Though fans will cite his lack of coaching involvement — missed timeouts, blown substitutions, lack of an established offensive system, etc. — what will ultimately be Byron Scott‘s downfall is something that has not gotten much attention, his relationship with Kobe Bryant.
Even casual fans know that when Bryant entered the league in 1996, Scott was the Lakers’ veteran point guard. This goes to say that the duo share a personal bond that clouds judgment and makes effective coaching extremely difficult. Three games into his 20th NBA season and it’s obvious that the Lakers would have benefited greatly by having a coach who wasn’t afraid to tell Kobe how it is.