LA Lakers Rumors: Team May Lose Direction After Firing Byron Scott

By Jenn Loro - 27 Apr '16 08:41AM

After LA Lakers' worst season performance in its 16-time NBA championship history, the West Coast franchise finally kicked Byron Scott off their roster in an official team announcement.

Scott had been around for two seasons coaching players but didn't perform well enough to shepherd the team into reaching the playoffs let alone the championship. The team now entered into one of its darkest moments in basketball history as it rebuilds itself once more after Kobe Bryant's monumental retirement.

Finishing second-worst 17-65 record this season, the gold and purple team had lost more than it did in 2014-15 season. The decision was highly expected as Scott was informed by the Lakers' top brass of their decision to fire him on Sunday.

"We would like to thank Byron for his hard work, dedication and loyalty over the last two years but have decided it is in the best interest of the organization to make a change at this time," said GM Mitch Kupchak who implemented basketball operations president Jim Buss' self-imposed deadline for turning the struggling team around as per ESPN report.

Meanwhile, Scott's termination now triggers a search for a more capable head coach who can reinvigorate the team once more for the next season. So far, some potential names have already started to emerge from NBA rumor mills.

"The Lakers did not dismiss Scott with his successor already in place, league sources said. General manager Mitch Kupchak and ownership will run a search. Possible candidates to replace Scott could include Golden State Warriors assistant Luke Walton, former Houston Rockets and New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie and San Antonio Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, league sources said," Fox News reported.

Will Luke Walton ever consider taking up a job offer which carries a more lucrative offer?

Warriors' assistant coach Luke Walton is a great head coach in the making who is also enjoying Golden State's seemingly invincible season performance. He happened to have come from one of NBA's best coaching tree- that of Phil 'Zen Master' Jackson.

"Bill may be his father, but he's really my son," Jackson said about Luke during the Lakers' championship ring ceremony nearly six years ago as per the Bleacher Report.