Byron Scott’s benching of Jeremy Lin has got some Lakers fans furious. Scott opted not to play the enormously popular Lin against the Spurs on Friday night–saying he “knows what Jeremy can do.” Which is, apparently, nothing coach Scott wants to see done. Some Lin fans think it’s a political move by Scott, whose first year with the Lakers has been full of injuries (Nash, Randle, Bryant) and other unpleasant surprises.
“Calling all Lin fans to boycott the next Lakers game,” wrote one commenter after the Lin benching. Lin finished 9th place in overall fan voting for the All-Star game and one angry fan believed the benching was “because [Byron Scott] wants to prove to the world that Lin is not an all star material.” (Lin, it must be said, has done a fine job of that all by himself this season.) “BOYCOTT LAKERS ON TV” another commenter exclaimed. “I’m with the boycott,” writes another. “This happens after a few weeks Jeremy was named player of the week,” writes yet another. Lin obviously has very loyal fans who want to see him succeed. Lots of people less loyal would at least like to see him play. Lin is an enigma–we can’t figure him out if he’s not on the floor. These days, you can’t ignore the fans.
