Byron Scott felt ‘betrayed, lied to’ by former Lakers execs

If you thought a year away would have changed any feelings of ill will Byron Scott harbors towards some former Lakers front office members, you would be wrong.

Scott has written a book called “Slam-Dunk Success: Leading from Every Position on Life’s Court.” He talked with the OC Register’s Mark Medina about it and shared many of his thoughts on his time with the Lakers as coach and more.

One of his most notable comments was about his feelings towards Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers’ former VP and GM, respectably. According to Medina, Scott said he “felt betrayed, lied to and deceived” by Buss and Kupchak, who apparently promised to pick up Scott’s option for the third year of his contract. Instead, Scott was fired after two seasons, which were the worst in team history.

Scott believes the team just wanted him around as head coach to manage Kobe Bryant until the superstar retired.

“Basically, you just wanted me there to help you guys get through the next two years, so Kobe doesn’t go crazy on you guys. I would be the one that can handle it. They know me. I’m not going to back down. I’m not going to be intimidated by anybody.”

Scott talked about some of the challenges of managing a young team and getting them to work harder. He believes Magic Johnson will help restore the team’s winning tradition by getting rid of players who don’t have the right mindset.

Oh yeah, and Scott, 56, says that if he does return to coaching, he’d like it to be at the college level where there is less politics. Scott has a career .412 winning percentage as an NBA head coach for four different franchises.