SB Nation - Luke Walton

Who Would've Made That Last Shot For The Lakers?

Brian Floyd — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:01:29 -0000

This was a joke, and it was hilarious. Not so much because of the original punchline, but because the Internet took over. And the chain of responses on Twitter was outstanding.

So here's Jordan Farmar implying ... well, it's obvious.

Guess who would have made that 3 ptr…
— Jordan Farmar (@JordanFarmar2) May 17, 2012

After the jump, some of the best responses. Follow along, then add your own in the comments.

Luke Walton? RT @JordanFarmar2: Guess who would have made that 3 ptr…
— SB Nation (@sbnation) May 17, 2012

Kareem Rush? RT @sbnation: Luke Walton? RT @JordanFarmar2: Guess who would have made that 3 ptr…
— Captain Planet (@ItsEvanBrown) May 17, 2012

Adam Morrison? RT "@sbnation: Luke Walton? RT @JordanFarmar2: Guess who would have made that 3 ptr…"
— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) May 17, 2012

Sasha Vujacic RT @MikePradaSBN: Anthony Peeler RT @sbnation: Luke Walton? RT @JordanFarmar2: Guess who would have made that 3 ptr…
— Jack Moore (@jh_moore) May 17, 2012

Slavo Medvendenko RT @talkhoops: Sedale Threatt RT @sbnation: Luke Walton? RT @JordanFarmar2: Guess who would have made that 3 ptr…
— Nick Jones(@HeIsJones) May 17, 2012

You get the idea. So build off this.

VIDEO: The Best NBA Trade Analysis Comes From This 7-Year-Old Girl

Andrew Sharp — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:36:09 -0000

Not sure why anybody would think to film the reaction of a seven-year-old girl being told about all the NBA's trade deadline, but we should all be glad that Trent Combs did. It begins with a triumphant fist pump over the Lakers trading Luke Walton, then there's some excited clapping when she finds out L.A. kept Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum ... And then there's the Gerald Wallace deal, and a frowny face soon turns to hysterical, adorable tears.

SOURCES: We need a lot more sports analysis from seven-year-old girls.

I'm glad YouTube wasn't around when I was seven because I'm pretty sure my parents would've captured at least six different Orioles-related tantrums that would live on forever.

Now I'm off to pitch SB Nation YouTube on my new idea for pre-school Around The Horn.

(ht: @YourManDevine)

PHOTO: Luke Walton, Cleveland's Next LeBron James

Brendan Porath — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:19:54 -0000

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally pulled off the long-rumored trade that sent Ramon Sessions to the Los Angeles Lakers for a first-round pick. Also included in the deal were two peripheral players, Christian Eyenga for the Cavs and Luke Walton for the Lakers. Walton has one more year left on his deal and will make $6 million next season. But for former Slam Mag editor, current Complex mag editor, and NBA twitter humor icon @RussBengtson, the real catch of the deal for Cavs fans should be Walton. He first tweeted that Walton should immediately demand to wear No. 23:

Luke Walton should request No. 23.
— Russ Bengtson (@russbengtson) March 15, 2012

And then followed up with this photoshopped image of the banner he says the Cavs should now hang outside the Q.

Pic after the jump:

Via @RussBengtson

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, check out Fear The Sword. For all your NBA trade news and notes, be sure to follow SB Nation's NBA news hub.

Lakers Amnesty Clause Cut Candidates: Luke Walton, Ron Artest, Steve Blake

Avinash Kunnath — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:02:38 -0000

The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the most bloated salaries in the league, and they'd certainly love to dump some of their worst contracts off. Which is why they'd probably love to see an amnesty clause come into play in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, since they could shed someone they don't really want anymore.

Chad Ford and Marc Stein of ESPN report on the type of players up for this. Although Ron Artest and Steve Blake are mentioned, Luke Walton is the likeliest candidate. But there could be potential problems.

The only apparent disclaimer is the possibility that the Lakers could double dip in terms of savings in the form of injury relief should Walton elect to retire, which would then make a subsequent amnesty divorce from the mercurial Metta hard to resist financially. One team insider said that Walton, though just 31, has indeed begun to contemplate retirement because of a debilitating back condition, with Walton himself telling ESPN.com's Andy Katz earlier this summer that he's seen multiple doctors who have advised him to stop playing. So stay tuned.

To discuss the Lakers, go to Silver Screen And Roll.

Luke Walton Discusses Memphis Coaching Position, NBA Lockout, His Contract

Evan Dunlap — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:52:47 -0000

Lakers forward Luke Walton--remember him?--has taken an assistant coaching position at the University of Memphis, a position he'll hold until the conclusion of the NBA lockout. He joined Petros and Money to discuss his new job, plus a few other topics, and SB Nation Los Angeles' friends at Sports Radio Interviews managed to transcribe the conversation. Let's hit the highlights.

Walton said the opportunity came about when Memphis' coach, Josh Pastner, called him to ask if he was interested in coaching. Pastner served as an assistant coach to Lute Olson at the University of Arizona when Walton played there as a collegian. "I made some phone calls to some people before I said yes to get their advice on it," Walton said. Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson was among the folks he consulted. Fortunately, Jackson "still has his cell phone number, so we didn't have to go smoke signal or any of that stuff," said Walton.

Walton's chief responsibility at Memphis will be to coach the team's big men. Notably, former Arizona teammate and NBA Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudamire will specialize instructing Memphis' guards. Lakers fans may remember Stoudamire from his time with the Portland Trail Blazers in the late 1990s and early 2000s; in Stoudemire's playoff starts, Portland had a 4-13 record against L.A.

On the NBA lockout, which began July 1 without an end in sight, Walton offers these discouraging words: "We’re so far apart that it definitely doesn’t look like it’s going to happen to where we start [the season] anywhere on time."

Walton's name comes up frequently in discussions of players whose oversized contracts may have contributed to the dispute between players and owners which led to the lockout. Coming off a season in which he averaged career-highs in minutes (33), points (11.4), rebounds (5), assists (4.3), field-goal shooting (47.4 percent), and three-point shooting (38.7 percent), Walton signed a six-year contract worth $30 million. His role, health, and skill have declined in each subsequent season, and he's played just 756 minutes over the last two seasons, during which time he earned a little over $10 million.

"You want to feel your worth," Walton said, acknowledging that his situation, and the Lakers', have changed since he signed the contract. "Obviously I’m getting paid a salary that was for a much larger role back when we agreed upon the deal." The trade the Lakers made for Pau Gasol contributed to his role "getting smaller and smaller."

Luke Walton Joins Memphis As Assistant Coach ... Wait, What?

Tom Ziller — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:31:10 -0000

Deron Williams is going to go play ball in Istanbul. Kevin Love is playing beach volleyball. Kevin Durant is going to make a movie. Luke Walton? The Luke Walton? He's going to be working as an assistant coach for the Memphis Tigers.

Of all the unglamorous jobs a player in the throes of the NBA lockout could take, college basketball assistant coach is pretty high up there, behind only Delonte West's Home Depot bid. But this kind of makes sense, in so much as Walton played for Josh Pastner (then a graduate assistant under Lute Olson) at the University of Arizona and that Pastner had only been carrying two assistants. One of those assistants, by the way, is former Blazer, Grizzly and Arizona Wildcat Damon Stoudamire.

Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that Walton does have an "NBA out" in his deal (whew!), meaning that when the lockout ends Luke will head back to his spot on the L.A. Lakers' bench.

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things XXII

Tom Ziller — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:30:28 -0000

Luke Walton reached agreement Sunday with the Los Angeles Lakers on a six-year, $30 million contract after general manager Mitch Kupchak placed a call one minute after midnight to express the team's interest in retaining its best unrestricted free agent.