In reality, Luke Walton had no chance. Zip. Zero. Zilch. This dysfunctional, unraveling mouse trap known as the Lakers, LeBron's Lakers, stenciled a job-sinking bulls-eye on the back of his snappy sideline suit.
You've heard of win-win situations? Well, Walton found himself on the other side of that competitive coin _ the lose-lose.
The undertaker clearly is pulling on his boots and reaching for a shovel. A headline on "The Ringer" promoted "The Search for LeBron James' Best Head Coach Match," while prominent online gambling services have listed Tyronn Lue, Jason Kidd and Mark Jackson as more likely to coach the Lakers next season than the person who still owns the job.
The whole thing was built for Walton to wilt, whether he deserved the blame piled his doorstep. If the Lakers roared from the gates, it would have been because of LeBron and his singular talents. When the Lakers tumbled into the win-loss abyss ... cue Walton, of course.
If they jelled, it would have been the settling veteran presence and team-building mojo of King James. When the roster threw sparks like a toaster in a bathtub, it was the inability of Walton to apply the right amount of cohesive glue.
The Lakers _ Magic-built, LeBron-guided with pedigree galore _ are tied with the lowly Knicks for the most woeful current skid of any team in the NBA, four games. One of those losses came against 15-win Phoenix, an indignity that caused fan-celeb Snoop Dogg to unleash a profanity-laced video that offered up his box seats the remainder of the season for $5.
Those wheels wobbling off the Staples Center axles come at a time when the Lakers should have been playing their best basketball, fighting for a playoff spot that would have muted the angst and anger.
In the last 10 games, they've won just twice. No one in the league has managed less with more on the line.
Without LeBron, the Lakers still would have been a mess _ an even bigger steamer of disorder, in on-court ways _ but it would have been Walton's team to guide and shape. There would have been patience. There would have been an understanding of what was possible and, more importantly, what wasn't.
When someone nicknamed "King James" arrives, you hand over control _ and the car keys. That left Walton to hold onto the bar like he was trying to hug the rails of the world's most unpredictable sports roller coaster in an AMC Gremlin.
Add in a season filled with roadblocks and corrosive undercurrents and Walton found himself even more marginalized. LeBron's camp reportedly pushed to have Walton fired and attempted to manipulate a possible trade for Pelicans star Anthony Davis.
Factor in James missing 18 games with a groin injury and his tweet to recently fired former coach Lue, "You know how to contact me if you need me" and the hits just kept on coming.
All of it, minced in a blender, meant Walton's new mailing address became the corner of Ineffective Avenue and Undermined Court.
Coaching the Lakers is tough enough. Coaching a free-fall Lakers team, even tougher. Coaching a collapsing Lakers group that trots out the most famous player on the planet with a $154 million deal and the exorbitant expectations that follow, nearly impossible.
The Lakers already are a Rubik's Cube with seven sides: They average more points, rebounds and steals, shoot a high 3-point percentage and commit fewer fouls and turnovers ... on the road.
That's just a hint at the crushing demands of playing at home, in front of a fan base desperate for the days of, well, anything but this. Toss in a messy locker room, injuries to both point guards, a bigger-than-life star and the lack of a real outside shooter _ the Lakers are second-worst in the league from 3 _ and it's a formula for a coaching search.
Walton, unfortunately, will need to have his resume at the ready.
As I wrote last July, when the Lakers signed LeBron: "Before, patience. Now, expectations. Before, a long leash. Now, short-attention-span theater. ... James isn't the kind of player you coach. He's an unmatched combination of skill and basketball IQ with whom you partner."
That partnership, for myriad reasons, many beyond Walton's control, never materialized.
That isn't to say Walton remains blameless. It's his job, fair or otherwise, to mop up the mess and make all those crazy purple puzzle pieces fit. He's supposed to massage the right egos, butt-kick the wrong ones and develop chemistry this team clearly never found.
Walton was able to bottle that magic when he filled in for Steve Kerr with the Warriors. That type of cohesive, roster-wide bond previously existed, however, with a galaxy of talented and proven stars who already knew Walton and his methods.
Once LeBron was inserted into the Lakers rebuild, though, it transformed into a win-or-else scenario. Big stages usually offer two things: big opportunities and, many times, big problems.
No one understands that better than Walton.
