2015-16 Los Angeles Lakers

[Retroram52]

Well, keeping B. Scott would make sense if he would have delivered on his "great defense" promise but that hasn't materialized. He has developed the young core to an extent but his offense is completely a cluster eff job. Nobody plays defense and offense is inconsistent at best. Much of short Buss's tenure has been a total nightmare. I think Jeanie is going to come knockin' sooner rather than later. The three-year proclamation is due!

 

[Retroram52]

In fact, under B. Scott, defensive efficiency has been a league worst for his entire tenure.

 

[trojanfan12]

Well, keeping B. Scott would make sense if he would have delivered on his "great defense" promise but that hasn't materialized. He has developed the young core to an extent but his offense is completely a cluster eff job. Nobody plays defense and offense is inconsistent at best. Much of short Buss's tenure has been a total nightmare. I think Jeanie is going to come knockin' sooner rather than later. The three-year proclamation is due!

In fact, under B. Scott, defensive efficiency has been a league worst for his entire tenure.

That's my complaint with Byron. I really have no problem with him not coddling the young guys and making them earn what they get, that will make them better professionals in the future.

However, there needs to be some kind of defense played. They are pretty good on ball defenders, but once the ball starts moving they get lost, lose focus and/or don't communicate. That was okay earlier in the year because they were still learning, but there has been no measurable improvement over the course of the season.

Offensively, while they are fairly inconsistent, they generally score enough points that if they could improve the defense from terrible to slightly below average, they'd probably have doubled their win total and none of us would care about the lottery because of the obvious improvement.

 

[Retroram52]

I agree TJF12. For some mystery of a reason, B. Scott just can't get these guys to play defense and hasn't the entire time he has been with the Lakers as HC. Even Kobe doesn't play much D.

 

[trojanfan12]

I agree TJF12. For some mystery of a reason, B. Scott just can't get these guys to play defense and hasn't the entire time he has been with the Lakers as HC. Even Kobe doesn't play much D.

To be fair, Kobe is so old and broken down that he probably couldn't defend you or me.

I can only assume that what Byron and the players are saying, that they talk about and work on defense everyday, is true. The problem is, if that's the case, it's not translating onto the court.

I don't really hold last year against him because he barely had an NBA level roster. Once Randle and then Kobe went out for the season, he didn't even have that. He mostly had a bunch of guys who were trying to stay in the league, several of whom weren't coming back.

This year, he had the core of the Lakers future. Getting shredded on defense was expected for the first part of the season because they are so young. But at some point, there should be improvement and there hasn't been.

 

[trojanfight]

Tough to say. The sentiment, at least from Jim Buss, seems to be that they take into consideration the rosters he's had and the Kobe farewell tour and give him another year.

However, there is a pretty big backlash against him from fans and once the season is over and there's no more Kobe farewell tour to distract them, that backlash is likely to only get louder.

The problem is, who do they go get? Luke would be my first choice, because he's a young coach who would be developing a young roster. But he's largely unproven.

Thibs would be my 2nd choice, he'd immediately improve the defense (something Byron was supposed to do, but hasn't). But he's not exactly known as a guy who develops young talent.

If I'm the Lakers FO, I'm sending out feelers to Luke and Thibs to see what their level of intetrest might be and I'm sending out feelers to top FA's like KD to see what their feelings are on Byron, Luke and Thibs, then act accordingly.

True. IMO with so many other coaching jobs open they don't have time to get into their feelings over Byron Scott and a prolonged decision. Certainly don't want to be asking free agents in July who they would like to play for. I think some of these other teams Knicks, Brooklyn etc, will make moves shortly after the season. If not days before it

 

[trojanfan12]

True. IMO with so many other coaching jobs open they don't have time to get into their feelings over Byron Scott and a prolonged decision. Certainly don't want to be asking free agents in July who they would like to play for. I think some of these other teams Knicks, Brooklyn etc, will make moves shortly after the season. If not days before it

I agree. I don't want to see a situation like we had when Byron was hired, where the Lakers go into FA not knowing who the coach is going to be. Imo, it would be better to just keep Byron than to do that. At least potential FA's would know who's going to be coaching them.

And when I say put their feelers out, I mean right away. I agree that the Knicks, etc. will be looking to make moves real quick.

 

[trojanfight]

Sources: Russell tapes Young, opens Lakers rift

 

[Retroram52]

The season can't end fast enough for a lot of reasons. Saying good-bye to Young is one of them.

 

[tomodach10]

The season can't end fast enough for a lot of reasons. Saying good-bye to Young is one of them.

Ram i could not agree more. This season cant end soon enough. Goidbye for good Young.

 

[lasportzphan]

Sources: Russell tapes Young, opens Lakers rift

The Jim Buss Era.... Where poor upper management completely erodes the confidence of the youth and any sense of team unity.

Various Lakers officials are aware of the issue and are dismayed with Russell, sources say, but to this point they have chosen not to intervene.

"Right now," one source said, "they're handling it by isolating him."

Austin Brown, Russell's agent from Creative Artists Agency, declined to comment when reached Tuesday.

Said one team insider: "This was a prank gone wrong and a mistake by [Russell], and he has to be held accountable, but I would hope he isn't overly criticized for it."

The emergence of the video, sources said, has been the talk of the locker room for the past several days and has led to a tangible strain between Russell and some teammates.

At a recent breakfast meeting, one source said, no Laker would sit with Russell at his table. The source added that, in another instance, Russell came into the locker room and sat next to guard Lou Williams, who got up and walked away.

"It's bad," one team source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. "It's about as bad as it can get. There were trust issues already. Now there's no trust."

 

[trojanfan12]

This is why, even though there is plenty to criticize Byron for, I never criticized him for his tough love approach and when he said Russell was immature and kept pointing out that he's only 19.

Now it's up to Russell to make amends and deal with whatever his teammates decide needs to happen to him like a man. If he does that, this will likely go away fairly quickly.

The fact that much of the roster is set to turnover will help as well.

 

[lakersrule]

I guess we can expect 8 more lackluster efforts to finish the season. Well done Russell (and Byron).

 

[Retroram52]

Yea, this stuff is now getting out of hand. Russell will receive his sentence in-house but there it will effect any team unity in sech. All this losing does have its consequences.

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

I did not like the pick to start with, and this makes it worse.

you cannot do what he just did and ever expect your teammates to trust you again. and this doesn't just affect the guys on the team now, it affects every FA that may come in as well.

even if he profusely apologizes for this incident, it will always be in the back of players minds ( present or future ), and this kind of thing does affect what happens on the court.

 

[trojanfan12]

Well, despite all of the gnashing of teeth by everyone NOT on the Lakers, this seems like it's going to be over fairly quickly.

D’Angelo Russell Situation | HoopsHype

According to Mike Bresnahan, Russell apologized and Young accepted the apology. I'm sure Russell still has some penance to pay, but it seems the worst of it is over already.

 

[Retroram52]

Yep. Mr Russell is going to learn a difficult lesson even if the target was Nick Young.

D’Angelo Russell: ‘I am sorry I recorded that video’

 

[Retroram52]

We are hanging with Miami only being down by 8 in the early third.

 

[Retroram52]

Now we are up by two with 2 and change left in the third. This is interesting.

 

[trojanfan12]

Judging by how they're playing, looks like they've out the video thing behind them already.