Lakers Need Right Coach To Lure Free Agents Successfully For Next Season
By Keith Rivas
If things don’t shape up soon for the Lakers, Byron Scott has to take the blame and move on.
There’s always room for change in the game of basketball — whether that change is good or bad is usually up to the facilitator.
In the case of the Lakers, head coach Byron Scott is the go-to guy for major decisions reflected on the floor, bench, and even the locker room.
When it comes to succeeding with the team that they have in place at the moment, the only person that should ever take major criticism for the style of play is the coach.
While yes, the coach is obviously not responsible for every single play, good or bad, that doesn’t diminish their responsibility when it comes to the approach the team has at any given point in the season.
The sarcasm by ESPN’s Steve Mason on Twitter speaks for itself:
On the flip side in Los Angeles is the perfect example of a strong-willed yet understanding coach in Doc Rivers of the Clippers.
Just recently, Rivers was named the Western Conference coach of the month for the month of January after the Clippers went a team-best 11-3 in that particular stretch.
To add to that, Rivers has his team going at just the right speed to keep pace in the Western Conference as the playoff picture better develops in the second half of the season.
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Quite different tone, don’t you think?
While it’s hard to imagine that the Los Angeles Clippers will catch up to the San Antonio Spurs or Golden State Warriors, there’s still hope that they can bump Oklahoma City from the third seed position.
Something like that would give them unprecedented confidence in the post-season no matter who their opposition turned out to be.
Also, Byron Scott has no excuse just because a lot of his team is full of younger players.
Doc Rivers has been doing excellent without his best player, Blake Griffin, to the point where the team is legitimately considering trading him and surely disciplining him upon his return.
Which might not even come until playoff time.
Also, having Byron Scott manning the ship might be a reason for guys like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, or even Kevin Love to turn down any offers the Lakers put in front of them.
Because they know better than anyone just how far having a good coach goes.
For the Lakers to not let another potentially epic free agency window slip away, they may have to take a second to look in the mirror before they start chasing around and making offers.
Bottom Line: LA should say bye to Byron.
Because if they don’t fix Byron Scott’s focus and attitude problems with the team, the only thing they’ll be chasing is the wind.
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And we know how well Lakers fans will take that when it comes.