During Byron Scott’s introductory press conference on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers new head coach talked about the city and the history of the organization. Scott has nothing but pride for the team he helped lead to three NBA titles back in the 1980s and made that passion for the franchise abundantly clear.
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The Los Angeles Clippers have made things interesting over the past few years with Chris Paul making them a force to be reckoned with. Despite Paul and company coming up, Scott made sure to let it be known that Los Angeles is still a Laker town, according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Byron Scott: "I don’t think LA has gone to the Clippers yet anyway. This is still a Laker town. Period."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) July 29, 2014
With 16 championship banners hanging in the rafters at the Staples Center, it is hard to make a case that the Clippers contend with the storied franchise in terms of legacy and being synonymous with the city.
Although it will be an uphill battle moving forward, Scott is up to the task of taking on a rebuilding process while competing with the Clippers in the same building. No one is giving this team much of a chance to even be a playoff contender in the near future, but with Kobe Bryant still in the fold, anything is possible if he can still play at a high level.
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Needless to say, Scott will have a tough challenge ahead of him taking the helm of one of the most successful franchises in professional sports. Fortunately, Scott already seems to have the backing of Lakers fans and will be able to start his stint as the Lakers coach without being in the shadow of Phil Jackson.
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Lakers Hire New Coach Byron Scott