After two seasons, Byron Scott's bumpy ride as Lakers head coach has come to an end. Scott was fired by the Lakers on Sunday night, the team announced.
Lakers fire head coach Byron Scott
The Lakers are officially in the market for a new coach.
The move was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Scott, who spent 11 seasons playing in Los Angeles and was a part of three championship teams, was hired by the team in 2014 to replace the deposed Mike D'Antoni. Scott had spent the previous season calling Lakers games on TV after being fired by the Cavaliers in 2013.
In Scott's first season at the helm the Lakers won just 21 games. They then drafted D'Angelo Russell with the No. 2 pick, and signed Roy Hibbert, Lou Williams and Brandon Bass in the offseason. But this year the team didn't show any on-court improvement. The Lakers finished just 17-65 this season.
“We would like to thank Byron for his hard work, dedication and loyalty over the last two years, but have decided it is in the best interest of the organization to make a change at this time,” Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement released by the team.
The downfall of Scott, who led the Nets to the finals in 2002 and 2003 and was named Coach of the Year when with the Hornets in 2008, can be tied to his failure to adopt some of the NBA's modern principles along with his blind loyalty to the aging Kobe Bryant.
Scott over the past year has been quoted as saying that he “doesn’t believe” in analytics and that he prefer his teams avoid shooting three-pointers. He’s also allowed Bryant to shoot whenever he wants from wherever he he wants without repercussions for much of the season.
Another issue for Scott has been how he's dealt the Lakers' two most recent first-round picks, Julius Randle and Russell. He's repeatedly benched both players, sometimes without explanation. With Bryant and Scott each now gone, the Lakers are officially ready to transition the franchise into its next era.
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Alternate History: What if the Hornets never traded Kobe to LA?
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