Walton, 36, will remain with the Warriors through the end of the playoffs.
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Walton will take over a proud franchise that has plummeted down the standings over the past three seasons.
Looking around the league at the salaries of his head coaching counterparts, Walton seems to fall directly in the middle of the pack, making the same salary as Chicago Bulls’ head coach, Fred Hoiberg, and even his mentor, Golden State Warriors’ coach, Steve Kerr.
The Golden State Warriors have granted Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak permission to speak to their assistant coach Luke Walton about the Lakers head coaching job.
He became a fan favorite after being drafted in 2003, a second-round pick whose hustle and team-oriented mind-set led to mellifluous “Luuuuke” cheers at Staples Center when the Lakers were championship contenders. “Currently, he is one of the brightest young coaches in the game”. That includes a legendary streak, during which the Warriors won 24 consecutive games-the most by any team in National Basketball Association history to open a season. He was a player development coach for the Los Angeles D- Fenders in the 2013-14 season.
If you were hoping for Luke Walton to head 3,000 miles to take his first official head coaching job, it looks like he listened to his fathers advice on not joining the New York Knicks. “He’s certainly ready for this opportunity and I’m confident he’ll do a great job with the Lakers once our season is complete”. Walton has served as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors.
He was a versatile role player through out his nine year tenure with the Lakers, playing both small forward and power foward.
Walton was named NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month for the games played in October and November last year and finished eighth in the recently concluded coach of the year balloting.
The Lakers and Walton reached agreement Friday night on a multi-year contract five days after firing Byron Scott, who oversaw the two worst seasons in the Lakers’ glorious history.
When Walton reportedly put Phil Jackson on hold until after the playoffs, one would have liked to think he was honest about his interest in the Knicks’ vacancy, despite being committed to his current duties with the Warriors.
Now that the Kobe Bryant farewell tour is over with and he’s enjoying retirement, it’s time for the Los Angeles Lakers to begin the next chapter in the franchise’s history.
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Walton is now in his second season as an Assistant Coach with the Warriors.
