Byron Scott’s job as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers may be safe, but he still has some ‘splainin to do.
All previous indications are that Scott, who is in the second season of a four-year deal that’s guaranteed through 2016-17, isn’t in any danger of being canned, despite being at the helm of the two worst Lakers teams in franchise history. And that hasn’t changed now, even as he’s benched youngsters Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, according to the Los Angeles Daily News‘ Mark Medina:
But Byron Scott still has enough support from Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and vice president of player personnel Jim Buss that he is expected to coach through the rest of the 2015-16 season, according to team sources familiar with the situation. With Scott signing a four-year, $17 million deal last summer, the Lakers plan to evaluate his future once the 2015-16 season ends, according to a team source.
The Lakers are not happy with the persistent losing, obviously. But Kupchak and Buss sympathize with Scott on handling what one team source called “a no-win situation.”
That’s not exactly a ringing vote of confidence, but it does give Scott the freedom to coach as he pleases, without fear of consequence.
Or maybe not.
Medina continued:
The Lakers have granted Scott the autonomy to coach his team without interference. But Kupchak and/or Buss will likely meet with Scott next week after the team’s eight-game trip to gain a better understanding of his thought process on how he will develop the team’s young players, according to a team source familiar with the situation.
Someone’s in trouble. That’s how it sounds, anyway. Though playing time matters more than who starts and who comes off the bench, Scott’s decision to demote two of the Lakers’ three-most important prospects ranks as batcrap crazy. The kiddies need confidence and the freedom to perform and make mistakes and grow. The time to bench them, to worry about winning, is later.
And that’s something Scott doesn’t seem to have a complete handle on. He operates under this assumption that the Lakers aren’t supposed to be the second-worst team in the league, when, really, that’s exactly what they’re supposed to be. Kobe Bryant isn’t 25 years old anymore, and the Lakers don’t have the talent to compete for even a top-10 conference finish.
Difficult thought it may be, it’s best to just let this season run its course, feature the youngsters prominently without reservation and hope there’s a Ben Simmons-sized lottery prize awaiting at the end. And that’s probably what general manager Mitch Kupchak and Co. are preparing to tell Scott.
