First it was Kobe Bryant getting all dismissive of the young Lakers’ youthful exuberance while giddily celebrating an overtime victory over Boston. Now it’s losing coach Byron Scott’s turn to ridicule his young players for not handling victory with more poise. (One might reasonably ask the coach–how could they? They’re not used to it. You’ve coached them to a 14-41 record.)
Kobe’s superiority and inability to share in his teammates’ pleasure was unfortunate, but not unexpected. Bryant is disappointed he’s not playing. But Scott is the coach–and any show of enthusiasm from players who are suffering through a disastrous season ought to be built upon, not torn down. The grim Scott sees it differently: “Kobe’s reaction was pretty much my reaction when I was watching it,” he said. Scott told the players (primarily Nick Young and Jordan Hill) he “was disappointed in it. That’s not us as Lakers. That’s not how we act. It showed a lack of professionalism.” Sure, they could have acted better, but put “Byron Scott, Lakers and professionalism” in the same paragraph? This isn’t 1988.
