As a player, Byron Scott was selected to the All Rookie 1st Team in 1983/84, lead the league in 3 point field goal percentage in 1984/85 and was a key part of the Los Angeles Lakers World Championship teams in 1985, 1987 and 1988. As a coach, he was awarded as the 2007/08 NBA Coach of the Year. It safe to say this man knows Basketball.
It may be 16 degrees Fahrenheit, but right now its hot in Cleveland.
That's not what were are talking about. We are talking about Byron Scott's verbal beating of his team. A team with a record of 8-45. But it was not a fit of frustration over a season gone wrong, or even the Cleveland Cavaliers current 26 game losing streak. Its the fact that the Cavs, with as bad as they are playing, were actually FAVORED to win last night over the Detroit Pistons and they didn't come ready to play.
Scott lost it last night, taking the Cavs players to task during halftime and then again in a closed locker room session that last 30 minutes, and he had every right to do it.
Byron Scott was later interviewed and had this to say. "I'm mad as hell. I can deal with losing, especially when our guys play as hard as they have in the last couple weeks. But I find it very hard to deal with when guys don't come out ready to play. I thought we took a gigantic step backwards and it was all because of a lack of effort. We had no sense of urgency whatsoever and that kind of amazes me. When we've lost as many in a row as we lost and when you've been as close as we've been in the last four or five games and to be at home and come out the way we came out, that amazes me."
No doubt, the Cavs have their work cut out for them, and its got to be hard to be in that kind of losing streak, but they can't afford to beat themselves by not showing up to play. They will have a chance to redeem themselves on Friday as they host the Los Angeles Clippers. But if the players show up with the same attitude, Coach Scott might want to consider giving Betty White the start. I've seen her Snickers commercial. She's no push over.
Byron Scott was my favorite player growing up... used to practice that baseline jumper of his all the time. I definitely feel for him in Cleveland... hopefully his players will bring their A game Friday night.
ReplyDelete