Yesterday, I linked to a story in the LA times that discussed Byron Scott’s potential interest in coaching the Lakers. Scott recently inked a two-year contract extension that will keep him in New Orleans through the 2009-2010 season. Lakers coach Phil Jackson’s contract expires in 2010 as well, and Jackson has hedged recently when asked to assess the odds of him remaining with the Lakers past the 2010 season.
When asked point blank if he would like to coach the Lakers, Scott didn’t hide his feelings:
“I’m going to be honest, yeah, I thought about it a lot,” Scott said. “That’s home for me. That’s an organization that will be embedded in my heart for the rest of my life.”
Scott finished the last of his 14-year career playing for the Lakers in 1996-97, after spending three years away with two other teams.
Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher were rookies.
That makes the Lakers’ job all the more interesting for Scott.
“I played with them, so yeah, I can never sit and tell you, ‘No, I’ll never think about that,’ ” Scott said. “Yeah, I thought it, a bunch of times.”
Scott helped lead the New Jersey Nets to consecutive NBA Finals appearances before leading the Hornets to a 20-game turnaround in 2005-2006. Scott guided New Orleans to an 18-game improvement last season and was named the Coach of the Year for his efforts.
The Lakers would be hardpressed to find a more promising successor for Jackson. But even if Jackson decides to call it quits in 2010, Scott has one big factor working against him, and it’s through no fault of his own.
He doesn’t know the triangle offense.
No big deal you say, Scott knows what he’s doing offensively?
Very true. But consider that Kobe Bryant will be a 32-year-old 14-year veteran that has played in one offense in ten of his fourteen years in the NBA. Bryant criticized the triangle often during Jackson’s first go-around with the Lakers. Kobe felt that the offense was constricting. But when Rudy Tomjanovich implemented a fastbreak scheme in 2004-05, it was reportedly Bryant that urged Rudy T to reinstitute some triangle sets so that Kobe could be afforded familiar spacing in the halfcourt.
Would Bryant be open to change this late in his career? I have my doubts. Especially if the Lakers continue to enjoy the success they’re having now.
And as Charley Rosen pointed out, the “intricacies” of the triangle take years to master.
The head coach has to know all the intricacies of the offense, either by being involved with it as a player or diligently studying it with either Jackson or Winter. Even though Tex’s book, The Triple-Post Offense, is an invaluable guide, there has to be some kind of hands-on education for the particulars to be thoroughly mastered. When Quinn Buckner coached Dallas, he had his lead assistant, Randy Wittman, read the book as a prelude to installing the triangle — but the specifics remained elusive.
All things considered, I think Lakers assistant coaches Kurt Ramis or Brian Shaw are more logical choices, at least while Bryant is in uniform. Rambis and Scott have studied the triangle with Jackson. They know how to teach its subtleties.
But make no mistake, it’s a matter of when, not if Scott returns “home” to the Lakers.
