LUKE WALTON- Exit Interview.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Exit Interview: Luke Walton

The interview began with everyone giving Walton a little crap when he entered the room carrying a bunch of envelopes and papers, plus two home jerseys.

Luke Walton: (Laughs) They gave me my mail. They said, "Get out! We don't want to see you again!"

Q: You only have a yellow jersey? What about a purple one?

LW: No, they kicked me out before I could get my hands on one. (Laughs)

Q: How did your meeting go?

LW: It was alright. We just kind of talked about how disappointed we all were at how the season ended. And not just in the playoffs, but just the way we were playing for those last couple weeks and into the playoffs.

Q: Were the playoffs a disappointment for you personally, considering you were heading into a contract year?

LW: Yeah, but not on that level. They were a disappointment to me because it's what we play the whole year for. It's the best time of the year and to be playing at a level, I didn't think we were playing nearly as well as we could have or should have been playing. That's frustrating as a player, when you play this long together with the same team and you can never really get that chemistry going that you need to win. It's why I was mainly disappointed.

Q: Do you want to come back here next year or do you plan to look at all your options?

LW: I definitely gotta look at all my options. Like I said before, in a perfect world, I'll be back here in L.A. You're only a free agent once or twice in your career, so I definitely have to go out there and see what else is available.

Q: The struggles you had throughout the series against Phoenix, how much of that do you put on health and how much do you just say, "I may have had a few bad games, period?"

LW: It's tough to say how much it is, because you tell yourself you're fine and you mentally get ready for each game, but obviously, when your body won't let you do things that your mind is telling you to do, things that you think you should be able to do, it makes it frustrating. And when you play a good team like Phoenix, where they just run and run and run, it's tough to not be able to compete at the level that you prepare yourself to play at.

Q: I don't know if you heard, but after the Game 5 loss, Kobe singled you and Lamar Odom out and appreciated how you both played through these injuries. How does it feel to hear that?

LW: Kob told me the same thing after the game yesterday. I didn't know he had said that publicly, but you know, it's bittersweet. It's nice to hear, but it still doesn't help that I feel pretty crappy about the we ended this year.

Q: What about L.A. appeals to you?

LW: Everything. I grew up in San Diego, right down the street. I love the Laker franchise. It's the best from top to bottom. From what I've heard from other guys around the league, guys on my team that have played other places, it's the best run franchise around. I love the people out here. I love my teammates and the coaching staff. There's not really too many negative about L.A.

Q: Maybe the smog? The traffic?

LW: Traffic? I live in Manhattan Beach. We practice in El Segundo. (Laughs)

Q: When you say you're looking at your options, are you talking about dollars. Situation? What are you looking for?

LW: Everything. It's not just money. It's not just the number of years I can sign for. It's gotta be a good situation for me. A team that plays the right way. A team that wants to win a championship. It can't just about money, otherwise the rest of your life might suck. A whole package type of thing.

Q: As somebody who's been here for a while, do you feel like this team is further along than when you first got here?

LW: Well, it's tough, because when I first got here, they had Shaq and they just got done winning championships. Then we hit rock bottom, everyone left and we lost 19 out of 22 games. Now I definitely feel like we're going in the right direction again. I don't think we advanced as much as we'd like to this year. I think last year at the end of the year, we really had a lot to build on. And early in the year, it looked like we had built. We had gotten better as a team and we were going to start competing for championships again and then we kind of got hit by the injury bug and it was all downhill from there. We're definitely in the right direction, but it would be nice if we made some bigger strides this year.

Q: Having played with Kobe for a while, how hard is it to see him voice frustrations?

LW: The thing with Kob, which makes him such a great player, he's the best competitor in the league. He won't lose. He hates losing. It is frustrating. It's frustrating for me. It's frustrating for all the guys, but Kob won those championships, so it's gotta be that much harder for him and it's just one of those things where you know he's pissed off a lot of those times when he's talking. He knows that everyone's giving it his all. I don't think he's trying to be negative towards us. He's just frustrated with losing.

Q: How far away from being a contender do you think this team is? Phil mentioned being one player away.

LW: Yeah, I don't think we're far away at all. I think, with the team we have right now, if we were playing basketball the right way, the way it's supposed to be played, we'd be able to compete with all these teams a lot better. As far being an NBA champion, we might just be one player away. It might be all we need, but basketball is funny. On paper, you can have a great team and you're not any good. Unless you actually get the guys together and they're willing to play on the same page, willing to do it all for each other, that's the only to ever really know if you're able to win a championship or not.

Q: How's your ankle right now?

LW: My ankle's fine. I've had plenty of ankle injuries before. It's just tough in the NBA. You play so many games that you don't ever get a chance to get it back to full strength.

Q: But no surgery?

LW: No. I'll just take a couple weeks off. Get it strong this summer. A little beach volleyball will strengthen it up. (Laughs)

Q: In terms of your game, what specifically are you looking to improve?

LW: Everything. I think what I bring to the table is that I'm an all-around basketball player and in the summertime, obviously, I focus on my shooting the most, when I'm doing my workouts. I run 2-3 miles a day and try to do everything I can to be a better player. It's not just one thing I go into the off-season and try to be better at.

Q: Did you get a sense in your meeting about whether the team would like to have you back?

LW: Yeah. Definitely. Besides them giving me my jersey and my mail and kicking me out, it was an alright feeling. I'm pretty sure they like me around here. They know I'm a team guy that wants to win. There's never any reason to get rid of guys like that, so I don't see any reason why they wouldn't want me back.

Q: Will you bring any offers you get back to the Lakers?

LW: Yeah. Definitely.

Q: Do you plan on being active in the process or are you going to let your agent handle most of it?

LW: Yeah, I'm definitely going to be involved with it. This is where I'm going to spend the couple years of my life, so I'm not gonna let him go out and try to (just) get money, so he can get a bigger cut if it's some town I don't wanna be in. (Laughs) It's definitely a thing I'm going to be very involved in.

Q: What type of situation are you looking for? In terms of where you'd fit best?

LW: I guess they told me I'm not supposed to talk about any (specific) teams. But just teams that are competing for championships. Teams that have good coaches. I like motion offenses, as opposed to isolation. Just different little things like that will be the teams I'll have my agent go out and try to get a hold of.

Report card:
The end of Walton's season garnered most of its headlines for news that he wasn't dating Britney Spears- Luke's got a steady lady, but it's nice knowing if things go bad, a post-rehab, head-shaved wacko on a public rebound from this guy remains an option- but the early ink was all about his improved play.  Phil Jackson expected to use Billy Boy's to spell Vlad Radmanovic, but Cat Stevens' training camp began on a lousy note and he never picked up his game.  In the meantime, Luke bumped his stats in just about every major category and his November was ridiculous from behind the arc.  And when Lamar Odom went down, he did a solid job picking up some slack.  The additional heavy lifting caused by Kwame Brown's simultaneous absence eventually took its toll on Walton, who began struggling before suffering his own ankle injury.  Upon returning, his now-slower step (combined with a bad finger) conspired to crap up his playoff series.  He remains a defensive liability and is likely better served coming off the bench.  But there's no arguing his value as a role player (considering how the team struggled almost immediately after he began watching games in civvies), especially in a system like Phil Jackson's, which caters to his strengths.  I think Luke is smart enough to realize that he wouldn't thrive on certain teams and all indications seem to point towards him resigning with the Lakers.  Assuming the dough's not outrageous, good news for both parties.  And good news for Britney, who could use a local source of inspiration during this difficult time.  Final Grade: B-

[Bay Area Jat]

you think hes gonna be back wit the lakers next year?

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

^^I hope so...But then again, I have a feeling he's gunna get some good offers this off-season. I just hope we don't overpay.

[wcsoldier]

I hope he'll be back... but in a six man role...

[Bay Area Jat]

^^I hope so...But then again, I have a feeling he's gunna get some good offers this off-season. I just hope we don't overpay.

the lakers aren't working wit much money to sign players huh?

[GangstaBoogy]

He'll be back. The triangle really completes his talents.

Is Smush Parker's exit interview out yet?

[Teddy Roosevelt]

^^I hope so...But then again, I have a feeling he's gunna get some good offers this off-season. I just hope we don't overpay.

the lakers aren't working wit much money to sign players huh?

Not really. But he'll probably be back.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

I hope he'll be back... but in a six man role...

I agree...Though he'd get the starting gig on many other teams.

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

Luke is a nice player but he'll be better as a back-up..he can't play defense, he's to slow....Lakers need to go sign G.Wallace form the bobcats.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

LOL. With what money?

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

JW traded players to get Shaq...there's always a way..stop being such a dickriding homer..

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

You said Lakers need to SIGN Gerald Wallace, shithead.

[Stone Cold is Bout It, Bout It]

Fucking idiot...JW Traded players so he could have more money to sign shaq..I'm Pretty sure you've read that in one of your little Lakers books   ...Stop making excuses for the front office..there's always away to improve the team....you stupid piece of shit HOMER!! 

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

And how are we gunna get that space? Trade Odom for some draft picks? THANK GOD you're not the GM.