Scott Brooks with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (Photo : Getty Images Sport)
The LA Lakers fans want Byron Scott's head on a silver platter and while Tom Thibodeau is the top choice, there are already back-up options.
The Oklahoma City Thunder recently gave up on Scott Brooks and tried their luck with Billy Donovan, formerly of the Florida Gators. While Brooks was criticized, many observers felt he was not given a fair shake.
The Thunder obviously felt the pressure of Kevin Durant's impending free agency and Brooks' ouster could be partially blamed on "change for the sake of change" although Kevin Durant did support it. OKC GM Sam Presti needed to show the former MVP that the team was willing to pursue a title and be bold enough to make moves.
Brooks still has an impressive resume including an NBA Finals appearance and that's probably why Lake Show Life has named him as a possible coaching option when the Lakers brass finally listen to fans' clamor and fire Byron Scott.
According to LSL, the most remarkable achievement that Brooks has was developing young talent.
"Just look at what he did for Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka," LSL enumerated. "Sure, they never won a championship, and very well may the first year after his departure under Billy Donovan, but Brooks showed that he knew how to place his young stars in positions to not only grow, but thrive."
However, Lake Show Life also offered a counterpoint as they cited Zach Lowe's review of Brooks' coaching.
"(Brooks) failed to stagger the minutes of his stars, bizarrely had his big men hedge out 35 feet from the basket on nonthreatening pick-and-rolls, and waited a game or a quarter too long to yank lineups that just weren't working. Brooks's hook was faster in 2014 than it had been in 2012, but it wasn't fast enough."
These observations were made in the context of the 2012 NBA Finals. While they were valid points, it's not likely that the Lakers would be playing in the Finals.
What's important for the team now is to develop the young players, something that did not top Bryon Scott's priority list. If there were a new "Scott," things would be different.
For the exasperated Lakers fans, "different" is synonymous with "better" at this point.
