Lakers GM Quiet on Coach’s Future

This is Scott’s fourth NBA head-coaching job, and he has gotten progressively worse since his first, when he led the Nets to the NBA Finals twice in parts of four seasons, but was sacked in the past year.

“Byron is under contract”, Kupchak said at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo.

“As you get closer to the end of the season, it’s possibly less important to look at your veterans and more important to look at your younger players”, Kupchak said. In January, Kupchak praised Scott’s tough-love style in handling his young players. The Lakers fired Mike Brown five games into only his second season (2012).

Of Scott’s mistakes, the most egregious is how he has handled prized rookie D’Angelo Russell, the second overall pick in last year’s draft, and second-year forward Julius Randle, who is basically a rookie after missing all but one game last season with a broken leg. Scott’s tough-love approach isn’t working.

Is one of the people in Scott’s corner Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak?

The franchise seems torn on whether he’ll return for the third and last guaranteed year on his contract.

“Barring something totally unforeseen Scott will coach the Lakers’ final 27 games of the season, but until the event he is actually brought back next season it is probably safe to assume he won’t be”, it said. Say they draft a stud to pair with Russell and Randle, Kobe sets sail and the team intelligently uses what should be over $50 million in cap space.

Kupchak said it’s “unlikely” the Lakers complete a trade before Thursday’s deadline. “There’s a lot of conversation, but I think it’s unlikely anything will happen”.

“There is a lot of interest in our young players and I don’t think it’s likely we would do anything there”.

“But when you talk to the Lakers, they’re saying he’s definitely going to be here this season, and they are going to evaluate him this off-season”, he added.

Regardless, it appears Kupchak wants to get used to seeing Russell and his younger teammates play more.

Not so surprisingly, the G.M. first fielded questions regarding the future of his under fire coach, Byron Scott. “That would be the case with us”.