Over the years Dennis Rodman has rubbed the general public the wrong way. Whether if it’s wearing a full-blown wedding gown, befriending the world’s most ruthless dictator in Kim Jong-un, or fracturing his genitals multiple times, he’s definitely made some questionable decisions as a public figure.
But there is one thing Dennis Rodman does have a genius level IQ in and that’s basketball. Rodman recently caught up with the representatives at TMZ Sports and shared his personal thoughts about Luke Walton and the 4-6 Los Angeles Lakers.
The Early Struggles of Luke Walton & The Los Angeles Lakers
After finding out that Lebron James had decided to take his talents to Hollywood, the general consensus was that the Los Angeles Lakers were instantaneously going to become NBA Championship contenders. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for the new-look Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to perform in sync, find a defined bench rotation, communicate on both sides of the floor, and protect the rim in the second unit. There have been some bright moments early in the season with Rajon Rondo becoming an on-court leader, JaVale McGee‘s rim protection and mobility, and Brandon Ingram officially establishing himself as a viable second scoring option after Lebron James.
With the Lakers getting things off the ground slowly, it was revealed that Magic Johnson paid Luke Walton a visit inquiring about the status of the talented yet lowly team. Which in turn, sparked rumors of Walton potentially being on the hot seat.
Dennis Rodman on Luke Walton & The Lakers
Which brings us to yesterday, October 6th, where Dennis Rodman openly expressed his support of Luke Walton and his coaching process with TMZ Sports stating the following,
“I mean, it’s a sad situation… I think Luke Walton’s been doing a very, very good job with the team. I think now, all of a sudden, with a ‘higher power’ coming to the Lakers, called ‘Lebron’, all of a sudden now things are changing. And, his hands are tied right now.”
Rodman followed that statement and shared his thoughts on if Luke Walton is being treated unfairly stating,
“I think so. I think from bringing him from a team like Golden State… Golden State is very high-powered (who was) winning. It would be different if he was winning off the bat (with the Lakers) and was like 9-1 or 8-2 or 7-3, we wouldn’t be having this discussion right now.”
“Just be patient… It’s a maze when you got a bunch of young kids together. The one thing that you have to understand with the Lakers is that everyone that was on that team, thought that they were going to be a star until Lebron came. He’s taking all that limelight away from these young kids now (and) everyone is paying attention to Lebron so, it’s not his (Luke’s) fault but, it’s like, the kids gotta f**king grow up.”
Honestly, this is a great assessment coming from The Worm who knows how a championship caliber team functions.
A narrative has been created stating that Luke Walton is unaware of how to structure this team of both veteran and young talent. However, Lebron James himself has found the ball in his hands during winnable games that come to down the final seconds and failing to make the right decisions with the basketball. Whether it be missing crucial free throws or turning the ball over, these are factors outside of Walton’s control.
Luke Walton has some decisions to make, should Lebron James be carrying the basketball down the court during late stretches of the game? Or should he trust his true point guard in Rajon Rondo and young talent in Lonzo Ball to make decisions late in games?
With the signing of backup center, Tyson Chandler taking place on October 6th, faith should be restored in Luke Walton. He will be able to curate more solid rotations off the bench and everyone’s role will begin to formulate and the Lakers will eventually find fluidity in their game putting an end to the Luke Walton rumors.
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Dennis Rodman on Luke Walton & The Lakers: ‘It’s a Sad Situation’