It’s a tough time to be a Lakers fan. After losing a franchise worst 55 games last year, they’ve started this season off by dropping nine of their first 10. Before losing big against the Spurs and Warriors over the weekend, coach Byron Scott told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes he has faith the Lakers organization will right the ship. Scott even told his team, “I have no doubt that we will win a championship in my tenure here as head coach.” Try not to spit whatever you’re drinking at your computer or phone, but he was serious.
So why does Scott believe he’ll usher in an NBA franchise-tying 17th title (the Celtics have 17) at some point over his four-year deal? “because I know this organization,” he tells ESPN. “But I do know it’s going to take some patience. It’s a process.”
One player, the same player who took 34 shots in 31 minutes during last night’s Dubs drubbing because he couldn’t stand idle while witnessing “a crime,” doesn’t think it’s an exaggeration to believe in Scott as a championship-winning coach.
Asked why Kobe Bryant says he agrees with Scott’s sunny prediction of the future for purple and gold, and you’ll get a taste of the ecclesiastical.
“Faith,” Bryant answers. “The Lakers’ track record. This organization is really good about turning around, period. We don’t have many dry years.”
While faith is good in theory and sounds nice when you’re talking to a reporter, faith can also be tested. It’s whether someone holds up under the pressure pushing against their faith where you find out just how much faith they ever had to begin with.
Never is this more clear than the Lakers through the season’s first three weeks. The worst start in franchise history and a defense giving up 114.7 points per 100 possessions would test any coach or player’s faith. That’s because no team has finished a season with that high a defensive rating since 1984-85, a season — coincidentally — when the Lakers won a championship with Byron Scott in his second season in the NBA.
“The adjustment for me is just the patience part of it, which is sometimes tough, because I’m so used to winning,” Scott told ESPN. “And the people here are so used to winning. And the people in this organization are so used to winning.”
Faith can only take you so far. What happens if the Lakers continue to stumble and finish with something approaching the 7-59 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats? For a franchise used to being in the playoffs every year (60 of their 66 seasons have featured a playoff berth), inheriting the mantle of “worst NBA team of all time,” will put that faith to the test. Then again, they could very well right the ship and finish strong.
Kobe and Scott have faith, but the Lakers faithful will only remain that way for so long, and there’s another team in Los Angeles with big names, a new owner and title dreams this season. Maybe Lakers fans can ask those decades-long Clippers season ticket holders about this whole faith thing, since they don’t really have that much experience relying on faith alone.
(ESPN)
How many games will the Lakers win this season?
Follow Spencer on Twitter at @SpencerTyrel.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
