Spoelstra: Walton 'the perfect guy' to coach LeBron, Lakers
Luke Walton has a vote of confidence from Erik Spoelstra after the longtime Miami Heat coach heaped praise on Walton's stewardship of the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James on Sunday.
"He's the perfect guy to coach that team. He has purple and gold bleeding from him," Spoelstra said, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "And if you look at his whole professional career, all of (it) he has been involved with ... teams like this with great expectations, with a lot of pressure and a lot of noise. He doesn't know any different."
James scored a season-high 51 points in his first visit to Miami as a Laker, leading L.A. to a 113-97 win.
Spoelstra recalled the scrutiny he felt coaching James, beginning in the 2010-11 season. Like Walton now, Spoelstra dealt with early-season questions regarding his job security after Miami began that campaign with a 9-8 record.
"I was just trying to not screw it up," he said. "And I was in survival mode. I didn't want to get in the way and I found a way to get in the way. And we lost (in the NBA Finals) our first year."
While expectations for this year's Lakers are much lower than those of the "Heatles", Spoelstra said Walton is the perfect bench boss for a team still developing around James.
"I don't think you can find a better fit to coach that team," he said.
LeBron's return tour continues in Cleveland on Wednesday against the Cavaliers.