Los Angeles Lakers: Has Byron Scott Had A Fair Shake?

The Los Angeles Lakers may have given Byron Scott his fair share to rebuild.

If I asked a Los Angeles Lakers fan to say something nice about Byron Scott’s tenure, how many things could be shared?

When Scott became the successor to Mike D’Antoni, it was as if the Lakers front office sold their fan base the dream of dreams. The team had found someone to not only given it a tie to the roots of much of their past success, but getting a leader that commanded the respect of Kobe Bryant.

After all, the two were teammates during Bryant’s entrance into the NBA, which breeds a sense of irony as Bryant leaves in his final year.

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After two years and counting of the “Laker Way” being implemented, the team has only gotten lottery appearances out of the deal.  Barring a miraculous turnaround, the team seems to be headed in a similar direction. The 9-40 record that the Lakers sport isn’t surprising for the most part, but this team certainly should be much better.

When I say “better”, it’s a far cry from the Lakers threatening to be contenders out West, or even making a postseason run. Looking at the roster when D’Antoni left compared to their current cast leaves you scratching your head.

For example, Lakers fans witnessed lineups featuring Jodie Meeks and Kent Bazemore, respectively, compete with the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

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The worse part about Scott’s tenure is his management of players on and off the court. From benching both D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle to gluing Tarik Black on the bench, Scott’s ways are strange. To top things off, his comments regarding his young guys are often stinging:

Randle and Russell have to be commended for their strong wills, because this type of talk can be damaging for young guys.

Signing a former Sixth Man of the Year in Lou Williams and adding Roy Hibbert with Brandon Bass was expected to provide great veteran support. While Williams thrives, Bass and Hibbert rarely see the floor together. Even Mitch Kupchak has been shocked how awful the team has been this season:

"During his pregame press conference to talk about Kobe Bryant’s impending retirement, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak expressed surprise at the teams’ struggles. “We were hopeful we’d get off to a better start this year. I thought we’d be better than two wins into the season,” Kupchak told reporters, as transcribed by Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News."

Instead of showing resolve from last season, the team continues to float on just as worse. Most nights end up being the same show Kobe Bryant tribute videos and thrashings at the hands of the opponent. At some point, Scott has to take a look in the mirror and ask himself what’s really happening in Los Angeles.

Again, no expected Scott to turn this Lakers’ pumpkin into a beautiful horse and carriage, but the team just seems disconnected and without a direction.

Most coaches would certainly struggle balancing Bryant’s retirement and a young core’s development, but at the same time, they wouldn’t take many of the routes that Scott takes. The thick tension between young stars and your head coach would likely be non-existent.

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The temptation to run your 20-year veteran with a bum shoulder and Achilles into the ground wouldn’t burn within them.