After an absolutely devastating, embarrassing loss Tuesday night to the Atlanta Hawks, there was plenty of chatter that the Los Angeles Lakers might fire Luke Walton.
Not so fast.
According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, not only will the Lakers not fire Walton right now, but there’s reportedly been no talk whatsoever about such a move. Instead, Walton reportedly “will definitely finish the season” and has the “full support” of owner Jeanie Buss, general manager Magic Johnson and the rest of the Lakers brass.
“Nothing is going to happen with Luke,” one person said. “There hasn’t even been any talk about it and there won’t be any talks about it. Luke will definitely finish the season and he has the full support. So any talk in the media or on social media can be put to bed about Luke. He’s not going anywhere. There has been no conversation about it.”
Interestingly, one of the people who spoke to Turner said LeBron James didn’t look “totally engaged” during the team’s brutal loss Tuesday night, while another person said the players on the whole had “bad body language.”
The Lakers reportedly are looking for Walton to hold all the players accountable.
“Everyone believes in Luke,” one person said. “Now it’s about him getting the best out of the team.”
So, rather than moving on, it sure seems like the Lakers would rather see Walton become more of a force in the coming days, weeks and months.