Written by Andrew Lynch at FoxSports.com
To the fans of the other 29 teams around the NBA:
If you find yourself suddenly enjoying the Los Angeles Lakers, you are not coming down with some weird tropical disease — and you are certainly not alone. This year’s Lakers squad is an incredibly fun team even the most jaded among us can’t help but appreciate.
It’s quite the difference from the past two seasons, when this franchise was busy hitting rock-bottom, then finding a way to do it all over again. And it’s definitely a change from the multiple glory years in Los Angeles, when Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol, and the rest of the championship-winning Lakers were busy ruining every other fanbase’s lives.
These Lakers quickly clawed their way back to respectability. As of Wednesday morning, they sit at 7-5 and seventh in the Western Conference. Last season, they didn’t win their seventh game until Jan. 1. Yet there’s something more than just newfound success that makes Los Angeles so compelling.
After all, the Lakers have won plenty of games in the past, and no one outside of their fanbase liked them before. In fact, as any L.A. fan will gladly tell you, everyone else in the association hated the Lakers out of pure, unadulterated jealousy. We wanted what they had: rings.
Now, through a perfect confluence of coincidence, excellent decisions and individual growth, the Lakers — the Lakers! — have become one of the most genuinely likable teams in the NBA.
How in the world did we get here?
The Lakers fired one of the worst coaches in NBA history
Let’s not mince words. Byron Scott was on board as head coach over the past couple seasons for one reason: to usher Kobe Bryant through the final days of his career. Scott could be trusted to give Kobe all the minutes he wanted, placing the Black Mamba over the greater good — and nothing more.
That’s the choice the Lakers made; so be it. Kobe deserved to go out on his terms. Unfortunately, Scott didn’t do much else during his time on the bench in Los Angeles. He alienated the young core rather than doing what he could to develop guys such as D’Angelo Russell. He waged war against his team in the media. He led the Lakers to the lowest depths in franchise history, because he’s one of the worst coaches the association has seen.
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