Lakers Rumors: Jerry Buss Would’ve Hired Byron Scott Before Mike Brown?
[new_royalslider id=”279″]

Back in 2011, the Los Angeles Lakers were forced to make a drastic change following the departure of legendary head coach Phil Jackson.

Obviously, it is never easy to replace a coach with Jackson’s resume, but the team had no choice and ultimately hired former Coach of the Year, Mike Brown.

— Think You Know Everything About The 1980’s Lakers? Take The Ultimate Fan Quiz! —

Brown wasn’t the popular choice by any means with Brian Shaw waiting in the wings as Jackson’s protege. Shaw was thought to be the frontrunner to land the job after Jackson ended his coaching career, but Brown ended up getting hired and only lasted one full season.

Although Shaw appeared to be the frontrunner and Brown was ultimately hired, Byron Scott might’ve been the coach Dr. Jerry Buss wanted. Unfortunately, he wasn’t available at the time.

A year before Jackson stepped down as the head coach of the Lakers, Scott took over for Brown in Cleveland. If he hadn’t, Buss may have brought him in as Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding speculates:

It’s a safe assumption that Jerry Buss would have made Scott the Lakers head coach instead of Brown upon Phil Jackson’s 2011 departure if Scott, eager to get back to work a year earlier, hadn’t accepted the daunting task of coaching Brown’s old Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James about to bolt.

With Dr. Buss seemingly having a soft spot for the three-time NBA champion, the former Laker guard might have a good chance of becoming next head coach of the storied franchise. Scott has already expressed interest in the head coaching vacancy and hopes to get an interview this summer.

Although Scott may have an advantage with ties to the organization, there’s no shortage of options for the Lakers this time around. Scott is one of many viable candidates that includes George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy, Lionel Hollins, Kevin Ollie, Roy Williams, Mark Jackson and Tom Thibodeau.

It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out in the Lakers search for a new leader on the sidelines, but Scott is definitely considered to be among the top candidates.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Kobe Bryant On Jimmy Kimmel, Talks Coaching Search, D’Antoni Gone, And Nick Young’s Zero Athletic Ability


Please enable Javascript to watch this video

You May Also Like

Lakers Rumors: Teams Asked For Likes Of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart And First-Round Draft Picks In Potential Luol Deng Trade

In their quest to clear out as much salary cap space as possible, the Los Angeles Lakers made multiple moves to…

Lakers Free Agency Rumors: Kyrie Irving ‘Prepared’ To Sign With Nets After Opting Out With Celtics

With Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors defeating the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals, all of the attention…

Lakers Rumors: Lonzo Ball’s Camp Preferring Suns Has ‘No Bearing’ On Anthony Davis Trade Talks With Pelicans

Amid the Anthony Davis rumors, Lonzo Ball’s camp — which had largely remained quiet up to this point of the season — made it clear they do not want him…

Lakers Rumors: Jason Kidd Not Among Finalists For Pelicans Coaching Job

Although the Los Angeles Lakers are still in the midst of celebrating their 17th championship in franchise history…