LeBron Camp Supporting Magic's Want To Oust Luke Walton

NBA Notes

Written By: Scott Bilo

There has not been any issue reading the intent on Magic Johnson to make a play to remove Luke Walton. That has been an ongoing battle since day one of Magic's tenure in Laker Land. Now it would appear that LeBron James (shockingly...see cynical) and his camp have lumped themselves onto that wagon as well. LeBron has never been shy about going for blood against his coaches in the past, and while he has sometimes succeeded in removing a coach that he was not fond of, he has also failed at times as well. In this case, it's simply an alliance of resources between Magic and LeBron against the fortress of support for Walton built by the owner of the franchise, Jeannie Buss, who seems to win high stakes battles as a hobby. 

Buss is steadfast in her support of Walton, and has resisted the push by Magic (who also had a history of pushing out coaches as a player) to remove Walton at all costs. This is probably a smart move on the part of Buss, as Walton has kept the Lakers in a playoff push for the 8th spot despite lingering injuries to James and Rajon Rondo. The reality is stark and simple. LeBron is old. He may not see the end of his current contract as a player with the Lakers, and that is the honest truth. His body is showing signs of breaking down, he has a reputation of being toxic to work with to some stars in the league, and his ability to sway stars to the franchise has been, well, less than overwhelming. Of course, the Anthony Davis situation changes some of that if it works in the favor of LA, but short of that, these things ring true. 

Magic also hardly has a stellar resume as an executive in the league who understands anything closely resembling nuance. He has already walked a very fine line regarding tampering, and has fallen over the line on multiple occasions already, and may do so again in the hunt for Davis. If he doesn't fall over that line, LeBron may surely do so all by himself, and likely already has. If LeBron and Magic cannot herd the kind of talent and return to glory that was promised when they were brought on board, then why pay heed to their wants regarding Walton?

This post is hardly a testament to my love for Walton as a coach. It is not. What it is, is an example of how pragmatism should win out in this scenario. Walton has done, in my opinion, a good job of holding the mess that has been the Lakers together. The internal strife is not new here, as Jeannie Buss will tell you. At the end of the day, however, Buss is pragmatic enough to realize that Magic has an iffy track record, and she can win with him in the front office, or without, and this is a battle that neither Magic, nor LeBron should win here. If Buss decides to move on from Walton, it should be for her own reasons, and her own only. If she caves here, she loses more than he coach, she loses her reputation around the league in that she does not have the steel to stand up for what her vision is, and that damages this franchise more than it already has been. The message will be clear that there is no true control of this franchise, and malcontents are running the ship. This is a message that you cannot sell to the fans, to potential free agents, or to execs that you try to recruit to the cause, should Buss tire of Magic and LeBron's shenanigans down the road. 

There is only one clear choice here for Buss...stay the course. 

Anthony Davis Trade Demand Is No Surprise

NBA Notes
Written By: Scott Bilo

There will be those who feign surprise over the news that Anthony Davis has told the New Orleans Pelicans that he is demanding a trade and will not sign an extension with the team. If you are someone who finds yourself shocked by this news (there aren't many), you shouldn't be. This has been coming for some time, especially when Davis attached himself to the agent who represents LeBron James.

James recently had dinner with Davis after a Lakers game against New Orleans, and has all but tampered with Davis for months. Several small market teams had filed tampering charges against the Lakers, who have hardly been able to wipe the froth from their mouths at the idea of  acquiring Davis, who is putting up monster numbers at the apex of his career currently. Davis has also been vocal about the only team that he would sign an extension with, and that would be..wait for it...the Lakers.

Now the Lakers have all of the assets to make a deal with New Orleans for the services of Davis, including team controlled contracts in young players such as Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, and Kantevious Caldwell-Pope. Josh Hart would be another consideration, as is Ivica Zubak. The Lakers also could, and should, dangle a first round pick in any deal. It will likely be a requirement in any such deal that New Orleans would presently make. It's a lot to think about, a package like that. However, it may not exactly be the best package that the Pelicans could attain, and making matters more interesting, they are not exactly showing a sense of urgency on their end to get anything done before the summer.

The reason for the hesitance to make such a move sooner than later would fall in line with the Celtics, who very much want to get involved in any deal. The deal could be made in July, as Khyrie Irving's deal expires. The reason for that wait is because Irving's deal falls under the Rose Rookie Deal rule, and NBA teams can only carry one such deal at a time. Irving's deal expiring opens them to taking on Davis, who also falls under that rule. The Celtics could very well offer up a better overall package than the Lakers can, and may consider throwing in Jason Tatum, as well as others, and they could also throw in more picks, as the Celtics have been hording picks for some time.

There may very well be several suitors in this process, which only helps New Orleans long term in their pursuit of finally building a foundation, albeit one that will not include the center pillar that they had long envisioned. Davis was always to be the centerpiece in their process, but he simply ran out of patience for a long running project that seemingly has no end in sight.

Patience for any athlete only runs so long, and although he envisioned himself in New Orleans long term, his clock is ticking in his prime years to compete and make a run at a title that New Orleans, which has been a long unstable franchise, is not anywhere close to making a run at. Davis was willing to give his all, and has, but at some point, one has to concede defeat and move on, and he has at this point. He realizes that he has to carry this franchise night in and out to get wins, and that energy runs out after a period of time. His has no run out.

Davis will be a key player for any franchise that acquires his services, and they will be acquired sooner or later, with a time stamp of no later than the summer of 2020. I still see his changing of teams happening sometime in the next 4 to 6 months, as New Orleans can hardly afford to allow him to walk away for free.

The only question remaining is whether a franchise will take him on a what some outlets are referring to as a super rental, or if he lands in the one and only place he wants to land in and extend himself to, and that would be LA. LeBron James has been many things, but his ability to sway super stars to LA to join his cause has recently been less than impressive, as was shown last summer when several key free agents decided to resist his so-called sway, and Kevin Durant shows outright repulsion at playing with him. Can LeBron win this battle? That remains to be seen, as in my next post, I will discuss the internal battle in LA between Magic Johnson, LeBron James, and Jeannie Buss over the future of the franchise.