Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant (Photo : Hannah Foslien | Getty Images Sport)
The Los Angeles Lakers recently lost at Madison Square Garden but that may be the least of their problems.
The Lakers are currently 1-6 on their first 7 games, their only win coming from the hapless Brooklyn Nets who are at 0-7.
The question on the minds of the Lakers' fan base: Are they really this bad or are they actually tanking again?
According to NBA site Sir Charles in Charge, the Tinseltown team may actually be tanking again, and this time they have a narrower window as they need to stay within the top three instead of top five.
The allegation by SCIC is that the Lakers are intentionally trying to lose and that Byron Scott, being the good soldier of his beloved organization, is simply implementing the marching orders.
"Scott is hands-down the worst head coach in professional basketball," SCIC declared, then asked: "Although, is Byron Scott really this bad or does he get what it takes to lose?"
One proof is how Scott distributes the minutes. Despite the fans' demands, 2nd overall pick D'Angelo Russell has not been given enough playing time.
"Against the Denver Nuggets, Russell played 20 minutes. To put this in context,Lou Williams logged 33 minutes, most on the team. In order for a young player to develop he needs to play, it's simple."
It can be argued that Scott is simply an old school coach who'd rather trust veterans than rookies. However, they point out that he also benches Roy Hibbert, definitely not a rookie and has actually played in the Eastern Conference Finals as recently as 2014.
"Now let's take a look at Roy Hibbert. He's been playing pretty well for LA so far, and against the Nuggets the Lakers defense looked horrendous, guess how much Hibbert played - 17 minutes. Seventeen. A guy that's supposed to be your defensive anchor, and your starting center is playing less than Brandon Bass, the 8th guy off the bench. Not only that, but Scott loves this Ryan Kelly and Brandon Bass frontcourt, and my God it's terrible."
If the Lakers want to prove that they are not tanking, the only way to convince fans is to fire Byron Scott. Today's Fastbreak mentioned as much.
"Byron Scott needs to be given a pink slip as we speak," TF's Tyriq Butler stated. "He's not the right man for the job. The Lakers have a roster that can legitimately compete for a bottom playoff spot. Scott isn't able to maximize the talent on the roster and that has proved to be troublesome. I'm not saying they could win the West. I'm not saying the roster is so attractive that free agents should be salivating at the thought of playing in LA, but it's one that should be able to win games."
