The LA Lakers are facing a lot of criticism but they still enjoy the loyalty of millions of fans worldwide.
Most of them understand what the Lakers are doing but even if they understand the point of losing games (or tanking to retain their pick) there is still the strong clamor to use the season to develop the young players that should constitute the future of the franchise.
This was the sentiment of Don MacLean, a former NBA Most Improved Player awardee and now an analyst for the LA Clippers. MacLean is also a development coach who worked with D'Angelo Russell before the 2015 NBA Draft. His comments were picked up by The Orange County Register.
I really wish Byron Scott would just give D'Angelo Russell the keys and say, 'Go for it, man,'" said MacLean during the Clippers vs Lakers game broadcast last January 29. "If Byron Scott would say, 'You know what, D'Angelo? I don't care if you turn it over 15 times tonight, you're going to play 35 minutes, go for it," he will figure it out. He really will."
While it might be an endorsement for his ward, there are many fans who would agree with MacLean that Russell has not been given enough leg room by Byron Scott. The concern is how it could affect the long-term development of a player which the Lakers invested a no.2 overall pick on.
In an interview with NBA.com, Russell seems to lament his lack of a mentor and the impatient manner of Byron Scott's approach.
"At this day and age, you kind of have a feel for what you did wrong," Russell stated. "It might sound weird, but you don't know what to ask. So like, I turned the ball over. I know I turned the ball over and I'm coming out of the game. I'm not sure if that's why you're pulling me out, but I'm not sure what to ask. 'Cause I know I turned it over. There's nothing that you can possibly say that's going to bring that turnover back, or anything that I can possibly do. But it's like, I don't know what to ask. It's like, he wouldn't, I don't know, tell me if I don't ask. So that's where it's kind of a blur."
Should the Lakers fire Byron Scott now in favor of a coach that could develop Russell?