L.A. Lakers Rumors: Byron Scott Calls Lakers Roster Soft, Close To Being Fired?
L.A. Lakers rumors about Byron Scott getting fired have surfaced again. Scott, the current Lakers coach, saw his team get beaten badly on Friday night, October 30. The 132-114 loss to the Sacramento Kings included the Lakers giving up 80 points in the paint. It was 74-50 by halftime and the Lakers looked bad in every facet of the game.
Following the loss, Scott had quite a few things to say about his Lakers’ team. Included in those comments was Scott calling the team “soft” in its approach to defense.
“We just sucked. Simple as that. Defense is obviously a big concern. Transition defense and lack of effort, also. We just didn’t come with a focus tonight for whatever reason at the start of the game.
“Again, we started off real soft. They started off real aggressive. They came up, they picked us up 94 feet. We were careless with the ball. From that point on, it seemed to go downhill.”
The loss already drops the Lakers to 0-2 in the current NBA standings. After losing the season opener to the Minnesota Timberwolves (112-111), fans had been hoping for more from the team against the Kings. Instead, the Lakers got out-rebounded 56-37, allowed the Kings to shoot 51.5 percent from the field, and committed nine turnovers. The sloppy play has furthered the L.A. Lakers rumors about Byron Scott possibly getting shown the door soon.
After posting a 64-166 record as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the front office decided to move in a different direction. Despite winning just 27.8 percent of the games there, the former L.A. Lakers All-Star got a job with a familiar franchise. During his first season (2013-14) in charge, the Lakers went just 21-61. With a 0-2 start to the current season, the Lakers don’t appear to be making the necessary steps for a playoff return.
The Lakers have a lot of young players on the roster now, with Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance, Jr., giving the franchise a good core. The team still hasn’t gelled, though, and it doesn’t appear that former NBA MVP Kobe Bryant is helping the situation. It’s not just toughness that the team seems to be missing, as the lack of chemistry is a problem that has carried over from the preseason games. The Lakers posted a 3-5 record during those preseason games, at times looking like the team might be able to put up some regular season victories. That hasn’t happened yet.
The Lakers next play the Dallas Mavericks on November 1 and the Denver Nuggets on November 3. Both games will take place at Staples Center, with each opponent also 1-1 so far this season. It could be too early for these games to be called “must-wins” for the Byron Scott, but for the L.A. Lakers rumors about his job being at risk, the team has to start putting games in the win column.
Regarding other rumors that Kobe Bryant might try to take over the team in order to get back to the playoffs, he refuted that thought. A report from ESPN.com quotes Bryant when asked whether he will take over the Lakers again.
“Can’t do it. Got to let them develop. It’s difficult. But it has to be done. I’m really wanting to let the young guys, especially D’Angelo, let him call the game. Let him call the game. Let him organize the game. Let him read the game. Let him read the flow. Let him make those decisions.”
While Bryant may be making the right move for the future of the franchise, the short-term growing pains of playing with so many young players could become very pronounced. It will also force the front office of the L.A. Lakers to decide whether or not Byron Scott is the coach who can help this team succeed in the long-term.
[Photo by: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
