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

It isn't supposed to make sense. It's especially confusing with Randle. If the point is to not give it to someone...that they have to earn it...why hand the starting job to a true rookie over a dude that is sort of a rookie, but DID work his a** off all last season trying to get better from an injury he suffered with your team?

 

The starting lineup tonight was so offensively challenged. Terrible lineup.

 

Anthony Brown isn't an NBA player right now. It makes no sense that he just jumps in there every few games when Kobe doesn't play. It makes absolutely zero sense.

D'Angelo and Julius, despite struggling with their off-the-ball defense, lead a huge run in the 4th so let's sit them down the last few minutes because.

Do the Lakers not practice trapping? The Sixers completely shut down our offense by just running simple traps. Our guys ran right into the traps and we're lucky the Sixers suck or we could have lost that game.

 

Well said, realdeal.

I'd really like to make it three wins in a row against Phoenix, an extremely winnable game with the way they are slumping (7 losses in a row). But if Byron coaches like he did last night and if Kobe's not back and we have to suffer through that starting lineup with Anthony Brown in there I don't see us getting the W.

Why in the world would you start a D leaguer rookie at the three instead of Nick Young or MWP? And only play guys like Randle 23 minutes and take him and Russell out at the end of the game? It just boggles my mind. That's the kind of stuff that really makes me wonder - how does Scott still have a job coaching like this?

 

Not just that, but his comments after the Boston game were terrifying. Despite the Lakers winning in Boston with the young guys playing well he said no lineup changes.

So what DO the young guys do to get into the starting lineup? Do they know? Are they supposed to be figuring it out on their own? Have they been told "once you start helping the helper defensively on a regular basis, I'll get you back in the lineup"? Or are they just expected to figure it out eventually?

Winning games doesn't do it. We're on our first win streak of the year and instead of looking at the young guys and crediting them for their hard work with more minutes, he says he's good with what we're doing?

The literal translation for Randle/Russell is: winning means you're staying on the bench.

 

Thank you Puffy! Agreed 100%.

 

Scott is old school, baby...old school!

 

From SI:

Los Angeles Lakers: Close the Byron Scott chapter.
Kobe Bryant’s retirement announcement was the best thing that could have happened to the Lakers, at least in the short term. It relaxed expectations for Bryant and his teammates, it shifted the focus off of a third straight terrible season to Bryant’s legacy, and it gave oft-maligned coach Byron Scott some badly needed cover. Every questionable decision from Scott – whether it was playing Bryant heavy minutes early in the season or, more recently, benching D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle – is now explained away with the, “Well, it’s Kobe’s last season” excuse. The veil has been completely lifted: Scott’s top priority has been Bryant, with everybody else ranking a distant second.



This approach, while somewhat understandable given the unique circumstances, puts Scott and the Lakers’ young building blocks in a tough spot after this season. After watching Scott build the entire show around Bryant, at the direct expense of their development, and Russell and Randle really supposed to trust that Scott is the right guy to oversee their formative years? After receiving the tough love routine this year, and seeing the Lakers fail so spectacularly, are Russell and Randle really going to be in a forgiving mood, much less an open-minded one? After playing for Scott’s fifth straight sub-25 win team, dating back to his Cleveland days, are Russell and Randle really going to buy in to whatever post-Kobe vision he decides to sell? Will they ever see Scott as anything besides “Kobe’s guy”?

Thinking through these questions is a bit cringe-inducing, isn’t it? The logical solution here is to part ways with Scott shortly after the season, thereby launching the post-Kobe era with a fresh-faced coach who can begin to form relationships with Russell and Randle without any lingering baggage. To get the most out of these lottery prospects, the Lakers need to make Russell and Randle feel like they are the organization’s most important pieces. While that obviously can’t happen this season, the transition must take place immediately once Bryant exits stage left. Scott will only get in the way.

 

Agreed. I think the three biggest names that the Lakers will consider are Luke, Thibodeau, and Brooks. Luke because he's young, fresh, a familiar face, and can grow with us. Thibodeau because he'd bring respectability back to a young team who desperately need coaching defensively. And Brooks because he's shown an aptitude for letting kids grow into themselves. Not to mention he's cool with KD which doesn't hurt.

I'm not a huge Brooks fan. I think he ended up relying on Durant/Westbrook way too much without fostering enough ball/man movement. Still, he's better than what we've got and I'd like to hear what he has to say.