The Lakers are 19-53, and Byron Scott is trying just about everything to get a jump on next year’s season outside of inserting himself into the starting lineup. Normally at this point in the year when a team is more than 30 games under .500 it’s more about just getting through the remaining games, seeing what you have (and what you’re missing), and looking ahead to the draft. This wouldn’t be a big deal if there weren’t actual players still trying to, you know, score points and play minutes.
Ed Davis has played in the most games of any player on the Lakers this season, and he was trying to keep his iron man streak alive. So naturally he was a bit surprised and bummed out when Scott decided to bench him in an attempt to play all his big men so he could see who might be worth keeping around next year.
“Honestly, I don’t like it,” the Lakers forward said Sunday before the Lakers lost to Brooklyn, 107-99. “I didn’t ask to sit out or anything. I wanted to play 82 games this year. But, you know, it’s not my decision.”
This won’t exactly cause a firestorm or make its way in the lead on SportsCenter, but it does highlight something that doesn’t get brought up all that often on losing teams that are long out of the playoff hunt. Davis is playing for his next contract (he has a $1.1 million player option he will definitely decline this summer), and he’s looking out for himself, but he’s also keen on finishing what he started this year. As he says later in the article, “I’m going to support the guys and be there, stay professional and stay ready.”
It’s a tough balance to strike when you’re looking ahead to next season as a coach but also have guys who want to contribute and play. It would’ve been pretty easy to get Davis in the game for even a few minutes, but it’s like the old saying goes, if you try to make everyone happy, sometimes no one is happy.
Scott isn’t exactly in a win-win situation with the Lakers sitting with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, and just like Davis is trying to produce and get paid, Scott’s trying to keep his job; although, Byron’s purportedly gotten a vote of confidence from GM Mitch Kupchak, and the Lakers will have to turn down all the players who want to sign with them in free agency. Maybe next time Davis is scheduled to sit, Scott will agree to let him play rock-paper-scissors for it, so at least Davis feels like he has some agency over the benching.
https://youtu.be/vdsig3k_XSo?t=25s
(LA Times)
