Byron Scott Fired by Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott's tenure with the Lakers has ended after a woeful 2015-16 campaign.
The Lakers announced they fired Scott on Sunday.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical initially reported the news.
While this doesn't come as a surprise, it seemed Scott could be retained by the franchise as the season came to a close. On April 13, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported that Scott had "what one source described as a 'major chance' to stay with the Lakers; [Lakers president] Jeanie Buss is said to be pushing for Scott behind the scenes."
On March 15, Bleacher Report's Howard Beck reported that a theory he was hearing around the league suggested the Lakers would keep Scott for one more year, "just in case [Phil Jackson opts out of his contract with New York] and returns to L.A. and wants to pick the coach."
Beck reiterated that it's just a theory and there was "no indication that [Jackson] has any inclination to leave [the] Knicks or return to L.A. to run [the] Lakers."
On Feb. 8, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN (h/t Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk) reported on what he was hearing regarding Scott's job security:
"I’m hearing he’s gone if Luke Walton wants to come in and take the job next season, that if he wants to do that, that obviously they would move beyond the Byron Scott era and bring in Luke Walton, that Luke Walton, however, as much as he loves the Lakers and California, may not find that to be an attractive job unless they position themselves to acquire somebody like a Ben Simmons. That is what I have heard.
I have also heard that it’s very, very possible that Jeanie Buss is going to keep her word and fire her brother Jim Buss—thank the good lord—and that Mitch Kupchak may very well not be safe as well.
How definitive that is remains to be seen. But that is the chatter in NBA circles.
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In his second and third seasons as an NBA head coach, Scott guided the Nets franchise to consecutive NBA Finals appearances. He was also rewarded with Coach of the Year honors in 2008 with the New Orleans franchise.
While it may be hard to question Scott's resume in light of those achievements, he hasn't really had a great run of it of late when it comes to developing teams in rebuild mode. Scott was given three seasons to turn the Cleveland Cavaliers around but had an abysmal 64-166 record.
Scott has once again struggled to bring along a young team, posting a 38-126 record in two seasons with the Lakers. Dynamic forward Julius Randle and skilled rookie guard D'Angelo Russell have both been inconsistent and have yet to emerge as leaders.
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com hinted at Scott's treatment of Russell in particular when weighing in on the coach's future:
Part of the problem has been the overshadowing presence of Kobe Bryant, who played his final NBA season and also made it difficult for the Lakers to acquire talent due to his huge contract.
It's a tricky situation for Los Angeles to evaluate as it tries to determine who the best coaching fit is for the post-Bryant era.
