The Los Angeles Lakers were experiencing their worst season in franchise history three years ago. As a result, they hired former Lakers champion Byron Scott to be their head coach.
They went on to have the two worst seasons ever, each one getting more terrible than the one before.
Last night the Lakers fired Scott, who still has one year left on his contract, and that puts them in the market for their 6th head coach in the last 6 years.
John Ireland is the Lakers play by play man and host of the Mason and Ireland Show on ESPN LA. He joined the show to discuss what the removal Byron Scott and the what the future can hold for the Lakers.
Interview Highlights
On Byron Scott being in a no-win situation:
"Maybe...he had a unique bond with Kobe, in that in his last year as a player, Kobe was a rookie and the two hung out a lot together and they knew each other. So, the Lakers thought he was the perfect guy to shepherd the end of Kobe's career and that part did work out...but what doomed him in the end was his wins and losses. Only winning something like 38 games in two years."
On possible replacements:
"That is the...in the old days we'd say 64 thousand dollar question...these days we would probably have to say 64 million. But, a lot of it may have to do with what coach can attract free agents. The Lakers have an extraordinary amount of what we call cap room in the NBA...there's a salary cap in the NBA and you can only spend up to a certain amount of money. The Lakers have over 60 million dollars in cap space. So if they can convince a great player to come to Los Angeles, they can slide him right into that spot."
On Luke Walton being the next head coach:
"That is my personal favorite to get this job. I think if you made me bet everything I own on who's going to be the next Laker coach, that would be my answer...He played for the Lakers for eight years, so he's tied to Phil Jackson. He's also been an assistant at Golden State for the past two seasons...he went 39 and 4 including a 25 game winning streak. I think A, if they offer it to Luke, he can't turn it down."
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.