Lakers: Does Byron Scott Have Something Against Tarik Black?

Does Lakers coach Byron Scott hate Tarik Black or is he just blind as to what the center could bring to the table?

Tarik Black finally made an appearance in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors, the first time he has played in a long time. He entered the game with just under eight minutes to go in another embarrassing blowout loss for the Lakers, making both of his shots to finish with four points and four rebounds. In comparison, starting center Roy Hibbert scored two points on 1-7 shooting and grabbed five rebounds in 24 minutes.

The prime directive this season should be development of the youth on the roster. It can’t really happen when Kobe Bryant plays, however, because when he does everything revolves around him. It is only when Bryant is out that we get a true measure of where the young players stand at this point in the season. The results have been mixed, of course, with some players doing better than others—but that is okay because at least a picture of player development is painted.

But one player, Black, has been missing. Until Tuesday, he had not played in an NBA game since early in the season. He had appeared in only eight games, playing an average of 11 minutes in those contests–hardly enough time to break a sweat.

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One of the most important questions for the Lakers going into the season was whether Hibbert could resurrect his career and become the Lakers’ center of the future. The team had passed on promising big men in the draft gambling that they could address their needs at center through free agency. Hibbert was the result of that strategy.

Still a relatively young 28 years old at the time, and possessing a large but expiring $15 million contract, there was hope that Hibbert could regain his All-Star form and defensive prowess of a few years ago. It was a good faith, calculated gamble on the part of Lakers’ management that did not pan out. If this season has proven one thing, it is that Hibbert will not be the Lakers center after this year and he may not survive the trade deadline in about a month.

Except on very rare occasions, Hibbert provides virtually nothing on offense. His forte is defense and that is what the Lakers were looking for when they signed him. He has a big body that clogs the lane. The problem, however, is that Hibbert is slow-footed, possesses no quickness, and can’t jump at all. For these reasons, he is not the defensive stopper that the Lakers expected. Hibbert is rarely on the court in the fourth quarter, which speaks volumes about the supposed value of his defense.

This brings the conversation back to Black. Scott didn’t play Black much at first last season, but with the team decimated by injuries, he eventually had to give him a chance. When this happened, Black showed a great deal of promise on both ends of the court. For one thing, he is a very high-energy guy. He has a very quick first step driving to the basket and his mid-range game was and is improving. On defense, all rookies struggle and so too did Black, but he was effective on the offensive and defensive boards and did show he could be a shot-blocker.

Black is a center in a power forward’s body and that is the knock against him. He is undersized to be a true center, but in his short stint with the Lakers he showed he can make up for a lack of size with his hustle. He is at least as big as Brandon Bass, who has played backup center most of the year for the Lakers. Black has more upside potential than Bass and he is better suited to play center than Bass.

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The Lakers have shown in the last few games that their offense is better when they run and push the tempo. Against the Philadelphia 76ers recently, with Bryant out, the young players ran alot, especially in the decisive second half and the result was a strong fourth quarter spurt that won the game. Randle and Clarkson are fast on the wings and Russell has shown he can get them the ball when they push the pace in transition. When they sit back and try to play a slow, half-court game, which is what Bryant and Hibbert need, they suffer as they get few assists and play too much one-on-one.

Though the center position has been a weakness, Black has not been given a chance even though he would allow for a more up tempo style of play. If he played 25 minutes a game, he would likely put up solid numbers that Hibbert can’t or hasn’t consistently achieved, plus Black would provide much needed hustle and energy that is beyond anything Hibbert could contribute.

The D-League means little, but that is where Black has been getting on the floor lately. He has been outstanding, scoring 19 points, grabbing 19 rebounds, and making four blocks in a recent game. He deserves legitimate playing time with the Lakers as they could use this kind of production or anything close to it.

Next: Lakers Front Office as Much To Blame as Byron

Black should be playing in a lineup that includes the young core of the Lakers. This unit would be fast and exciting, and the young players would thrive in such an environment. If only Scott would show some creativity and flexibility, the Lakers and their fans might actually have some fun this season.