LA Lakers: One Step Closer To Nowhere
By Keith Rivas
The LA Lakers continue to let Byron Scott roll the dice.
With seemingly no perspective on how serious the consequences could be, Byron Scott has decided to put future Los Angeles super stars D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle on the bench, per Fox Sports.
Demotions aren’t usually something to take lightly in professional sports, and they usually only happen for good reason.
An example of a good demotion can be seen in a recent NFL situation involving the Cleveland Browns and first-round draft pick Johnny Manziel.
Manziel is notorious for his partying lifestyle, and got caught red-handed in a straight-faced lie to the Browns organization.
Their response? Immediate demotion from the starting position to third-string.
I think he got the message loud and clear.
What we’re seeing from the Los Angeles Lakers continues to make less and less sense as the season progresses.
Byron Scott’s line of thinking appears to be trying to rejuvenate his guys with something new.
Oh, you were waiting for the punch line, too?
Glad I’m not the only one.
If anything, what would honestly help the Lakers most at this point is cutting Kobe Bryant‘s playing time.
Yes, he’s a Lakers legend, that’s not up for discussion — but are his bogus shots and even uglier shooting percentage really helping anything?
The short answer is the as blunt as you might think — no.
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It’s been said a million times before, but I’ll say it again because sometimes it’s nice to hear the truth.
The rookies and new guys only learn their true role with room to grow and the ability and opportunity that comes with a learning experience.
Scott is really good at keeping both Russell and Randle on a tight leash, and it seems that the more this all plays out the more there is an underlying conflict of interest.
In place of the two young guns, Lou Williams and Larry Nance, Jr. will get the starting roles.
I guess starting bench players and benching the future of the team is new, though, isn’t it?
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The majority of the Lakers’ December games will be played away from Staples Center, starting with their trip up north to Minnesota tomorrow night.
Adding insult to injury, this is a storied franchise who is barely doing any better than the atrocious Philadelphia 76ers.
Some would argue that the team would’ve been better off picking up Jahlil Okafor in the draft, but the problem with that idea is that the issue of Byron Scott’s approach aren’t fully addressed.
And until Scott gets rid of this train wreck of an ideology, the team will only continue to suffer on a daily basis.