Los Angeles Lakers fire head coach Byron Scott, Who's next?
The Los Angeles Lakers endured its most forgettable season in franchise history, but not without casualties. After Kobe Bryant's last game, the team finished with the second worst record in the league at 17-65. And when that kind of thing happens, the blame is usually put on the head coach. With that in mind and barely a week after the end of the regular season, the proud franchise decided to fire head coach and former player Byron Scott.
In an announcement made on Sunday, the Lakers said that Scott will no longer be returning as coach, something that may have been expected along the way. After guiding the team to a mediocre campaign last season, he couldn't make any difference this year.
At this point, it is unclear as to what direction the team is looking at. They have a very talented bunch of young guys to begin with, so it really wouldn't be a case of not having enough to build on. But at this very moment, the biggest question is who should the Lakers hire this time?
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Before discussing the prospects, the one thing that needs to be considered is the fact that LA will be a completely different team come next season. There no longer is a dominating figure in Bryant, which means that other players can finally come out of their shells and do what they want to show the impress the front office.
Well, every decision from here on out will be on the hands of president of basketball operations Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak. Both guys are responsible for what the Lakers have become today, but everything will be treated differently starting this summer because Bryant is no longer a part of the team.
Unlike other coaching vacancies in the NBA, the Lakers job is the one everyone wants. The prestige of leading one of the most successful franchises in the history of basketball is just too much to pass up. There are rumors that Golden State Warriors lead assistant Luke Walton is the frontrunner, although he also is being considered in New York. Other names are also being brought up by the Lakers in their search, including college coaching greats in John Calipari, Tom Izzo, and Roy Williams.
Since the head coaching job in Los Angeles is the most sought after gig, it is likely that the list of applicants will grow in no time.
