[BleedGreen808Participant]

 ESPN posted an article talking about the Lakers trying to balance developing the young guys and playing Kobe.  In yesterday’s game Byron Scott moved Russell and Randle to the bench because he felt the team needed a change.  When asked about why he moved them to the bench and he said this:

"The biggest thing for those two right now is to understand how to play with their teammates," Scott said. "This is more of a team sport, so I need them to learn how to play off each other and not with the ball all the time as well."

Isn’t that what they’ve been doing by standing around while Kobe takes a majority of the shots?  I understand this is Kobe’s last season but Byron refuses to do anything about some the shots Kobe is taking but is quick to pull the young players with Russell in particular.  This team is going nowhere so why isn’t Scott getting them the minutes to learn how to play through mistakes?  

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14319952/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-balancing-act

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

trying to save his job with getting more wins (which is ironic cuz his current "plan" is failing) and really give the fans what they want even if it means kobe taking 30 shots and making 5.. i really dont know if the lakers are tanking or not

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 I don’t understand this.  I have heard a lot of people say that this is what the fans want to see.  I know it’s not what Laker fans want to see.  Perhaps you could make an argument for it being what the fans in whatever arena they are playing on want to see.

But Laker fans?  Not most of them.  Kobe could retire tomorrow and I wouldn’t care.  That’s how much his selfishness has rubbed me the wrong way this year.

He is missing more shots a game than Randle or Russell are even taking.  And only missing one less than the best player on the team is even taking in Clarkson.

Scott is beyond worth talking about at this point.  There isn’t much more to say about him that hasn’t already been said.  His newest act of moving Randle and Russell to the bench, despite back to back 15 and 11 games from Randle, and only playing them roughly 20 minutes last night is a new low.  

The second he is fired Lakers nation will rejoice.  I have never seen something like this in professional basketball.

At least Mitch finally spoke up in a press conference last night.  And though he was indirect you could kind of get what he was pointing at.  Basically saying we need to see what we have with the young guys which is a subtle way of saying, not sure what the &$#%#&@! coach is doing.

It’s also a good sign to me of Russell kind of taking a jab at Kobe saying there was a lot more ball movement playing with the 2nd unit.

Nick Young was benched last time he questioned the offense and "one player" shooting alot.  Will Russell get a DNP next game?  If so we can be assured that Scott is swallowing the Mamba gravy… willingly… and enjoying it.

Russell was also asked if he felt the Lakers had faith in him as a peice of their long term future… he responded with "Every once in awhile, but not really".  

I have a feeling it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets even slightly better for the Lakers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[he_gets_bucketsParticipant]

 You obviously dont go on social media very often- if you say much as SUGGEST Kobe is doing wrong by the team on any Lakers social media the Kobe mob comes out in full force to rip you a new one and tell you all about how he carried them to chips so hes entitled to this. The smart Laker fan obviouslt doesnt like this but the very vocal minority is what gets its voice heard

[he_gets_bucketsParticipant]

 You obviously dont go on social media very often- if you say much as SUGGEST Kobe is doing wrong by the team on any Lakers social media the Kobe mob comes out in full force to rip you a new one and tell you all about how he carried them to chips so hes entitled to this. The smart Laker fan obviouslt doesnt like this but the very vocal minority is what gets its voice heard

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 I don’t understand this.  I have heard a lot of people say that this is what the fans want to see.  I know it’s not what Laker fans want to see.  Perhaps you could make an argument for it being what the fans in whatever arena they are playing on want to see.

But Laker fans?  Not most of them.  Kobe could retire tomorrow and I wouldn’t care.  That’s how much his selfishness has rubbed me the wrong way this year.

He is missing more shots a game than Randle or Russell are even taking.  And only missing one less than the best player on the team is even taking in Clarkson.

Scott is beyond worth talking about at this point.  There isn’t much more to say about him that hasn’t already been said.  His newest act of moving Randle and Russell to the bench, despite back to back 15 and 11 games from Randle, and only playing them roughly 20 minutes last night is a new low.  

The second he is fired Lakers nation will rejoice.  I have never seen something like this in professional basketball.

At least Mitch finally spoke up in a press conference last night.  And though he was indirect you could kind of get what he was pointing at.  Basically saying we need to see what we have with the young guys which is a subtle way of saying, not sure what the &$#%#&@! coach is doing.

It’s also a good sign to me of Russell kind of taking a jab at Kobe saying there was a lot more ball movement playing with the 2nd unit.

Nick Young was benched last time he questioned the offense and "one player" shooting alot.  Will Russell get a DNP next game?  If so we can be assured that Scott is swallowing the Mamba gravy… willingly… and enjoying it.

Russell was also asked if he felt the Lakers had faith in him as a peice of their long term future… he responded with "Every once in awhile, but not really".  

I have a feeling it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets even slightly better for the Lakers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

trying to save his job with getting more wins (which is ironic cuz his current "plan" is failing) and really give the fans what they want even if it means kobe taking 30 shots and making 5.. i really dont know if the lakers are tanking or not

[ballislyfe25Participant]

Byron Scott is clearly the worst coach in the league. His "schemes" are outdated and ineffective and don’t really play to the strengths of any player on the roster. Despite having two young guards and a power forward with handles who want to get out and run, the pace is rediculously slow. In the half court, Russell and Clarkson can both get into the paint, run the pick and roll, and spot up from three, yet Scott has them run robotic sets that inevitably end up in isolations. 

Literally, the only upside to keeping him around is that it will increase our odds of keeping the top 3 protected pick. He is hampering the development of Russell and Randle, who actually play well despite Scott’s awful coaching, and I hope he doesn’t make it to the All-Star break. He does not deserve to be a head coach in the NBA. Time for him to go.

[ballislyfe25Participant]

Byron Scott is clearly the worst coach in the league. His "schemes" are outdated and ineffective and don’t really play to the strengths of any player on the roster. Despite having two young guards and a power forward with handles who want to get out and run, the pace is rediculously slow. In the half court, Russell and Clarkson can both get into the paint, run the pick and roll, and spot up from three, yet Scott has them run robotic sets that inevitably end up in isolations. 

Literally, the only upside to keeping him around is that it will increase our odds of keeping the top 3 protected pick. He is hampering the development of Russell and Randle, who actually play well despite Scott’s awful coaching, and I hope he doesn’t make it to the All-Star break. He does not deserve to be a head coach in the NBA. Time for him to go.

[I CALLED GAMEParticipant]

 I agree with each one of the top four post. B. Scott is doing a horrible job at coaching and player development. I believe its time for the Lakers front office to pull the plug on Scott and target coaches  like Luke Walton or Mark Jackson or Tom Thibodeau a coach that understands play the young guys.

[I CALLED GAMEParticipant]

 I agree with each one of the top four post. B. Scott is doing a horrible job at coaching and player development. I believe its time for the Lakers front office to pull the plug on Scott and target coaches  like Luke Walton or Mark Jackson or Tom Thibodeau a coach that understands play the young guys.

[TarHeelRavenParticipant]

 I thik Thibs would be great in LA.  Someone needs to step in and command some respect in Lakerland and have the entire team be held accountable.  Thibs is as tough as they come and he holds everyone accountable on the devensive end.  He could come in with a fresh start for the Lakers and would have young guys in Julius Randle and Russell to build around. 

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

Thibs also not known for playing the young guys. They should look for a young coach with fresh ideas (like Stevens at Boston), pair him up with a veteran assistant who earned his stripes and let the new coaching staff sit down with Kobe about his role.

The thing with Kobe is that he always tries to win, and the game plan for that always used to be him shooting the ball. However, with him getting older its hard for him to suddenly change his game plan and start shooting less. Not saying he cannot do that (he’s shown he can play the passing game), but its just not in his nature to do so.

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

Thibs also not known for playing the young guys. They should look for a young coach with fresh ideas (like Stevens at Boston), pair him up with a veteran assistant who earned his stripes and let the new coaching staff sit down with Kobe about his role.

The thing with Kobe is that he always tries to win, and the game plan for that always used to be him shooting the ball. However, with him getting older its hard for him to suddenly change his game plan and start shooting less. Not saying he cannot do that (he’s shown he can play the passing game), but its just not in his nature to do so.

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 Yep, Thibs is a solid coach.  But nobody on this Lakers roster fits what he will want to do.  It will be the same results as their last 3 coaching hires.  

I have made it known that my top choice would be Luke Walton, but would he even consider the job.  Since he technically isn’t stacking up wins on his record this year as an interm.  I doubt he would want to start his career in a Brett Brown type manner.  Basically digging yourself a hole you will never get out of.  Brett Brown will have to be a sensational coach for the majority of his career to even get back to .500.  Not saying that he cares about that but, I mean… he has to a little bit right?

The Lakers need something fresh.  Walton would be my top choice.  He’s young, smart…. unfortunately he’s not stupid so the odds of him taking the Lakers jobs are slim.  Obviously he is working with a stacked team in the Dubs, but you can still see that he will be a pretty good coach.  

My next option would be Kenny Atkinson of the Hawks.  Known around the league as a great player development coach.  Clearly understands the new game.  But again, you are asking two assistants to leave pretty damn good situations to come to the Lakers.

Thibs would be an obvious upgrade, but still not what the team needs.

A team like the Lakers should be using their significant income advantage to take advantage of things like Front office positions and coaches/training staffs.  I’ve said this a million times.  It doesn’t count against the cap.  

Would Thibs turn down the highest paying assistant job in the league?  Scoring 2 of the 3 coaches above would be ideal.  They have the resources to do it.  Unfortunately they don’t have the ingenuity or creativity to think so abstract as using their financial leverage to stack their coaching squad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 Yep, Thibs is a solid coach.  But nobody on this Lakers roster fits what he will want to do.  It will be the same results as their last 3 coaching hires.  

I have made it known that my top choice would be Luke Walton, but would he even consider the job.  Since he technically isn’t stacking up wins on his record this year as an interm.  I doubt he would want to start his career in a Brett Brown type manner.  Basically digging yourself a hole you will never get out of.  Brett Brown will have to be a sensational coach for the majority of his career to even get back to .500.  Not saying that he cares about that but, I mean… he has to a little bit right?

The Lakers need something fresh.  Walton would be my top choice.  He’s young, smart…. unfortunately he’s not stupid so the odds of him taking the Lakers jobs are slim.  Obviously he is working with a stacked team in the Dubs, but you can still see that he will be a pretty good coach.  

My next option would be Kenny Atkinson of the Hawks.  Known around the league as a great player development coach.  Clearly understands the new game.  But again, you are asking two assistants to leave pretty damn good situations to come to the Lakers.

Thibs would be an obvious upgrade, but still not what the team needs.

A team like the Lakers should be using their significant income advantage to take advantage of things like Front office positions and coaches/training staffs.  I’ve said this a million times.  It doesn’t count against the cap.  

Would Thibs turn down the highest paying assistant job in the league?  Scoring 2 of the 3 coaches above would be ideal.  They have the resources to do it.  Unfortunately they don’t have the ingenuity or creativity to think so abstract as using their financial leverage to stack their coaching squad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TarHeelRavenParticipant]

 I thik Thibs would be great in LA.  Someone needs to step in and command some respect in Lakerland and have the entire team be held accountable.  Thibs is as tough as they come and he holds everyone accountable on the devensive end.  He could come in with a fresh start for the Lakers and would have young guys in Julius Randle and Russell to build around. 

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

 Byron is a joke.

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

 Byron is a joke.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Any Lakers media statement from players, coaches, or management always comes with many hidden agendas, smokescreens, sideshows, or gimmicks. I just can’t follow it.

 Fact is he benched them and Kobe is still taking bad shots. Now if your going to search for an official Byron Scott statement explaining why he has stupid coaching methods you’ll probably get a stupid statement. That doesn’t change the fact that he is the worst coach in the league.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Any Lakers media statement from players, coaches, or management always comes with many hidden agendas, smokescreens, sideshows, or gimmicks. I just can’t follow it.

 Fact is he benched them and Kobe is still taking bad shots. Now if your going to search for an official Byron Scott statement explaining why he has stupid coaching methods you’ll probably get a stupid statement. That doesn’t change the fact that he is the worst coach in the league.

[ExumInfernoParticipant]

 There is probably a real plan here, try to keep their pick and be among the three worst teams.

They keep their very high pick, have more money than anyone to spend, next season they could be much better.

Maybe the Lakers want Randle and Russell to learn to play with who will be their next year, which are the current bench players.  Bryant is retiring, Hibbert is a free agent, Lou Williams may not be part of the future, so Randle and Russell learn to play with each other as the main part and get mroe shots off the bench.

Or maybe Scott has no plan or idea, and he won’t be there next year either.

Not sure where Huertas fits into any plan.

 

 

 

 

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

Huertas is great… leading contender for the honorable Shaq’tin-award 😉

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

Huertas is great… leading contender for the honorable Shaq’tin-award 😉

[ExumInfernoParticipant]

 There is probably a real plan here, try to keep their pick and be among the three worst teams.

They keep their very high pick, have more money than anyone to spend, next season they could be much better.

Maybe the Lakers want Randle and Russell to learn to play with who will be their next year, which are the current bench players.  Bryant is retiring, Hibbert is a free agent, Lou Williams may not be part of the future, so Randle and Russell learn to play with each other as the main part and get mroe shots off the bench.

Or maybe Scott has no plan or idea, and he won’t be there next year either.

Not sure where Huertas fits into any plan.

 

 

 

 

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

 If I was a Lakers hater, I would love to see this team on pace to having the worst record in the teams history, then strip what little confidence from thier young players away just to appese the ego of a man that is keeping the team from competting, while their "loyal fans" get excited about them losing for a 25% chance at them getting Ben Simmons (best cast seniario) or a coin flip of them giving up thier pick all together.

this would be the perfect senario, if I was a Lakers Hater.

 

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

 If I was a Lakers hater, I would love to see this team on pace to having the worst record in the teams history, then strip what little confidence from thier young players away just to appese the ego of a man that is keeping the team from competting, while their "loyal fans" get excited about them losing for a 25% chance at them getting Ben Simmons (best cast seniario) or a coin flip of them giving up thier pick all together.

this would be the perfect senario, if I was a Lakers Hater.

 

[HitsterParticipant]

Byron must be concerned about his job and having been considered as a coach who could develop players, he hasn’t really done much with Randle and Russell IMO.

If Thibs went into the Lakers, he’d get the defence working, Big Roy Hibbert would become engaged, MWP would totally buy into his mantra. I know Thibs didn’t play young guys at the Bulls but at LA with a young line up he’d have less choice.

If the Lakers did sack Scott then I guess they would look to get Luke Walton but I doubt GSW would release him mid-season with Steve Kerr’s back issues.

Mark Jackson would be a decent choice as he has a proven record of developing younger players and whilst he may not be seen as a guy who can take a team to a title, he can certainly help a rebuilding team improve and get them back into contention.

Russell also isn’t helped with KAT, Okafor or Porz all having better seasons than him so far either. KAT was off the board when the Lakers took Russell but fans still compare their stats etc

[HitsterParticipant]

Byron must be concerned about his job and having been considered as a coach who could develop players, he hasn’t really done much with Randle and Russell IMO.

If Thibs went into the Lakers, he’d get the defence working, Big Roy Hibbert would become engaged, MWP would totally buy into his mantra. I know Thibs didn’t play young guys at the Bulls but at LA with a young line up he’d have less choice.

If the Lakers did sack Scott then I guess they would look to get Luke Walton but I doubt GSW would release him mid-season with Steve Kerr’s back issues.

Mark Jackson would be a decent choice as he has a proven record of developing younger players and whilst he may not be seen as a guy who can take a team to a title, he can certainly help a rebuilding team improve and get them back into contention.

Russell also isn’t helped with KAT, Okafor or Porz all having better seasons than him so far either. KAT was off the board when the Lakers took Russell but fans still compare their stats etc

[MopgrassParticipant]

 I think Byron has this flipped around. Unit 2 should be the ball stopper unit.

PG Lou Williams SG Nick Young SF Kobe PF Brandon Bass C Roy Hibbert

Unit 1 should be the guys that can run:

PG Russell SG Clarkson SF Larry Nance PF Randle C Tarik Black

I’m not so sure about the Larry Nance as a SF part (maybe Anthony Brown). Either wY, the ball moves and the young guys get to run and gun together. 

[MopgrassParticipant]

 I think Byron has this flipped around. Unit 2 should be the ball stopper unit.

PG Lou Williams SG Nick Young SF Kobe PF Brandon Bass C Roy Hibbert

Unit 1 should be the guys that can run:

PG Russell SG Clarkson SF Larry Nance PF Randle C Tarik Black

I’m not so sure about the Larry Nance as a SF part (maybe Anthony Brown). Either wY, the ball moves and the young guys get to run and gun together. 

[Author]

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