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Byron Scott’s Decision-Making Continues To Baffle

By Anthony F. Irwin

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Let’s ignore for a moment Byron Scott’s unequaled ability to annoy fans of the Los Angeles Lakers. Let’s picture a coach who understands what needs to be done as the 2014-2015 campaign rounds the home stretch.

Isn’t this lovely? Is it just me, or is the sky bluer; the sun brighter; my jokes funnier? Alright, maybe nothing can help the latter, but the idea of a coach seeing beyond his own personal priorities to grasp that this season is lost and next should take precedent over anything that might take place these next 18 games shouldn’t feel like a fairytale.

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Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill have had their chance. It’s time now to see what else the Lakers might be working with heading into one of the most pivotal offseasons in franchise history.

The crazy part: Scott’s quotes would lead one to believe he gets it. He recently told Serena Winters of LakersNation as much, estimating that “90%” of the remaining season will be to evaluate the young guys (Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black, Ryan Kelly and newly-called-up Jabari Brown) and see what they’ll have next season.

So, Byron, if that’s the case, why is it, in close games, Lin and Wayne Ellington have played backcourt, fourth-quarter minutes in favor of Clarkson? Why was there a month or so where Black hardly saw the court at all? And why can we count the number of minutes you’ve played Kelly at the power forward (where he’s exceedingly more effective) on one hand?

Last night, Brown made his debut as a Laker, and you’d think Scott would’ve wanted to see if he and Clarkson had any chemistry left over from their shared time at the University of Missouri. You know, seeing as they’re best friends and share a bond etched in the experience of supporting each other as their fathers battled cancer.

They’ll probably still have opportunities to share a moment you know for a fact they dreamt about together when they shared an apartment. That moment should have come last night, but Byron remains behind the curve.

Imagine how that might sound in a couple years if Clarkson continues his current trajectory and Price can’t find a job playing basketball in Germany?

Bloggers, fans and even the local media, who refuse to challenge Scott, had been begging to see what Clarkson might show in extended minutes. It only took a Ronnie Price injury to make those minutes happen. That sentence already borders on hilarity; but imagine how that might sound in a couple years if Clarkson continues his current trajectory and Price can’t find a job playing basketball in Germany?

#PlayRyanKellyAtThePowerForward has become a thing. Kelly himself even grew a beard seemingly to prove to Scott he’s tough enough to try playing power forward, but Byron steadfastly holds to the antiquated ideology behind that position. Power forwards must be X feet tall, weight X pounds and incapable of shooting from further than 22 feet. Kelly checks none of those boxes (except maybe height) and, as such, has demolished any value he built up under Mike D’Antoni.

Poor Tarik Black was so buried on the bench, I considered posting “Missing” signs in and around Los Angeles. Instead, the we’ve been forced to watch Boozer scream his way to halfway decent play, potentially costing the Lakers the all-important draft position currently holding the Lakers’ rebuild hostage. Black has had three separate five-game stretches where he played a totally of seven minutes or less. Yes, one was immediately upon his joining the team. The other two have no such excuse and come almost completely randomly

I already mentioned Clarkson, but this next bit is by far the most infuriating aspect of the last couple weeks. A trend has risen recently where Clarkson will play really well through three quarters only to sit most, if not all, of the fourth to watch Lin do Lin things. Clarkson has become easily to top priority for this season. His continued development is really the only thing to watch moving forward.

So, Byron, let me put this gently… HOW IN GOD’S NAME CAN YOU EXPLAIN NOT PLAYING HIM IN THE SITUATIONS HE’LL LEARN BEST FROM?! What good does Lin, Boozer and Wesley Johnson do for the team other than the random wins they’ll get because they’d been there before? None of those guys will be on the roster next season. Not a single one of them. Do those last five minutes of close games not count in your 90 percent? If so, how do the most pivotal minutes and situations of games NOT COUNT IN YOUR 90 PERCENT?

At this point, the Lakers should be closing games with a lineup like Clarkson, Nick Young (when healthy), Ellington (who might actually be back), Kelly and Black. While Young is out, why not stick Brown in there to see how handles pressurized scenarios? What is there to lose? If they win, great! They’re learning! If they lose, even better! You’ll keep the pick!

But any combination of Lin, Johnson, Hill and Boozer winning a game is the worst-case scenario. They hurt the team next season and, again, in case you’ve missed this point, won’t be Lakers once this abysmal season mercifully ends.

A common retort after that group wins a game is that they don’t care about the draft pick as they won’t be around much longer. We can only hope, therefore, that Byron Scott’s insistence on playing those guys is for the same reason.

Next: Byron Scott: The Teammate No One Wanted

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