With every game that goes by the Los Angeles Lakers look more and more ridiculous by hanging on to possibly the worst coach in the NBA, Byron Scott, while Kobe Bryant continues to do whatever he wants to on the floor, even if his shelf life expired a long time ago.
The latest comment from Scott, who seems to be more about trolling the media and the fans by standing by Bryant’s side no matter how badly he plays while criticizing the s@#% it out of the younger players without showing any inclination to help them become the actual leaders of this team, just shows how bad it is for the Lakers if their head coach can’t stop sticking by a player who has done more damage than good for a number of years now.
According to Mark Medina, Byron Scott argued that Kobe “has earned the privilege” to take the shots he’s taking.
So according to Scott, Bryant can do whatever he wants to on the floor because he’s been great in the past. He can take 22 shots a game (which he did in their most recent loss) and make just six of them and it’ll be fine. Not because it’s what’s best for the Lakers. Because he’s earned the right. As if this season is all about making Bryant comfortable as he heads into retirement. There was the same sense last season, of Scott accommodating Bryant’s every whim, while letting the team crash and burn without giving a damn about anyone.
Another interesting point in how bad Bryant is, and how awful Scott is as a coach by letting him get away with his defense (you’ll see in the next video) and for stinking up the joint offensively by ignoring teammates and his own limitations (via an Andy Bailey tweet): There’s been 774 individual seasons in which a player averaged 16 FGA. Kobe Bryant’s 2015-16 TS% ranks 774th. Curry’s ’15-16 TS% ranks 1st. Yay for Curry, but that’s besides the point.
The ownership doesn’t seem to care. Either from incompetence, as the younger Buss generation is taking the most prestigious brand in the NBA and run it to the ground, or simply through explicit tanking (even more than the 76ers!!!), waiting for the Bryant nightmare to end, and letting Scott finish the job of losing as much as possible before hiring someone who actually knows what he’s doing.