Byron Scott said last month that he believes he is the perfect man for the Los Angeles Lakers coaching job, largely because of his close relationship with Kobe Bryant. The team may agree with him.
The Lakers began their second round of coaching interviews on Tuesday by speaking to Scott for a second time. The LA Times reports that he is the first person to get a second meeting with the team since their coaching search began over a month ago.
Scott, who has had very little success as a head coach in the NBA, played for the Lakers during their “Showtime” years from 1983 to 1993. The Lakers have already interviewed Mike Dunleavy, Kurt Rambis, George Karl, Lionel Hollins and Alvin Gentry. Rambis is set to become an assistant coach for Derek Fisher with the New York Knicks.
Of all the candidates the Lakers have interviewed, Scott might make the most sense. He can probably coexist with Kobe and we doubt LA would be able to make much of a pitch to someone like Carmelo Anthony with an old-school coach like Dunleavy or someone he already played for like Karl.
A recent report indicated that the Lakers are dragging their heels with their coaching search in order to give big-name free agents like Carmelo and LeBron James an opportunity to basically select their own coach. If that’s the case, it could be a while before they make a final decision.
