Byron Scott made the decision to bench Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer before the team’s game on Sunday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. While Lin has taken it in stride despite his disappointment, Boozer has spoken out about how he disagrees with the move.
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Though he declined to go into specifics, Boozer was clearly unhappy with the move. During the team’s shootaround on Tuesday, Scott responded to Boozer’s comments according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:
Byron responds to Boozer's comment that his benching was not in the Lakers' best interest: "He's not the coach. It's *my* opinion."
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) December 9, 2014
Boozer also said that he had not talked with Byron about the move, but according to the OC Register’s Bill Oram, Scott feels no need to clear the air:
Byron Scott not budging in standoff with Boozer. Said there is no air to be cleared.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) December 9, 2014
Last year, Boozer voiced his displeasure at being benched during the fourth quarter while with the Chicago Bulls, so him speaking up in this case is no surprise.
Boozer did say that he will continue to do his job despite not being happy coming off the bench, and Scott said he plans to stick with this lineup for at least 10-15 games. Hopefully this doesn’t turn into something bigger as the Lakers can ill afford another distraction at this point in the season.
[divide]Team Reacts To Starting Lineup Changes