Byron Scott’s post-Los Angeles Lakers career:
Byron Scott had an exceptional start of post-playing career, getting a head coach job in his third year and leading the New Jersey Nets to consecutive finals in 2002 and 2003, one of them against his Los Angeles Lakers.
His start was slower in New Orleans, but he built a successful team over the years and earned the fame of a though old-school coach who knew how to lead and be respected. He also became recognized to be a good mentor to great point guards.
After a neutral period in Cleveland, he finally was hired by the Lakers to much joy of his peers. Unfortunately, he was given a tough and thankless task; sitting on the bench of a messy young roster without a clear direction and in the odor of tanking.
He bumped heads with his young players, especially point guard D’Angelo Russell, who was considered the future of the team and whom he should have mentored to success, and also some veterans.
Scott finished his tenure with a Lakers’ all-time-low record. Not all the fault is on his shoulders, anyway. It was not an ideal situation with all the turmoil the team had suffered in the previous years. Any coach would have struggled under the same conditions. He never backed down and held the shaky ship firmly as he could and tried to conduct it through difficult and rough seas.