Changing the Culture the Byron Scott Way

After six days of being pushed to the edge of exhaustion, the Lakers traveled to the southern part of the state by bus. It was a test, a mild one, wrapped in history. The past two years have been a poetic tragedy. But on this night, it wasn’t particularly complex. Basketball asks only that you dig out your best self, erase selfishness and conform to the group.

San Diego began the pursuit of something special as it highlighted the new coach, the veterans and rookies, the expectations of a swift resurrection. At best, the Lakers effort was encouraging, even as the game’s bumps and bruises devolved into sloppiness and poor shot selection. The highest standard had yet to be reached. Still, there was a certain amount of optimism to take from it. Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash performed beautifully. Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson had good debuts. Jeremy Lin was a point guard once again. Ed Davis was incredibly efficient. And Byron Scott coached defense.

The next day a light workout followed but more exhaustive practices are on the horizon only because it is the Byron Scott way of teaching perfection. There is a metaphor here about being drunk with fatigue, incredibly intoxicated. The brain compensates for the repetition by shutting down memory, making it near impossible to put into order the exact details of last year, the conscious neglect. It seems so long ago. It’s ridiculous to ask the question anymore, the one about identity and the Byron Scott imprint and what does he stand for?

Oct 6, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott (left) pats guard Kobe Bryant (24) on the back during the first half against the Denver Nuggets at Valley View Casino Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Byron Scott was a gritty, gusty player who could be depended on to deliver in crucial moments so it is logical that he wants to craft the Lakers into his own image. But first he must dispense, like a drug, the anti-viral that will rid the illness of Mike D’antoni and his notoriously psychotic way of coaching basketball. Replacing offense and a fast pace, Byron Scott leans upon rebounding, scoring in the paint, physical play and ball movement.

Two days ago in San Diego, the Lakers three guards (Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin) accounted for 20 assists. Their starting center (Jordan Hill) had a double-double. Their leading scorer (Jordan Clarkson) came off the bench and had 5 rebounds.

After nine days, Byron Scott’s war on the Lakers culture is marching along.

It’s hard to say kind things about Byron Scott’s work last year as an analyst. Much of the time he was openly tense and repulsed as he was forced to absorb multiple atrocities of a listless team. He never adjusted to what he saw on the court or what he observed on the sidelines and it deeply affected him. Human nature made it impossible to compartmentalize. His own memories of commitment, discipline and dedication saturated his entire being. He didn’t mean to be confrontational but the Lakers were god-awful. The truth of it, he was embarrassed. Every loss, every missed shot, every missed assignment, every apathetic gaze into the stands from the bench was a nostalgic look back.

Perhaps this is what an autopsy feels like, sifting through the ruins of what used to be a living thing but is now a carcass, is lifeless. At the very least, last year was a prideful organization clinging to their championship history because there was nothing left to cushion the fall. It drove Byron Scott crazy how the Lakers were an unrecognizable mediocre piece of crap. And on television he said as much.

After six days of training camp, the Lakers first test was playing an athletic team. The old and worn San Diego building was prejudiced, only Lakers fans were in attendance, oohing and aahing every time Kobe Bryant touched the ball. Absurd as it may seem, it was easier on the court than it was in those practice scrimmages that followed two hour running drills. Not one player was fatigued. The Lakers rebounded and defended and generally played harder than their opponent. It was hardly an elegant masterpiece and many mistakes were made and the Lakers have not turned a corner by any means. Post defense is still an issue. But forgiving much of the unevenness of an unfinished portrait, Byron Scott graded his team on the curve, giving them an “A” for effort. For the most part, he liked the grittiness that he saw but noted the mistakes in execution. And it was the first game.

It’s hard living with a ghost. Mike D’antoni took up residence for two years and rewarded neglect. His tenure was like a man climbing a cliff with a tricky rope and harness. His ability to defy gravity and get to the top was always a tenuous proposition. Harder still is erasing his memory (and habits). In that sense, the Lakers are a work in progress, even for a strong tactician like Byron Scott. His practices are long and physically enduring as he tries to sync the routine of conditioning with the discipline of scrimmages and the chaos of games.

It’s a difficult chore to make unproven players believe they are capable of winning when outside noise says they are expected to lose more than half of their games. But that is the challenge Byron Scott accepted when he took the job in the first place, not for heroism sake, but as a basketball lifer whose dream it was to coach the team he played for, in the city he grew up in.

Oct 6, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott talks to his team during a timeout in the first half against the Denver Nuggets at Valley View Casino Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

But back to that first game that will be forgotten once the second game is played. The Lakers had more points in the paint than the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers had more rebounds than the Nuggets. The Lakers held the Nuggets to 39% shooting.

Byron Scott is a believer in practice making a player what he is, and a team what they are. Like the chemistry teacher everyone always hated, he teaches and then he watches and then he teaches again. He is committed to turning this Lakers team into a physically tough group despite last year’s disaster.

Still, it’s not revolutionary what Byron Scott is doing by practicing with a relentless style that has a certain width to it. What makes it unique is its timing. It is the opposite of Mike D’antoni.

But compulsion in anything, much less basketball, doesn’t protect against suffering. It only means you are prepared to withstand drama. And so Byron Scott is the one who continues, who preaches and instructs and drags the Lakers into their own future. As he goes, they go. As he sacrifices, so do they. The results are the mystery, no one knows the future. But the culture of work is his first success. It has already been transformed.