The Los Angeles Lakers fired Byron Scott on Sunday night, ending a relationship which was doomed almost as soon as it began. Scott’s inconsistent track record made him an odd choice for the high-profile Lakers job as his resume didn’t exactly scream ‘capable.’
Scott’s career started brightly, as he enjoyed almost immediate success in his head coaching career. After a rough first season, Scott took the Jason Kidd-led New Jersey Nets to back-to-back finals in the early 2000’s. It was a huge surprise when he was canned midseason with the Nets leading the Atlantic. As what would become a common theme in his career, Scott lost the room and wasn’t respected by his players. As such, the Nets parted with him – a move largely rumored to be orchestrated by Kidd – despite the odd circumstances.
The 55-year-old didn’t wait long for his next job. The New Orleans Hornets came calling the very next season.
Scott’s first year with New Orleans was a disaster. The Hornets lost a franchise-worse 64 games, but what spawned from the wreckage was Chris Paul. The Hornets made small rises in each of the following campaigns as the roster improved, but Scott’s squad still posted three consecutive losing seasons. With Paul in his corner, Scott led the 2007-08 Hornets to 56 wins, making the West Semifinals. This was Scott’s individual peak. He was the Coach of the Year, the cream of the crop. He was lauded for turning the Hornets into contenders when really a better coach could have taken them even further. Like most of his success, it didn’t last. The Hornets would be bumped from the first round in 2008-2009, and just nine games into his sixth season with the club, Scott was axed. Why? *puts on record* Scott lost the room.
Scott once again threw himself into the fire, accepting a job with the Cleveland Cavaliers the following season. This was a bad decision. The Cavs just lost LeBron to the Miami Heat and lacked talent. Scott was brought in to control the damage, but instead, he inflicted more. Scott’s Cavs finished with 64 wins in three seasons, constantly finishing in the lottery,and becoming the laughing stock of the NBA. For a team which was rebuilding, Cleveland showed little progress in the three years under his guidance. Scott was canned and he bitched about how he wasn’t given a fair chance when really, three years was far too many.
That brings us to the present and Scott’s tenure with the Lakers. After eight straight winning seasons, Los Angeles imploded under Mike D’Antoni, the shell of former MVP Steve Nash and an injured, declining Kobe Bryant. Things were bad, but they got much, much worse when the club decided hiring Scott could be a solution. Scott lost a staggering 61 games in his first season with the Lakers, once again setting a franchise marker.
Scott entered 2015-16 as a fully loaded tank. The Lakers knew they were awful and let Scott have full reign. What resulted was a blood bath. He didn’t play his star youngsters much to their confusion, routinely called out his players in the media, and oversaw a complete mess of a locker room. Scott was a pro at completely losing his team. The Lakers broke Scott’s franchise record, losing a mind-bending 65 games. They weren’t just bad, they were Byron Scott bad. Los Angeles would win a total of 38 games in his two Lakers seasons. That seems impossible, especially when you’re trying.
The question remains: Will Scott find another NBA gig after this one? Honestly, I don’t know. His resume, especially recently, is total garbage. Scott’s won 102 games in the last five years. He’s made the playoffs twice in his last 12 full seasons, making it past the first round just once. I’m not sure a GM sees that and thinks “that’s the guy we want leading our team,” unless they’re intentionally pulling a 76ers-like tank.
When you look at Scott’s successful seasons, there’s a common ingredient: a star point guard. Scott’s had generational talents with Kidd and Paul. Despite that, he’s done nothing with them. No rings, no respect. He’s barely pushing a .400 record in his coaching career and that number is dwindling with each new season. He’s the M. Night Shyamalan of coaching, only there’s no twist – he’s always bad.
Scott’s a lousy coach and there’s hard evidence to prove it. There’s no incentive for a team to give him another chance, because frankly, he doesn’t deserve it. If an NBA team wants to hire him, it’s their funeral.
