Game Rewind: Not So Great Scott – Lakers 104, Hornets 88

Remember when the Hornets were considered to be one of the up and coming teams in the NBA?  Yeah, that was pretty funny.  On the bright side, I have the feeling that whenever Phil Jackson decides to retire, Byron Scott will be more than available to interview for the vacancy… not that anyone on the Lakers is going to be calling.

Great coaching, Byron.  Absolutely brilliant defensive scheme.

If tonight’s Laker butt kicking of the Hornets is any measure, the Hornets are now officially not even close to being contenders anymore.  The Lakers didn’t have Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum and don’t really have anyone capable of containing Chris Paul, yet LA still won in a blowout.  I know Byron Scott is a beloved former Laker, but that isn’t enough to make him worthy of coaching the team when he can’t even get his current team to be competitive against them.

Really, the Lakers are going to want a coach that thinks it is actually a good idea to guard Kobe Bryant with Devin Brown?  Byron Scott has Emeka Okafor and David West at his disposal, yet he somehow can’t get either of them to play well enough to prevent DJ Mbenga from posting a double-double.  Seriously, Mbenga OWNED the paint tonight.  That just shouldn’t happen… ever.  Clearly this Hornet roster has quit on Byron Scott, just like the Nets did during his tenure there.  Nostalgia is fine and all, but be it this off-season or one several years from now, the Lakers should just give Scott an obligatory interview and then promptly accidentally on purpose lose his phone number.

Sorry, we don’t need you anymore, Pau.  We’ve got MBENGA!

• Two straight blowouts looks like it was all the Lakers needed in order to fix their bench woes.  Sasha Vujacic is really the only member of the regular bench mob that hasn’t gone off in the last two games, but he’s nailing Maria Sharapova now, so I think he gets a free pass.
• I know Lamar Odom hasn’t shot well the last two games, but I dig his new confidence from three-point range.  The Lakers need all the help they can get spreading the floor and LO only becomes a more dangerous match-up in the process if opposing forwards need to guard him all the way out the three-point line.

Lake Show Outtakes:

• Aww, c’mon, New Orleans!  If you had at least put up a little bit of a fight, Kobe probably could’ve gone off for 40+ points again.  Bunch of party poopers.
• Am I really going to have to stop making fun of Mbenga now that he has actually been playing well?  No.  No, I’m not.  But it is definitely going to be a lot harder.

Tags: Andrew Bynum, bench mob, Byron Scott, DJ Mbenga, Game Rewind, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, New Orleans Hornets, Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic