Byron Scott is under fire again, this time for leaving Kobe Bryant in for 37 minutes in another Lakers loss Friday night.
With the Lakers down 13 and seven minutes left, Bryant had already logged 31 minutes. Scott left him in anyway, and he ended up logging 37 minutes, far more than anyone anticipated. Just Thursday, Scott said that his ideal target for Bryant’s minutes would be in the upper 20s to low 30s.
So what happened?
“I also was thinking we got a chance to see if we can cut into this lead.” Scott said after the game, via the Orange County Register’s Bill Oram. “Let’s see if we can get this win.
“We didn’t even talk about it. I just left him out there because I knew we needed him out there.”
Scott was then asked if he was worried about the long-term impact of Bryant playing that much.
“I worry about it now,” Scott said. “At the time when we’re trying to win the basketball game you try not to worry about it. But obviously after the game you worry about it.”
That’s not exactly convincing logic. Bryant was already suffering from playing 36 minutes on Sunday, so you do it again, and you retroactively say you’re worried about it? And as for needing Bryant to win the game, it’s not like Kobe has been very good this year, shooting under 35 percent.
None of it makes sense at all, but then, very few of Scott’s moves this season have.
