NBA Rumors: Curry, Kerr And James Defend Luke Walton Amid Lakers Woeful Run

With the Los Angeles Lakers season officially closing soon, most will be keeping tabs on the future of head coach Luke Walton. Most are under the impression that the 38-year-old will be getting axed soon despite Lakers team owner Jeanie Buss saying that she was impressed with the handling of Walton.

The Lakers will be closing their 2018-19 NBA campaign against the Portland Trail Blazers and most expect something to follow yet another forgettable season. Team president Earvin "Magic" Johnson will decide on the fate of Walton, a crucial decision that he and the Lakers will have to live with.

For now, there is no word on what lies ahead. Several coaching names have cropped in recent weeks such as Doc Rivers and Jason Kidd. Rivers rebuffed allegations, saying he is fine being with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr believe that Walton remains an asset and has done a good job with the Lakers. Both believe he has been working hard and a lot of the disappointments that have struck the Lakers are beyond anyone's control, The Mercury News reported.

"Honestly I wish the best for him in terms of the future because who knows what will happen, but he’s a great coach. Anybody would be lucky to have him leading their team,” said Curry.

"There’s just so many ups and downs that you have to be relatively even-keeled in this position, otherwise you’re just going to wear yourself out, so I think Luke has done a good job of just keeping poised and keeping his team playing, and just handling all of the storms that has been thrown their way," added Kerr.

Aside from Curry and Kerr, James has also come out to defend Walton. LeBron pointed out how injuries and suspensions left Walton short on resources. The three-time NBA champion is also confident that the Lakers would have performed better had key personnel been fit during their campaign, Manila Bulletin Sports reported.

“As you said, control what you can control and you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt. I think he played the hand as well as he could,” said James in an interview with Spectrum Sportsnet television.

Should Walton get the pink slip from the Lakers, he is not expected to be jobless for long. Several teams have expressed interest in him and potentially with better resources at his disposal.