ANAHEIM, Calif._All through training camp, Luke Walton insisted he just didn't have the time to think about how cool it was to be the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Even just one hour before the Lakers played the Sacramento Kings in their exhibition opener Tuesday night, the butterflies hadn't hit.
Then he walked out onto the court at the Honda Center in Anaheim with his former teammate and now assistant coach Brian Shaw, and for a moment he let himself feel just how much this meant to him.
"It was awesome," Walton said after the Lakers' 103-84 win. "It really _ once the game starts you don't ever think about it again, but walking out there next to B-Shaw was a pretty special feeling tonight."
The even-keel demeanor that his players have come to expect returned almost immediately. He shared a laugh with former teammate Jordan Farmar, now a guard for the Kings, then turned his attention quickly to the task at hand.
An emotional moment turned into just the next step in the learning process, the next teaching opportunity he'd have for the young team he's charged to revitalize.
"Luke is as cool as they come," Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. said. "That's something we all love about him. Whether the game's going frantic or we need to pick it up, he's going to be that rock. Somebody we can look to, to keep us levelheaded. Whether he had butterflies or not, we couldn't tell. He did a terrific job of hiding it."
His demeanor didn't change when the Kings opened with an 8-0 run against a Lakers starting lineup of Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, Timofey Mozgov, Luol Deng and Lou Williams. It didn't waver when big man Tarik Black's defensive energy and transition game helped bring the Lakers back from a 19-point deficit, or when he gave the team its first lead of the game with 10:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.
While his players celebrated, Walton kept thinking about the fundamentals he'd taught and what remained to learn. The Lakers will get a day off on Wednesday _ their first since training camp began _ then return to practice Thursday.
"We knew he was destined for something like this," Farmar said. "He has a great basketball mind, and his ability to deal with people is amazing ... . He is unbelievably charismatic, he cares about people, he knows the game, he's fun to be around, and all that translates into being a good coach in this league."
