Los Angeles Lakers rumors: Byron Scott wants long contract to coach?
By Bryan Rose
Unless a move is made in the coming days, the Los Angeles Lakers will have been void of a head coach for three months. It was expected by many that a deal would have been completed by now but for whatever reasons, there is still nobody steering the Lakers ship.
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A handful of candidates were interviewed for the position though many have either moved on or have been unofficially removed from the search. One name who has continued to linger however is former player Byron Scott.
Scott of course coached the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets to the NBA Finals on multiple occasions and is a favorite of Kobe Bryant. So why are the two sides struggling to find middle ground? Might it be over contract concerns?
That’s a potential line of reasoning from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders who hints Byron Scott may want more years on his contract so he won’t get fired after the Los Angeles Lakers ‘re-build’.
.@otts_thoughts: why is it taking the Lakers so long to name a coach? ---> surely working on length and amount of contract.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) July 23, 2014
.@otts_thoughts: ---> my bet is Byron wants long-term deal to get through rebuilding. Lakers likely unwilling to do a five-six year deal.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) July 23, 2014
It’s a smart move by Scott as there have been reports suggesting the Los Angeles Lakers are only looking to hire a head coach for the short term. That’s not exactly something that Scott or many big name coaches would have interest in as they certainly don’t want to invest their time during the Lakers down seasons only to be kicked to the curb if/when things improve.
That’s not to say the two won’t be able to agree on a deal assuming they’re both interested as previously reported, but each side has their concerns and contractual wishes.