As the days without Kobe grow, so does the days where the Lakers have Byron Scott as their head coach. When I talked about Byron expected to be head coach for at least another year, the information I got from that screamed laziness. The Lakers organisation are still dysfunctional, they don’t want a head coach hunt on their plate so they’re just going to stick with Byron.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has talked about Scott and will have some informal meetings with Byron Scott and discuss the future.
“All I anticipate is some informal meetings and moving on from there.”
“I know he’s hoping that he coaches here forever, but a lot of times what we do is we’re really preparing for the next GM or the next coach. That’s tough sometimes,” Kupchak said. “It does take time to develop young players. We’ll know in two or three years how effective Byron was as a parent to the young guys on this team.”
Though Kupchak said it “remains to be seen” how the Lakers’ young players responded to Scott’s direct and critical coaching style, the Lakers’ general manager observed Scott had “total and complete respect.”
“Byron runs a tight ship,” Kupchak said. “Byron makes sure players are where they need to be. They’re ready to practice. Practices are organized. You better be rested if you practice for the Lakers. You better be ready to work if you’re going to practice for the Lakers.”
Ooooo Laker fans imagine a Lakers where Byron Scott is having a Gregg Popovich kind of reign? Where he’s the boss and the only time he won’t coach is when he retires after 15-20 years.
That’s a parallel universe I’d like to be in for a day. But in this universe, the Lakers will most likely have Byron Scott for another season, whether Mitch Kupchak will hook him up with another deal remains to be seen.
