Lakers' Byron Scott argued he benefitted from tough demands as a player

LOS ANGELES >> Lakers embattled head coach Byron Scott has held long practices unforgivingly. He has critiqued his young players openly both in person and through the media. Scott has not hesitated adjusting roles for D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle even if they represent the franchise’s long-term future.

But there marked another time that Scott seemed just as unpopular in Los Angeles. That moment also convinced Scott that his ste approach remains necessary a generation later.

The Lakers acquired Scott from the former San Diego Clippers a few months after he was selected fourth overall in the 1983 NBA draft. But that deal entailed the Lakers trading Norm Nixon, who helped Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar win two of the Lakers’ first five NBA championships in the Showtime Era.

That left Scott initially without any locker-room allies.

“They weren’t joking around,” Scott said. “I got a wake-up call real early that this was how it’s going to be. I better be ready for it.”

Scott routinely absorbed elbows from former Lakers forward Michael Cooper. The Lakers assigned Scott to cover Johnson. Nearly all of Scott’s teammates ignored him.

“The great thing is I was from here so I had a lot of support,” said Scott, who grew up in Inglewood and starred at Moingside High School. “But I would go home and think these dudes are crazy.”

Those crazy dudes eventually became Scott’s friends after recalling he never backed down during practice. It also helped that Scott made the NBA’s All-Rookie first team in the 1983-84 season. Scott then helped the Lakers win three NBA titles in 1985, ‘87 and ‘88.

“It was good because it obviously helped me grow,” Scott said. “It has gotten to the point where you formed everlasting relationships, too. After a while they respected who I was and what I could bring to the table.”

Since then, Scott has adopted that demanding touch in coaching stints in New Jersey (2000-04), New Orleans (2004-09), Cleveland (2010-2013) and the Lakers (2014-present).

“I like pushing buttons,” Scott said. “I like messing with young guys. It’s fun. I like to see what they can do and how much they can take. I want to see if they will accept the challenge or not. I’ll do it in a playful way, but I’m still trying to find out what they’re made of.”

Is the current generation of players sensitive to such criticism?

“It would be like calling them soft. Yeah,” Scott said, chuckling. “Most of them are too sensitive.”

Being cautious

Instead of lighting up the crowd with a ferocious dunk, Larry Nance Jr. will only spark buzz during Wednesday’s game in Denver by signing autographs for a crowd that might feature plenty from his alma mater.

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The Lakers determined Nance will miss one part of their three remaining slates of back-to-back games to minimize soreness in his right knee. Nance played on Tuesday against Atlanta and will sit out on Wednesday in Denver despite University of Wyoming fans likely making the two-hour trek to see him.

The Lakers also have a pair of back-to-back games against Memphis (March 22) and in Phoenix (March 23) as well as Washington (March 27) and in Utah (March 28).

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