PORTLAND, Ore – . – Luke Walton was trying to make a quick exit Tuesday night from a banquet honoring his father’s 1977 Portland Trail Blazers championship team, before a noted rim protector got in his way.
“Bill (Walton) was like, ‘No, I want you to go in there, say Hi to everyone,’” said David Lucas, the son of former Blazers forward Maurice Lucas, “and he put his foot down.”
Walton might be the first-year head coach of the Lakers, the youngest coach in the NBA and the big man around L.A. But in Portland, it’s no secret – or surprise – who makes the rules.