The Los Angeles Lakers lost their fourth game in a row on Wednesday night, and their 3-19 record is not only the worst in the Western Conference but it is also the worst start in franchise history. Typically those numbers would put the head coach firmly on the hot seat, but as of right now it seems like Byron Scott has the backing of the organization as he is reportedly expected to finish out the season, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Fans of the Lakers have not been happy with the way Scott has handled the team this year, as there are some who believe he is playing Kobe Bryant too many minutes and D'Angelo Russell not enough. Bryant is second on the team at 30.9 minutes per game, but the organization feels Scott is doing the right thing in letting Bryant play a lot considering it is his final year and the Lakers clearly aren't going anywhere.
As for Russell, the situation has been noteworthy for many reasons. Earlier in the season Scott regularly sat Russell in the fourth quarter in favor of Lou Williams, which fans weren't pleased with, and more recently he has moved both Russell and Julius Randle to the bench and said he would only play them 20-25 minutes per game. Russell and Randle might be the two most talented players on the roster and are huge pieces of the franchise's future, so naturally fans want to see them start and play more.
Despite the fans' displeasure with what Scott has done this season. many in the organization reportedly feel the losing is not his fault and that he is in a "no-win situation." There was also a report earlier this week that the Lakers viewed Scott as an "innocent bystander" in what has been a dreadful season so far, so them firing him is unlikely, according to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports.
Scott signed a four-year, $17 million deal before last season, but that contract is only guaranteed through next season, so the Lakers could conceivably fire him and not have to deal with too much financial consequence. But at this point that doesn't seem very likely. Lakers fans probably won't be happy to hear that all signs point to Scott being retained for the rest of this year at least, but the fact of the matter is that this team isn't going anywhere regardless of who coaches it, and if the Lakers don't turn it around and at least have a somewhat respectable record by the end of the year, it is hard to imagine Scott being the coach when the 2016-17 season tips off.
