NBA Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers’ Byron Scott Needs To Improve Communication

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By @AnthonyIrwinNBA

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

In some shape or form, we’re all creatures of habit. We all have our preferences while we work and feel our most productive during certain hours of the day or night. Professional athletes are no different.

So, when Byron Scott jumbles the rotation without explaining his decision-making process or giving any kind of advance notice, you can imagine the Los Angeles Lakers players’ frustrations. And please, I’ll pass on the “they’re million dollar athletes, why should I empathize?” takes before you offer them. They’re people, trying to make a living with a boss they might not necessarily agree with. Sound familiar?

Funny thing is, this all can easily be avoided. Coaches mixing up on-court combinations while a team is struggling is in no way atypical. On the contrary, Scott not doing so would be a much larger story. I agree that, given the direction of this Lakers season, he should play everyone to gather as much information on each player as possible.

In that sense, this year has become something of an extended tryout.

Heading into a year in which Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin are on the roster, that Jordan Clarkson is now the starting point guard for the foreseeable future sums up how said season has gone. Though if he plays well, and the Lakers find a second round gem, it’s not a complete loss.

Same goes for Tarik Black, who wasn’t even on the team until only a couple weeks ago. When he gets minutes over Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill, it’s not a move that’s being made to win games; it’s to find out if he fits into the Lakers’ plans beyond 2015.

For once, I agree with something Scott is doing. Though he’s skipping a crucial step.

When he decides the season has taken this kind of turn, some kind of team meeting should be called to let the players know what’s going on. I have no proof that he didn’t, but a troubling trend has popped up since players’ minutes started fluctuating: they all seem blind-sided by the move. What’s really scary is that Scott, a former player, doesn’t seem to relate to their frustration.

Scott recently benched Lin altogether and they had their heart to heart a day after the game. Um, coach, don’t you think that might’ve been a decent idea before you put him in a situation where he had to tweet responses to reporters who claimed he left before they could ask him anything? Sure, Lin has not played up to expectations, but Scott also has to take some blame for not finding a way to effectively use him.

Scott likes to send messages to players with playing time (a la his benching Nick Young during the second half of their game against the Houston Rockets), though he has to be careful the right message is being portrayed. When he benches Lin for an entire game, that can easily be taken to mean Lin deserves all the blame for his inconsistent play, which, again, isn’t true.

Young’s benching was interesting because it comes during a shooting slump. He is a one-dimensional player who gives little else when he isn’t scoring. I mean, in all the minutes he played this season alongside Kobe Bryant, Young failed to notch a single assist to one of the greatest scorers in the history of basketball.

A coach’s job is to find a use for Young when his shot isn’t falling. Benching him altogether and citing some effort cliché is a cheap way out. Young’s effort is dwindling because he can’t contribute the way he’d like. Scott not seeing that is a serious issue. I’m not absolving Young of any and all blame for poor effort, just pointing out that this lack of communication can very easily eat away at a strong locker room, let alone one that’s struggled the way this one has.

Keeping a team invested is a tricky thing in this league. Players make exponentially more money than their coaches and can tune them out for any number of reasons. Poor communication is a great way for a coach to lose a team, and given the season’s probable direction, I can’t imagine Scott will find a way to get it back.

Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .

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