Over the past three years, almost every decision the Los Angeles Lakers have made has been highly questionable. From giving Steve Nash a three-year contract to signing Kobe Bryant to a two-year, $48 million extension, to hiring (and firing) Mike D’Antoni and Mike Brown, the Lakers have struggled making good decisions.
While we’ll know better if they made the right hire with Byron Scott once the season begins, the newest Laker coach seems to already be continuing Los Angeles’ recent tradition of shaky decision-making. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Scott anticipates starting Steve Nash over Jeremy Lin, among other odd line-up decisions.
Scott will spend training camp figuring out his starting lineup, which he says will currently feature Nash, Bryant, Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill. He is leaning toward starting Wesley Johnson at small forward because of his defensive potential and relying on Nick Young’s prolific scoring off the bench.
Kobe Bryant and Jordan Hill being included in the starting line-up isn’t surprising at all, but the other two names should raise some eyebrows. The Lakers two biggest acquisitions this off-season were Lin and first-round pick Julius Randle. If Scott’s line-up holds, neither will be starting. Nash is a shell of himself and likely broken down beyond repair at this point. And starting Boozer, never a defender and undersized as it is, with Hill is a disaster waiting to happen up front.
Don’t overreact yet Laker fans (as hard as that has proven to be), we’ll have to see how Scott’s decisions play out when the season begins.
