Walton Languishes in Second Season, By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
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Luke Walton leaned forward in the chair at his locker and stared down at the purple carpet in front of him, his eyes fixated a few feet from the Laker logo in the center of the room.
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"I'm trying to deal with it," he said. "It's a first for me. Hopefully I'll get my chance one of these games."
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Walton's second pro season has been markedly different from his first. Laker followers still roll his name off the ends of their tongues whenever he enters a game, but Walton's production and playing time have fallen.
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He is averaging one point, one assist and eight minutes a game in what could be his last season as a Laker. He becomes a restricted free agent in July, free to leave if the Lakers do not match an offer from another team. He is making $620,000 this season.
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"I'd have liked to have been a Laker for a career, but I'm not looking that far ahead," Walton said. "I'm trying to solve this problem."
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Walton has been problem-solving since sustaining a sprained ankle in training camp, tumbling toward the bottom of an already overcrowded small-forward position.
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"The guys who really missed training camp are the guys that are playing catch-up," Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. "It's unfortunate because they've already proved they can play in this league to the coach who was here last year and the management that was here last year. But it's a new coaching staff and Rudy [Tomjanovich] came in with a blank slate."
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Kupchak met recently with Walton and power forward Slava Medvedenko, who has also lost playing time. Medvedenko is averaging 2.9 points and 5.4 minutes.
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"Normally over the course of a season it all works out," Kupchak said. "I know they're both frustrated and they want to play. I encouraged them both to stay ready and be a professional. That's all you can do."