The writing seems to be on the wall for Byron Scott's tenure with the Lakers.
The second-year coach is expected to meet with Los Angeles general manager Mitch Kupchak and/or executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss to explain his thought process on how he is developing the team's young players, according to The Los Angeles Daily News.
Kobe Bryant Making Coaching Decisions For Lakers, Making Byron Scott Expendable
Scott has benched the team's top draft picks the last two years in D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, and he had given aging star Kobe Bryant free reign over the offense while often benching Russell in the fourth quarters of games.
In fact, it wasn't until Bryant told Scott to let the young Lakers finish their game Wednesday night with the Timberwolves (a 123-122 overtime win for Minnesota), that Scott gave his young players a chance to show what they can do together during crunch time.
D'Angelo Russell Gives Spot-On Impersonation Of Kobe Bryant Shooting Air Ball
"The Lakers are not happy with the persistent losing, obviously," the Daily News reported. "But Kupchak and Buss sympathize with Scott on handling what one team source called 'a no-win situation'" -- referring to dealing with Bryant's retirement respectfully while allowing the young players on the Los Angeles roster to mature through extensive playing time.
Before the season, Buss, who created pressure for himself by announcing publicly that he'd have the Lakers back among the elite teams in the NBA by the 2016-17 season, said he thought the team had turned the corner with the talent it added during the offseason.
But the 3-20 record is the team's worst start ever, and discussions about Scott's future are in terms of a more immediate time period, rather than playing out his four-year contract that ends after the 2017-18 season.
"But Byron Scott still has enough support from Kupchak and Buss that he is expected to coach through the rest of the 2015-16 season, according to team sources familiar with the situation," The Daily News reported. "With Scott signing a four-year, $17 million deal last summer, the Lakers plan to evaluate his future once the 2015-16 season ends, according to a team source."
Not a ringing endorsement for the former Laker who was supposed to bring back a championship aura to the franchise when he was hired before the 2014-15 season.
Another former Laker-turned-coach, Luke Walton, helped Golden State start the season 23-0 as interim coach and would be a big target for the Lakers in the offseason if they decide to make a change.
Scott may survive this season, but there seems to be less and less evidence that he'll return next season.
For more content, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN or LIKE US on Facebook
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
