After weeks of delay and speculation, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally hired a head coach, inking former Showtime Laker Byron Scott to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Other outlets have reported that the deal is worth $17 million over 4 years.
Unlike in-over-their-heads predecessors Mike Brown and Mike D'Antoni, Scott is the first hire since Phil Jackson that makes sense and feels right. A knockdown outside shooter and thunderous dunker during his playing career, Scott represents a direct link to the franchise's glory days of the Showtime era.
More importantly, his championship experience and understanding of how to win should result in a greater emphasis on post touches, rebounding, and defense next season, contrary to D'Antoni's inflexible approach.
“I am ecstatic to once again be a Laker and to have the opportunity to work alongside Mitch and the Buss family,” said Scott. “I know firsthand what it takes to bring a championship to this city, and as someone who both grew up in L.A. and played the majority of my career here, I know how passionate and dedicated our fans are. I will give everything I have to fulfill the championship expectations that our supporters have for us, and that we have for ourselves.”
Scott already has earned the respect of Kobe Bryant, having served as Bryant's mentor during his rookie season. That alone should help him win over the locker room.
“After an extensive and thorough search, we’re proud to welcome Byron back to the Lakers family as our next head coach,” said Kupchak. “Byron has proven himself at the highest levels of the game as both a player and a coach in his almost 30 years of NBA experience. His leadership skills and track record for success make him the ideal person to lead this franchise forward.”
A local Inglewood native who attended Morningside High and grew up next to the Forum, Scott becomes the 25th head coach in franchise history and 21st in the Los Angeles era, after previously amassing 416 wins over 13 seasons as head coach with the New Jersey Nets (2000-2004), New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2004-2009), and Cleveland Cavaliers (2010-2013).
The 2007-2008 NBA Coach of the Year has led his teams to the postseason four times, including back-to-back NBA Finals appearances with New Jersey in 2002 and 2003.
Among his other coaching achievements, Scott was at the helm for the best season in franchise history of two teams: the 2007-08 Hornets who went 56-26 (.683) and the 2001-02 Eastern Conference Champion Nets who went 52-30 (.634).
Scott saw marked success in his second season with the Hornets during the 2005-06 season, leading the team to a 20-win improvement (the NBA’s best that year) from his first season, despite Hurricane Katrina displacing the team from New Orleans and playing in four different home arenas throughout the season. Scott had a similar impact in his first head coaching stop, improving the Nets by 26 wins between his first and second seasons, marking the sixth-largest improvement in NBA history.
The 53-year-old Scott enjoyed a 14-year NBA career, 11 of which were spent in purple-and-gold (1983-93 and the 1996-97 season) with stints in Indiana (1993-95) and Vancouver (1995-96) in between. He was a starter on three Lakers championship teams (1985, 1987, and 1988) and made the postseason in all but one of his NBA campaigns, totaling 183 games of playoff experience.
One of the marquee shooting guards of his time, Scott concluded his 1,073-game NBA career with averages of 14.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, highlighted by his 1987-88 season where he achieved career-high per game averages of 21.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. Absurdly, he did not make the All-Star Team that season, although he clearly was deserving.
Scott originally became a Laker on October 16, 1983, when the San Diego Clippers (who had drafted him with the 4th overall pick of the 1983 NBA Draft four months earlier) traded him along with Swen Nater to L.A. in exchange for Eddie Jordan, the popular Norm Nixon, and a second round pick.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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