Byron Scott doesn’t feel that the Los Angeles Lakers isolating point guard D’Angelo Russell is a problem that he needs to address as the team’s head coach.
Almost shamelessly, it seems that Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott is with the organization to help former star shooting guard Kobe Bryant ride off into the sunset in his final year as a player in 2015-16. Scott has wanted little to do with the interesting young corps in place with the Lakers and his most recent comments about the D’Angelo Russell situation leave no doubt in anyone’s mind where Scott’s head is at.
Scott told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes that he doesn’t feel the situation of Russell’s Lakers teammates freezing him out for his video debacle involving sixth man Nick Young is any bit his problem. The Lakers are isolating Russell because he decided to film Young and talk about to him about being with other women, despite Young being engaged to Australian pop star Iggy Azalea.
While Scott may feel differently about the situation since he probably knows that the Lakers won’t keep him as head coach next season, his young star point guard videotaping his sixth man — without consent — and prying about Young having an affair on his pop star fiance is something to at least be remotely interested in and cognizant of as the head coach of an NBA team. At least for now…
Though the Lakers are the worst incarnation of themselves probably ever in 2015-16, wouldn’t Scott at least try to present himself like he cares about his players who aren’t on a farewell tour? Russell maybe a future talent in this league, but his actions are dissolving any chemistry that the young Lakers may have.
It’s the head coach’s job to keep his team unified, and Scott’s comments prove that he’s frankly not interested in the long term growth of his basketball team. Scott may be gone at the end of the year, but this issue between Russell and his teammates may fester well into next season with a new regime at the helm.
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