 2018
While many have been critical of Walton's rotations, it is unfair to single him out during the team's losing streak. In addition to Walton, President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson, general manager Rob Pelinka, and the players are also responsible and will need to regroup.
For the front office, it is no secret they are trying to create the necessary cap space to sign two max contract players like LeBron James and Paul George. As a result, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson have been mentioned in trade rumors as the February deadline nears.
For the players, their effort, especially on defense, has declined recently. After playing competitive basketball, it is natural for young players to think about themselves instead of the team. With the Lakers hosting the Atlanta Hawks, it will be interesting if they can capitalize on the worst team in the entire league amid the outside noise.
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