OAKLAND –The moves looked so precise, repetitive and efficient as Kobe Bryant navigated around the court. He caught entry passes in the post before displaying his well-timed footwork to create favorable angles toward the basket. Bryant moved around the perimeter with ease as he hoisted 3-pointers with the same elevation, form and follow through. The Lakers’ 37-year-old star then went in the paint and perfected a series of hook shots with both his right and left hand.

As Bryant took these countless shots from all over the court, most of them sailed into the basket. Some rimmed out. Some fell short. But soon enough, Bryant hoisted more shots that then swished into the hoop. It looked like Bryant finally discovered his old self.

But there was one problem: Bryant completed and perfected this routine in pre-game warmups. No where did Bryant show any of his beauty in the Lakers’ 111-77 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at the Oracle Arena. Instead, Bryant posted four points on a 1-of-14 clip, including a 1-of-7 mark from 3-point range. It could have been worse had Bryant logged more than 24 minutes, 41 seconds through three quarters.

“They were [crappy],” Bryant said. “In all honesty, it’s tough. The shots that I take in pull up shots and jumpers and contested jumpers, those are tough shots to hit at 27. They’re very tough to hit at 37.”
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From left, Jamaal Wilkes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Byron Scott and Magic Johnson attend the press conference to announce Scott as the new head coach at the Lakers training facility in El Segundo, CA on Tuesday, July 29, 2014. (Photo by Scott Varley, DAILY BREEEZE)

SAN FRANCISCO — The question caused Lakers coach Byron Scott to offer an incredulous look, suggesting there shouldn’t even be a debate. Would the Showtime Lakers beat the current Golden State Warriors?

“In a seven-game series? Absolutely,” Scott said following Lakers morning shootaround at the Olympic Club. “I don’t know in how many [games]. But in my mind and humble opinion, we would win a seven-game series against them.”

As for the current-day Lakers (2-11) when they play the Golden State Warriors (15-0) on Tuesday at the Oracle? Well, that’s a different story.

“I think they would probably win that series right now,” Scott said, chuckling, moments after focusing on tonight’s game.
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Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant ,24, takes a shot against Portland’s Al-Farouq Aminu,8, during the first quarter at the Staples Center. Los Angeles Calif., Sunday, November,22, 2015.
(Photo by Stephen Carr / Daily Breeze)

Another debilitating loss caused Lakers coach Byron Scott to stay restless. He watched tape of the Lakers’ 103-97 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. He joked, “I woke up like I had a hangover and I didn’t drink.”

Why?

“Guys are playing one on one. We don’t have that type of team,” Scott said. “Guys have to play together. That was the thing that was keeping me up.”

Yet, Scott refused to cast blame on the most prominent Lakers player that has contributed to the poor ball movement. Kobe Bryant posted 18 points on 6-of-22 shooting. He scored one fewer point than Jordan Clarkson, who only needed a 8-of-14 clip to reach it. This all happened despite Bryant’s insistence two days earlier that he wants to prioritize on accelerating the team’s development with ball movement instead of padding his scoring.

Scott conceded that Bryant’s high-volume shooting “could” disrupt ball movement before defending his star player.

“He’s got 20 years in this league. We might not have six guys with 20 years in this league combined,” Scott said. “He has that privilege. From a coaching standpoint, I want Kobe to be Kobe. Other guys haven’t earned that right yet. When it gets to their hands and it’s sticking and you’re a first, second or third year player, you haven’t earned that right yet.”

Continue reading “Lakers’ Byron Scott said Kobe Bryant “has that privilege” to shoot a lot” »

The Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell ,right, and Portland’s C.J. McCullum go for a loose ball Sunday. (Stephen Carr / Staff Photographer)

The Lakers’ prized rookie point guard once sat for most or entire fourth quarters on the bench, wondering when Byron Scott would ever call his name. That suddenly happened in the Lakers’ 107-93 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at Staples Center. Then, Russell did not just close the game. He played the entire last quarter.

Even if Russell would go scoreless and miss all four of his shot attempts, his bottom-line result painted a different picture. Russell posted 13 points with a 4-of-10 mark from the field, a 2-of-4 clip from 3-point range, a career-high nine rebounds and six assists.

“I’m just getting better,” Russell said afterwards. “I’m not worried about [closing] or what everybody is saying. I’m just playing.”

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It took only 14 seconds for the Portland Trail Blazers to indicate to the Lakers they could suffer a long night. Then, Portland guard Damian Lillard sank a 3-pointer that would mark just the beginning of a 30-point effort on 12-of-25 shooting and 13 assists en route to a Lakers’ 107-93 loss to the Trail Blazers on Sunday at Staples Center.

When Lillard wasn’t carving up the Lakers’ interior defense with easy drives to the basket, Portland guard CJ McCollum was punishing the Lakers with 19 points on a 8-of-13 clip, including a 3-of-5 mark from 3-point range.

“We have to pick u the intensity,” Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell said. “It’s not easy. It’s a five man defense. It can never be on an island by itself.”

Continue reading “Lakers appeared overwhelmed with Portland’s backcourt” »

Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant ,24, misses a shot against Portland’s Al-Farouq Aminu,8, during the third quarter at the Staples Center. Los Angeles Calif., Sunday, November,22, 2015.
(Photo by Stephen Carr / Daily Breeze)

The plan seemed pretty clear on how the Lakers would somehow stop the losing. Of course, it all started with Kobe Bryant.

“I’d like to put the ball in his hands more,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “See if he can be a little more of a facilitator.”

The Lakers soon saw the exact opposite in their 107-93 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at Staples Center. Bryant posted 18 points on 6-of-22 shooting and four assists in 31 minutes, including 12 shots in the first 10 minutes.

“I was trying to get us off to a good start,” Bryant said.

Bryant was also trying to get his team off to a good ending. But that didn’t happen, either. He missed a 3-pointer as the Lakers trailed 95-90 with 3:39 remaining. He missed a jumper nearly two minutes later. Add all up, and second-year guard Jordan Clarkson scored more points (a team-leading 19) on much fewer shots (8-of-14).

Yet, Scott argued that Bryant “moved the ball,” considering he had four assists. Scott also refused to blame Bryant entirely for both his shooting inaccuracy and his shot selection considering the Lakers collectively shot 36.4 percent from the field.

“All of us, not just Kobe, everybody on the team needs to do a better job of trusting each other and moving the ball,” Scott said. “It gets stuck. Every shot we take is a challenge shot under duress. Until our guys trust each other, it’s going to be like that.”

Continue reading “Lakers’ Byron Scott places poor ball movement not just on Kobe Bryant” »

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant #24 stands next to coach Byron Scott in the first half. The Lakers played the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening game of the 2015-16 NBA season. Los Angeles, CA, 10/28/2015 (photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles News Group)

Two days after remaining defiant about surpassing his self-imposed minutes threshold on Kobe Bryant, Lakers coach Byron Scott has since admitted he needs to stay more disciplined with monitoring Bryant’s playing time.

“It’s really really hard,” Scott said following morning shootaround at the Lakers’ facility in El Segundo. “I know when he’s out there, we have the best chance to win. But I have to give him rest.”

That’s not how Scott viewed things during the Lakers’ win last week in Detroit and in Friday’s loss to Toronto. Bryant played 36 minutes against Detroit and 37 minutes against Toronto despite Scott’s insistence at the beginning of the season that would never play more than last season’s average of 34.5 minutes per contest. In fact, Scott had previously aimed to keep Bryant’s minutes lower around 28 to 32 minutes per game.

But Scott defended the increased workload, mindful that the Lakers (2-10) could collect any victory they can. Scott also argued Bryant could handle the added minutes since he skipped Monday’s game in Phoenix before mostly resting before Friday’s game against Toronto. Can Scott show more discipline in any future games that will not be decided until the final moments of the fourth quarter?

“I have to fight myself on that,” Scott said. “I don’t want to get to the point where we have so many games left in the season and only 20 games out, hes’ already worn out.”

Continue reading “Lakers’ Byron Scott concedes he needs to be more disciplined with Kobe Bryant’s minutes” »

The concern made Kobe Bryant roll his eyes.

The Lakers’ 37-year-old star posted only 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting, five assists and four rebounds in the Lakers’ 102-91 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday at Staples Center. But the most glaring number involved his 37 minutes.

It marked the second consecutive game he played above last year’s season’s average of 34.5 minutes. It marked the second consecutive season Bryant became shrouded in controversy surrounding the minutes he played. So after lasting only 35 games last season before needing season-ending right shoulder surgery, what implications could Bryant’s heavier workload bring to his 37-year-old body?

“That’s the silliest question of the night,” Bryant said. “This is literally my second game where I played 35 minutes or more, so it’s premature to ask about it.”

The concern made Byron Scott raise his voice.

The Lakers’ coach had faulted himself last season for granting Bryant such a heavy workload. Scott even rested Bryant for eight of the next 16 games before his season ended in late January. Yet, Scott sounded more and more irritated when pressed on his contradictions on how he would manage Bryant.

“Look at what he’s averaging,” Scott said. “He’s still at the limit. When he gets over the limit, we’ll talk more about it. But right now, it’s still at the limit.”

Continue reading “Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, Byron Scott dismiss concerns about his minutes” »