Jackie McMullan/Windhorst: LeBron's camp would prefer a coaching change

[Pythagoras]

That's all it takes to be a top 10 coach in your book? It seems you're equating marginal improvements with being respectable. Given you have Luke inside your top 10, I'm curious to know where you would rank Dave Joerger?

You're the one who made a rather bold statement; the burden is on you to defend it. Besides, I could easily name 10 coaches who are better.

I did defend the statement as to why I think Luke is a top 10 coach. It’s right there in my reply. I give zero you know whats about Dave Joerger. He’s not who we’re discussing. Unless of course, you’re making the claim he’s better than Luke, in which case don’t beat around the bush, come out and say it.

Then when I asked you to defend your claim that he wasn’t a top 10 coach, you couldn’t. If you can’t name me 10 coaches who are better, which I’m sure you can’t, then there’s no reason to keep making the claim he isn’t.

I think you know your argument for ranking Luke as a top 10 coach is weak. Joerger began is coaching stint with the Kings around the same time and their comparisons are endless. Over a 3 year period, their win-loss record is almost identical; both teams roster construction was poor; offensive and defensive ratings are very similar; both took over a bad team, etc. By stating you don't care about Joerger, it's very clear you're not very open minded. I'm not even going to waste my time having any further discussions with you.

My ranking, not in any particular order is as follows:
1) Pop
2) Kerr
3) Stevens
4) Snyder
5) Spo
6) D'Antoni
7) Bud
8) Carlisle
9) Doc
10) Casey
11) Nate
12) Atkinson
13) Donovan
14) Here you could make a case for the other decent/mediocre coaches/unproven (Gentry, Fizdale, Luke, Brooks, Jeorger, Nurse, Malone)

I think Luke should be somewhere in the 14-18 range.

Jorger didn’t take over a 17 win team win he got to Sac. Luke did. Jorger didn’t improve Sac’s W/L total in his first year. Luke did. Sac isn’t a top 10 defensive team this year. The Lakers are. A lot of the names on your list are laughable. Casey, Donovan, Fizdale, Gentry, Brooks????

Please.

Remove Rondo and LeBron and this is basically the same team that won 35 games last year...

Minus it’s two best players. People are asking Luke to make chicken salad out of chicken ****.

[Landsberger]

Glad to see most Laker fans arent on LeBrons side on this. His entitlement is out of control. No player should have this much pull.

Those of us who've been fans for a long time have seen this before.... Magic ran a coach out of town (one that won a championship btw) and nearly got Kareem traded.... so this isn't new to the seasoned fans. Bron is no more entitled than the guy he's playing for IMHO.

[Landsberger]

I mean it would be so gangster fabulous to pull off a LeBron trade in so many ways, but seriously how do you even make that work?
Send him to the Pels and Rich Paul napalms everybody while LeBron utterly foams at the mouth in anger. No way would I move him for Kawhi even if there wasn't a huge backlash. And who else even has assets to make that work, Danny Ainge? There isn't a path to trade him.

This is a just ignore his coaching wishes and pray his body isn't about the cash out situation.

I get the push against Bron but he isn't going anywhere.

The angst of the fan base wasn't here prior to Christmas day when we were a game out..... So is LeBron really the issue? I think it's what remains when he's out that's the issue.

Fans here love the young guys in almost irrational ways it seems. Ball is the next all time great, Ingram is going to be a great and so on... All while we have an all time great. It's not what I wanted to see a couple years ago but when Magic came in it's what we've got... which is to create a veteran centered team that can compete immediately.

As for Walton, I'm not sold he's a guy who's ready to coach deep into the playoffs. I'm not sold that he understands how to coach up the young guys. I'm not sold that he's got the right guys around him. That said, there is not alternative present right now unless we're pulling a Van Gundy or other Vet coach out of retirement (not that I'd advocate that but I could see that happening) so he's going to have to learn on the job under pressure just like the kids on the floor.

[Kilroy]

I mean it would be so gangster fabulous to pull off a LeBron trade in so many ways, but seriously how do you even make that work?
Send him to the Pels and Rich Paul napalms everybody while LeBron utterly foams at the mouth in anger. No way would I move him for Kawhi even if there wasn't a huge backlash. And who else even has assets to make that work, Danny Ainge? There isn't a path to trade him.

This is a just ignore his coaching wishes and pray his body isn't about the cash out situation.

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/7164234

I would do that trade everyday all day


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Yeah, it was sort of tongue in cheek though... I doubt Philly would do it. They'd probably want to keep Simmons and we'd have no interest at that point.

[Landsberger]

At this point after the last several years I'd take what we have and build around Bron. It's the fastest way to being a true contender again. The stat hero youth approach of collecting young guys doesn't get you any closer in my opinion. You need that one guy and typically they are around 30 years old. Right now in the game there are maybe 2 or 3 of those guys and we have one.

I'd rather compete for a championship than continue to watch young guys "grow" myself. The trajectory isn't going to end closer to a championship than we can get with Bron and at least one other complementary top 10 player IMHO.

[Laker_Kid]

i'm alright with luke, but i want to get some proper assistants in there, preferably not luke's arizona buddies

same sentiment here. if he can bring in a no non-sense assistant coach, it might help balance their buddy buddy approach- which i personally blame for the lack of focus and urgency on this young team. Kobe would have been perfect if he was willing and didnt act like he’s allergic to basketball now.

[what would jack bauer do?]

Lebron is a snake, man. He hasn't even finished a season and he's already letting his camp leak this garbage to the media. 100% of this is all on Lebron's passive aggressive punk a**.

I just rolled my eyes when i read the headline the first time, but Nah we can't let this punk get away with this. You don't do this to your team or your team's fans. You have the right to have a say what you want when decisions are made in the offseason behind closed doors.

Makes me wonder if we were better off resigning randle and battling for a lower playoff seed. Hell, I know he would've battled on defense for us unlike old Lebron.

Greatest player of all time my ass.

[regGQ]

I'd strongly consider trading away this egomaniac as a f*** you to this whole circus around him

[TyCobb]

I am also open to trading LeBron away.

[XtremeDunkz]

https://basketball.realgm.com/tradechecker/saved_trade/7164234

I would do that trade everyday all day


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

Yeah, it was sort of tongue in cheek though... I doubt Philly would do it. They'd probably want to keep Simmons and we'd have no interest at that point.

lol this is a funny one.

[BEazy]

No way? LeBron's team making demands? I did not see that coming!....

Yeah, once he's done in 4 years we'll be back to rebuilding again. Get ready folks.

[sardines]

Lakers need to do what Pat Riley did when LeCry was whining about Spoelstra.....Shut up and just play.

[Landsberger]

Luke with a game plan for the worst team in the league. It worked and was well executed. We’ve done this 4 or 5 times and it worked.....why not do it more?

[stan francisco]

Glad to see most Laker fans arent on LeBrons side on this. His entitlement is out of control. No player should have this much pull.

This is the Lakers. No player is bigger than the Lakers.

Here’s the thing. People outside of LA think of this place as a gold digger’s easy ride life. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The people in the entertainment industry work their effing asses off every day to earn their right to pursue their dream. Many of them left families and countries behind in order to do so. No weak sauce like pointing fingers at Luke because LBJ is injured is tolerated around here. Period. This crowd is way hipper than that, can sniff that garbage a mile away.

That’s why Staples love defense. Because it’s about all-out effort and focus and teamwork — digging in and persisting. We do that in the entertainment industry every day at work. Backstabbers are not welcome here, they’re often tarred and feathered and sent out of town on rail beams.

For that crowd, someone spinelessly passing blame in any other directions than their own, which might work in Cleveland and Miami, it simply doesn’t fly around here. We’ve seen it a million times and it’s not impressive. In fact, many Angelenos loath it because of all of the above.

And no, we won’t call you back if you’re gonna be like that. There are others who would love to be here.

When in Rome...

Work your arse off on defense and we might respect you. Lead by pulling from the front, not by whipping from above. Stop the spineless finger pointing, Klutch, this is a different beast, not Cleveland. Dig in or get out.