LA Times HONOLULU ? They were all glad to see Coach Phil Jackson back in the fold ? Devean George, Slava Medvedenko, even Brian Cook ? but the biggest beneficiary of the Jackson-Laker reunion might be Luke Walton. A gifted passer, Walton was mainly passed up last season, his minutes and points barely increasing after a relatively intriguing rookie season. He has had a strong camp here, making outside shots and continuing to show touch with his passes, a combination that might make him one of Jackson's five, along with Kobe Bryant, Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom and Chris Mihm. "He a guy that's a real key to our bench and, I don't know, he may be a starter," Jackson said coyly on Monday. "He just might be." Walton, who signed a two-year deal to stay with the Lakers after becoming a restricted free agent last summer, would play shooting guard, with Bryant moving to small forward, Odom running the point, Mihm playing center and Brown taking power forward. Walton played a similar position toward the end of last season and improved his output, nearly gaining a triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in a late-season loss to the Sacramento Kings. Overall, though, Walton's production and playing time never took that extra step last season after he sprained an ankle in training camp. He averaged 3.2 points and 12.6 minutes in 61 games. Source
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Walton, who signed a two-year deal to stay with the Lakers after becoming a restricted free agent last summer, would play shooting guard, with Bryant moving to small forward, Odom running the point, Mihm playing center and Brown taking power forward.</div> that seems like a real awkward lineup, forget fastbreaking with that group.
From what I seen Luke can play the point, and honestly I think he would be much better fit than McKie. The Lakers want an up-tempo game, and while neither McKie or Walton could preform well with that style of play, Walton is a better choice than McKie as far as that goes. He has excellent court vision and won't be looking to score. However, when it comes down to the wire, McKie must be in the game because you can't quite trust Walton just yet. Overall though, I truly believe he should be starting over McKie. Some people just don't know how much McKie has declined.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Avery:</div><div class="quote_post">From what I seen Luke can play the point, and honestly I think he would be much better fit than McKie. The Lakers want an up-tempo game, and while neither McKie or Walton could preform well with that style of play, Walton is a better choice than McKie as far as that goes. He has excellent court vision and won't be looking to score. However, when it comes down to the wire, McKie must be in the game because you can't quite trust Walton just yet. Overall though, I truly believe he should be starting over McKie. Some people just don't know how much McKie has declined.</div> Good point... Plus, Walton needs to get past that rookie mentality; it seems that he's still timid in parts of the game. But we could definitely benefit from his passing, he should get the oppertunity to build confidence on that part of his game; he should be playing more minutes...
I think once Walton returns from injury he will have a shot to play his way into the starting lineup. And that'll be good since he can pass real well.
