Byron Scott Discussion 2015-16 - FIRED!!! (PAGE 172)

^ I know we're biased here being Lakers fans but NY as the probable best option? No freaking way. Fisher just got chucked out of there and Carmelo is headed to the down side of his career. Plus the scrutiny of the NY fans and Phil overlooking all your moves? There was a reason Steve Kerr turned that job down and Luke would be wise to do the same if we offer him the gig.

They really undersold the opportunity here which I think is his best shot. We're coming off of three terrible coaching tenures in a row with Boron gifting us the two worst records in franchise history. There is nowhere to go but UP in a big time manner. And the Lakers have always had Luke's back. I'm not one to say he owes us something . . . but he owes us something! Mitch gave him that insane 6 year contract extension while he was a player. Time to come on home Luke.

 

The Lakers is still the best job on the market. Why?

Well #1 obviously is that they'll pay well AND they'll give you a long leash. The only coach who might have had a short leash was Mike Brown, but we gave D'Antoni and Byron plenty of time to either fix things or get out.

#2 We've got at least 3 great young players to foster and grow.

#3 Despite the market and the team, there's absolutely zero expectations of greatness from the fan base. With Walton we'd expect modest growth and I don't think that's so bad. In NY you'd be expected to make the playoffs and win a round or two.

#4 We're not afraid to spend if it means winning. Sarver is absolutely terrified.

#5 As bad as our FO is, we're not as bad as the gangster Russian who owns the Nets.

#6 Familiarity and family feel. bringing Luke in would be what Byron was supposed to be. Even if all he does is let the kids grow and showcase themselves, that's already better than Byron so we'll all be fine with that.

 

People are kicking us when we're down, but this could get turned around REAL quick and become a premiere job. If we get that #1 pick and sign (gulp) Whiteside and Batum...All of a sudden we are:

Russell/Clarkson
Batum/Clarkson/Swaggy Pee
Simmons/Swaggy Pee
Randle/Nance
Whiteside/Black

In a couple years, that could be a juggler knot.

 

To be fair we're also one of the league's best offenses recently which is totally random to me.

In February we were 7th in Offensive Rating.

We were also dead last in Defensive Rating.
Third to last in Net Rating (behind Philadelphia and Phoenix by a wide margin)
Dead last in Assist Percentage and Assist Ratio.
Ninth last in Assist to Turnover Rate.
Fifth to last in TO ratio.
Eighth to last in eFG%
Sixth to last in Pace.

We lost the 2nd most games in February by winning one more game than the Knicks, Sixers, and Suns (the Suns have zero wins in Feb.)

 

I'm all in for Walton. In the past I'd be pushing for Thibs because I think he's a defensive genius. However, this is not a Thibs roster nor do I see it becoming one next year. We don't have a bunch of vets who have gone deep into the playoffs and are looking for that magic scheme to go all the way. Thibs would have been a nice fit for OKC, IMO, instead of Donovan. We're young and if we keep the pick we're even younger.

We need a new look, a new style and for the first time in ages, I'd like a coach with a more well rounded approach who isn't stuck on one side of the ball. Thibs is defense only. Brown was defense only. 'Antoni obviously offense only, no D in the name. And Boron . . . well he's not a good coach for anything at all except tanking.

Another thing I like about Walton is his pedigree. He's got basketball knowledge in his genes. We've done pretty well with the second generation thing thus far, i.e. Kobe Bryant, Larry Nance Junior, Ryan West. And I'm a fan of other second gen guys like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Luke just strikes me as a guy who was built to be a coach. He has the mindset, the IQ and the overall demeanor. He's a good communicator from what I've seen as well, too, unlike Boron.

 

There's definitely something poetic about Luke growing as a coach with our guys.

 

I agree with almost everything Real wrote. I think Lakers fans expect 30+ wins next year and playoffs the following season. Those lofty expectations aren't long dormant.

 

I agree, but barring some unforeseen fantastic roster additions this summer (Durant), the expectations in LA will be modest for at least a year. I consider somewhere around 30 wins to be fairly modest given the kind of talent we have on the roster.

Even if we added Derozan, I wouldn't consider our expectations to be THAT high given the crapfest we've watched for the last few years. Definitely the pressure grows as time goes on, but that's true no matter what city you're coaching in.

 

We need to get rid of Scott first before we worry about his successor.

There are plenty of options...PLENTY. Just get rid of Scott a day after the regular season, I mean the tank-a-thon is over.

 

Yeah. Luke isn't our only option. Thibs is out there. Ollie might be willing to come in here now. There are options other than Luke. With the way Randle and Clarkson play defense, Thibs might be a better choice.

 

I'd rather have Thibodeau when we have an actually competitive team. Right now, I want a guy who I trust to build a modern concept around our young guys. To me that's Luke Walton. Thibodeau is a guy who can take a good team and make them great. We need a guy who can take a bad team and let them grow.