It doesn’t suck to be Luke Walton.
There’s an old saying: No matter how good the party is, it’s always better to leave it too early than too late. Premature exits help foster the illusion that you’re cool enough to have other places to be, and they save you from the eventual foul-out that comes from raging too long.
That’s Luke. He showed up to the party, mingled with just the right people for just the right amount of time, and kept it moving. He pulled it off expertly, and now everyone who saw him there wants him at their next event.
The Lakers, Knicks, Nets, Suns and Rockets have all canned coaches this year. They’ll join the Kings, Timberwolves, Wizards and a half-dozen other organizations open to an improvement on the bench next summer in what we might as well start calling the Walton Sweepstakes. And that’s kind of amazing because what we don’t know about Walton so significantly outweighs what we do.
He left the party before things got a chance to get ugly. Maybe they wouldn’t have, but we just don’t know.
Think about it: All we can really say is that Walton stepped into the lead role of a high-functioning franchise that prides itself on a collaborative approach to decision-making. He didn’t gum up the works. That’s not a knock at all; it takes brains and an ego of manageable size to work with the Warriors’ we-all-have-a-voice management model. But it also doesn’t tell us how Walton would fare with a less finely-tuned operation. And compared to the Warriors, every operation will be less finely tuned.
We also don’t know what Walton will do without an MVP running his offense and a defense that could finish in the top five if a an Australian Shepherd were calling out coverages from the sideline. Nor are we sure he’ll be as effective without Steve Kerr chiming in behind the scenes, which the Dubs’ full-time head coach did frequently during his recovery from back surgery.
There’s a lot to be said for not screwing things up. And there’s even more to be said for Walton’s rapport with players. The Warriors, to a man, like and believe in him. Walton is a genuine guy, and that counts for something in the NBA. Derek Fisher lost his job largely because his blustery speeches and false dealings with players wore thin. There was nothing behind the veneer. The Warriors themselves dealt with virtually the same thing under Mark Jackson. In this sense, at least, it appears we know enough about Walton. He’s a real dude, and there is no veneer.
Nov. 19, 2015 - Los Angeles, CA, USA - Golden State Warriors’ interim head coach Luke Walton brings his players in during a time out during the first half against Clippers at Staples Center on Thursday in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 19, 2015 (Photo by Ed Crisostomo/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire)
But that’s about it. We can guess at what kind of system he’ll run, and showing up to the first day of training camp with his next team with the mandate “Just do what the Warriors do” will be a good start. But depending on the personnel and his ability to communicate those ideas to new talent in a different environment, there won’t be anything resembling a clean transfer.
He’ll have his pick of destinations, of course. And choosing the right landing spot will be critical.
The Knicks would have appeal for the reasons you’d expect—market, profile, KRISTAPS!!!!—but one of the effects of working for good ownership in Golden State is that it won’t make Walton eager to sign on with the James Dolans of the world. Which probably also means the Kings and just about every other team in the coaching market won’t have a ton of appeal. Funny how that works, right? Capricious ownership leads to shaky foundations and empty coaching jobs.
If you’re Walton, a California kid his whole life, the idea of replacing Sam Mitchell in Minnesota might not feel like a natural move. But coming from a Warriors team whose continuity and success is so directly tied to its build-from-within approach, the mostly homegrown Wolves roster would have major pull. And, just as former Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry was drawn to New Orleans by Anthony Davis, Walton might find Karl-Anthony Towns impossible to resist.
The Lakers will be an intriguing option as well. Kobe Bryant will be gone, and Walton could impart some of the wisdom gleaned in a highly successful playing and coaching career to a young roster that needs it. Byron Scott has broken down his young players. Walton, with a softer touch and perhaps more tactical know-how, could build them back up.
Those two destinations—Minnesota and L.A.—feel like the smartest moves for Walton, who, incredibly, will have his pick after just 43 regular-season games of experience.
For Walton, the problem with taking a head-coaching job anywhere is that he’ll have to stay at the party until it’s over. No matter what, the mystique he crafted this season will fade away. He’ll be criticized. He’ll be exposed in one way or another. But there’s a good chance he’ll succeed, too.
Even if he doesn’t, he’ll still be just 35 years old. And he’ll still have that perfect party exit as the first item on his resume.
It doesn’t suck to be Luke Walton.