Former NBA champion and coach Byron Scott was a guest on Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s ‘All The Smoke’ podcast. When asked about the player empowerment era, Scott noted that the role of head coach in the NBA has never carried less authority than it does now. He added that players have far too much power over their teams, and it has caused a lot of problems.
“As a coach in the NBA now, you have no authority whatsoever. I truly believe that. The coach was a position you respected. It demanded respect. Coaches say you do. It was that simple. We’ve all come from that old-school mentality. The entitlement of players today to be able to make suggestions or changes…”
“It has totally changed. It’s one of the main reasons the viewership is down in the NBA. It’s not only the style of play… There’s no creativity. There’s one guy with the ball standing and watching the time, and you watch him play. That’s not attractive for fans to watch. We would never want to play that way.”
“It’s always been about five guys being able to have a touch of the ball at least. I think, right now, with the way that the NBA is going, I’m with you as far as player empowerment goes. That’s something that we all wish we had at that particular time. But I think now it’s overboard. It’s going crazy. The prisoners are running the asylum right now, that is the bottom line.”
Scott certainly has a point about how powerless coaches are in the NBA, especially when it comes to any franchise’s star players. Players command all the power now, and franchises prioritize the wishes of their superstars over the demands of their coaches.
Byron Scott was an important player for the Los Angeles Lakers during their Showtime era. Playing under a strict drill sergeant like Pat Riley instilled in him the importance of respecting the office and position of coach. He found success with the Lakers, winning three NBA championships in the 1980s.
He parlayed his playing career into a coaching career, starting out as an assistant coach on the Sacramento Kings under Rick Adelman. After two years on the Kings, Scott got his big break, being named the head coach of the New Jersey Nets in 2000.
It was a wildly successful stint, as he led the Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. Even though the Nets didn’t win either time, he brought the franchise their greatest success since they left the ABA and joined the NBA. No head coach of the Nets has been able to replicate his success with the team since. He managed All-Star players like Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury, and Kenyon Martin.
He was fired by the Nets in 2004 after a poor start to the season. Scott wasn’t out of work for long, being hired by the Charlotte Hornets a few months later. He would be the coach of the Hornets as Chris Paul entered the league and established himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA.
After five successful years with the Hornets, Scott was let go in November 2009. He would wait a year before finding another job and being selected to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ironically, he was named coach just days before LeBron James would leave the Cavaliers to sign with the Heat, which many consider the decision that kicked off the player empowerment era. Perhaps that is why Scott is not a fan of the power players wield over NBA franchises.
Byron Scott’s final head coaching job was a homecoming, as he was the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers from 2014 to 2016.
He got to coach the final seasons of Kobe Bryant, the player he once mentored in his final NBA season as a player. However, Scott’s tenure with the Lakers was far from successful, as he ended his time as coach with a record of 38-126, which is the worst of any Lakers head coach who held the position for two or more seasons.
While Scott made some salient points, it is strange to see him so upset about this considering that he was never the victim of the superstars exerting their power. Every time he was dismissed from a coaching position was due to the team stagnating under his tenure.
Even though Scott may not have a personal stake in the matter, his frustration with the NBA is definitely valid. While some players have definitely earned the right to have a say in the coaching direction of their team, the idea that every star player must be appeased rather than instructed by their coaches is a ridiculous idea that has left many fans frustrated with the current state of the NBA.
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