Enough is enough

[trojanfan12]

I'm not talking about coddling the young players. Constructive criticism is fine, but Byron needs to quit saying all the bullshit he does to the press. He is not doing the team any favors by continually criticizing the youth to the press. It's been a season long trend. They aren't the only ones making mistakes, but they, especially Russell, are the target of all the Byron's negativity.

I mean Russell is finally playing some good aggressive basketball yet gets yanked and criticized for doing such late in a close game. Coach then calls him out to the press for being overconfident and borderline cocky. That's not called being held accountable. Now it's back to passive Russell.

.

I agree to a point. But let's face it, if a guy is going to get butthurt because he got criticized in the press, he's not going to last very long in the NBA. I would, however, like to see Byron point out more of the positives. Especially if he's going to talk about the negatives. A little more balance.

Having said the above, I disagree about him being called out for being overconfident/cocky. Saying that he's playing overconfident and borderline cocky, IS holding him accountable. There's a difference between being overconfident/cocky and being confident. Byron is basically telling him to dial it back down to being confident. Overconfident/cocky is how mistakes get made and bad habits formed.

 

[wildturkey]

I've got to admit, I don't know much about next years draft class. I hear good about Simmons but is it worth drafting him when we have Randle?

100% yes. Simmons is the best prospect since Durant imo. Only way he busts is if injury derails him. At worst he's a starter for 10+ years. That's his FLOOR. His ceiling is out of sight.

 

[trojanfan12]

I've got to admit, I don't know much about next years draft class. I hear good about Simmons but is it worth drafting him when we have Randle?

Yes. Simmons has the all around skill set that he actually projects to SF/PF in the NBA. Think of him as the next Lebron or as wildturkey says, Durant.

NBAdraft.net rates players on a scale of 1-10 on 12 different areas such as athleticism, speed, quickness, NBA ready, jump shot, etc. out of 120 possible points, they rated him with 102. His lowest scores were jump shot and post skills where he rated 7's.

 

[trojanfan12]

Here's a question for fellow Lakers fans:

If the Lakers land the #1 pick, do they draft Simmons and not go after Kevin Durant? Or do they draft Simmons, go after Durant anyway and maybe look to trade Randle since Simmons could play PF?

 

[lakersrule]

Here's a question for fellow Lakers fans:

If the Lakers land the #1 pick, do they draft Simmons and not go after Kevin Durant? Or do they draft Simmons, go after Durant anyway and maybe look to trade Randle since Simmons could play PF?

Draft Simmons and go after Durant. If the potential is there for an instant turnaround (i.e. sign two elite max FAs), Simmons would be one hell of a trade chip.

Pipe dream....but say they sign Durant and Whiteside. OKC might be a little weary of being able to resign Westbrook so they feel like it would be good sign to start to rebuild. Simmons and some other pieces could be enough to get Westbrook. Simmons would instantly give OKC someone to rebuild around. Meanwhile the Lakers are rolling with Westbrook, Durant, Whiteside, and some others. I like that.

If they are fortunate enough to land the #1 pick this summer, it will certainly open up other avenues for Mitch.

 

[lakersrule]

I agree to a point. But let's face it, if a guy is going to get butthurt because he got criticized in the press, he's not going to last very long in the NBA. I would, however, like to see Byron point out more of the positives. Especially if he's going to talk about the negatives. A little more balance.

Having said the above, I disagree about him being called out for being overconfident/cocky. Saying that he's playing overconfident and borderline cocky, IS holding him accountable. There's a difference between being overconfident/cocky and being confident. Byron is basically telling him to dial it back down to being confident. Overconfident/cocky is how mistakes get made and bad habits formed.

Yes, but I think Byron can handle the players/press a lot better than he is. No need to continually call him out to the press. Of course we don't know exactly what is being done behind closed doors in the practice facility, but recent quotes from D'Angelo make it seem like he's not getting much guidance from Byron.

 

[trojanfan12]

Draft Simmons and go after Durant. If the potential is there for an instant turnaround (i.e. sign two elite max FAs), Simmons would be one hell of a trade chip.

Pipe dream....but say they sign Durant and Whiteside. OKC might be a little weary of being able to resign Westbrook so they feel like it would be good sign to start to rebuild. Simmons and some other pieces could be enough to get Westbrook. Simmons would instantly give OKC someone to rebuild around. Meanwhile the Lakers are rolling with Westbrook, Durant, Whiteside, and some others. I like that.

If they are fortunate enough to land the #1 pick this summer, it will certainly open up other avenues for Mitch.

Agree. It's all about the pick, even if they fall to #2 or #3, there are a couple of really nice small forwards available like Brandon Ingram from Duke or Jaylen Brown from Cal.

Woj seems to think that GSW will be the frontrunner for Durant. If that's the case, I'd be good with the Lakers landing Simmons, Ingram or Brown, hopefully signing Whiteside and then going after Westbrook in the 2017 FA.

Maybe even make a Clarkson for Westbrook trade during the upcoming off-season if OKC feels that Westbrook will leave? It wouldn't be an equal trade for OKC obviously, but at least they'd be getting something of value for him.

Starting lineup of:

PG - Russell
SG - Westbrook
SF - Simmons, Ingram or Brown
PF - Randle
C - Whiteside

That would be a young, very athletic group led by Westbrook and every one of them have excellent handles for their positions.

 

[trojanfan12]

Yes, but I think Byron can handle the players/press a lot better than he is. No need to continually call him out to the press. Of course we don't know exactly what is being done behind closed doors in the practice facility, but recent quotes from D'Angelo make it seem like he's not getting much guidance from Byron.

Yeah, like I said, I'd like to see Byron compliment him more publicly. I don't have a problem with coaches calling out players in the press as long as 2 things occur: they are saying the same thing and more in the locker room and at practice and they make sure they compliment them when they do well. Phil was a master at that and so was Riles (who Byron learned from). Byron needs to work on that 2nd part.

As for Russell, he's a 19 year old kid who is finding himself being asked some pretty loaded questions by the press on a regular basis. When I see him in interviews, he looks to me more like he's unsure about how to handle the attention and questions right after the game.

I posted on the main board, I'm not real concerned about how Byron is handling the young guys. If they are as good as they're said to be, they will ultimately be just fine. He says that there will be some changes after the all-star break and speculation is that Russell in the starting lineup is one of them. We'll see.

What I'm more concerned with is his offensive and defensive schemes. I didn't mind them being brought along slowly with those, but I expected to see more advanced schemes by now. Especially on defense where we currently rank last in the league after Byron saying that defense is what the team would hang their hats on.

 

[lakersrule]

Yeah, like I said, I'd like to see Byron compliment him more publicly. I don't have a problem with coaches calling out players in the press as long as 2 things occur: they are saying the same thing and more in the locker room and at practice and they make sure they compliment them when they do well. Phil was a master at that and so was Riles (who Byron learned from). Byron needs to work on that 2nd part.

As for Russell, he's a 19 year old kid who is finding himself being asked some pretty loaded questions by the press on a regular basis. When I see him in interviews, he looks to me more like he's unsure about how to handle the attention and questions right after the game.

Those loaded questions are based on Byron's quotes to them. I agree that this all new to D'Angelo. It doesn't help that Byron provides so much fuel.

 

[trojanfan12]

Those loaded questions are based on Byron's quotes to them. I agree that this all new to D'Angelo. It doesn't help that Byron provides so much fuel.

I know they are, but what we're seeing from Russell looks more like he just doesn't know what to do with the questions to me. I will say though, I want Russell to be upset that he's not starting or that he gets pulled from a game. That means he cares and will work to improve and get back on the court. Players should be mad if they lose their starting spot or get pulled from the game. Heck, Kobe's 175 years old and still gets ticked if he's pulled from the game sometimes.

 

[tomodach10]

TV analyst Don MacLean rips Lakers' Byron Scott again, this time on radio

MacLean is right!!!

 

[Kold]

As for Byron Scott, whenever I see, or hear his quotes, it's more like he's trying to break Russell in, as opposed to "just being hard on him". It's like he has an extremely old school mindset, and not only is that not good for NBA players of today, it's HORRIBLE for a 19 year old kid. Like, I got upset when I saw the quote where B. Scott got mad at Russell for trying to take over a game I think. It's fine to say "well D'angelo has to have better judgment throughout the game or whatever", but you can't tell an aggressive player, not to be aggressive. Not that D'angelo compares to him, but it would be like telling a young Westbrook not to be aggressive. Now, Russell is definitely not blameless in all of this, as he's had his moments where he's looked overwhelmed, and understandably so, but Byron has to pull the reigns back some going forward

 

[Kold]

I know they are, but what we're seeing from Russell looks more like he just doesn't know what to do with the questions to me. I will say though, I want Russell to be upset that he's not starting or that he gets pulled from a game. That means he cares and will work to improve and get back on the court. Players should be mad if they lose their starting spot or get pulled from the game. Heck, Kobe's 175 years old and still gets ticked if he's pulled from the game sometimes.

Just looking at interviews and whatnot before the draft, Russell was the most funny, entertaining out of the lotto picks because it seemed as if he had no filter. All that is fine and well when you're in college, but I really don't think he has knowledge of how to be "P.R", when answering questions, w/o answering them...or basically being like Belicheck and Tebow

 

[trojanfan12]

Just looking at interviews and whatnot before the draft, Russell was the most funny, entertaining out of the lotto picks because it seemed as if he had no filter. All that is fine and well when you're in college, but I really don't think he has knowledge of how to be "P.R", when answering questions, w/o answering them...or basically being like Belicheck and Tebow

Or like Kobe used to be with the press with his cliche's and canned responses.

Just like everyone else, about the only thing I'm not disappointed in with Byron and the teams performance so far is that we are in a great position to keep the lottery pick. However, it seems like some folks want to blame him for everything, up to and including global warming and ISIS.

I'm trying to keep some perspective and am willing to wait and see what happens after the all-star break. If, after the all-star break, we don't start seeing the changes that Byron has promised, then I'm gonna start blaming him for everything and calling for his head.

 

[Kold]

Or like Kobe used to be with the press with his cliche's and canned responses.

Just like everyone else, about the only thing I'm not disappointed in with Byron and the teams performance so far is that we are in a great position to keep the lottery pick. However, it seems like some folks want to blame him for everything, up to and including global warming and ISIS.

I'm trying to keep some perspective and am willing to wait and see what happens after the all-star break. If, after the all-star break, we don't start seeing the changes that Byron has promised, then I'm gonna start blaming him for everything and calling for his head.

That's a good point, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as well. I'm hoping that everything goes well(not too well), and I'd really like to see a change of offense to fit the PG after this season, if B. scott is still around

 

[trojanfan12]

That's a good point, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as well. I'm hoping that everything goes well(not too well), and I'd really like to see a change of offense to fit the PG after this season, if B. scott is still around

Yeah, Byron has said on several occasions that he believes in bringing young guys along slowly. Says that's what he was taught. But there's also a time when you need to take the training wheels off. I don't know if his plan is to do that or just another incremental increase in responsibilities. I'm hoping it's the former.

 

[trojanfight]

Report: Remainder of season a 'trial' for Lakers coach Byron Scott

 

[Retroram52]

Wojnarowski seems to think the Lakers have little-to-none chance of signing Durant because Durant wants to stay in OKC or he wants to go to a championship contender like Golden State. I tend to agree with him at this juncture because nobody wants to come to this team in its present state and help build a contender that may or may not win anything in the playoffs. I think we will go after guys like Whiteside before we sign Durant.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Wojnarowski seems to think the Lakers have little-to-none chance of signing Durant because Durant wants to stay in OKC or he wants to go to a championship contender like Golden State. I tend to agree with him at this juncture because nobody wants to come to this team in its present state and help build a contender that may or may not win anything in the playoffs. I think we will go after guys like Whiteside before we sign Durant.

With the amount of money the Lakers have to spend, ANYONE is a possibility

 

[Retroram52]

I don't think so Shaqdaddy. Durant wants other things beside a boatload of cash!