Byron Scott And Kyrie Irving: Is He The Next Chris Paul?"/>
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When you look at the skill set of Kyrie Irving, what jumps out at you the most?
Is it the fact that he got past virtually anyone who decided it was okay to stand in his way on his journey to the basket? Or does the fact that he was able to impress NBA general managers enough after only eleven games with the Duke Blue Devils to be named the overall number one pick in this year’s draft impress you a little bit more?
Either way you look at this kid, he has something in him that is general consensus “starpower”. All he needs is the right guy to take him to the top, no excuses, just great beginnings and spectacular endings. Byron Scott seems like the perfect man for the job. I mean, did you forget that he was standing alongside Chris Paul during his first moments in the league?
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Talking about what he did in the NBA as a player is null and void when talking about seasoning a rookie athlete to compete amongst today’s greatest active guards. Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams and Chris Paul have nothing to prove because they all have achieved so much in the early stages of their careers, at one time or another being named the greatest active at what they do. Derrick Rose took last year’s offseason to become unstoppable while Russell Westbrook is only in his second year in the league playing at the point guard position for only the second season of his life. When you’re talking about work ethic, these are some of the guys that you would not dare catch on an ‘off’ day.
But, look a few paces behind them and you will see the coaches who put them in the situations for them to excel. Amazing athletes are great if you are playing street ball with no rules and no refs, but to become a professional basketball superstar, there needs to be someone in your ear guiding you. Byron Scott has plenty of experience in that field.
Not only was Scott named Coach of the Year in 2008, but at the time he was resigning over the recovering New Orleans Hornets, who were coming down off of the high of Scott’s first winning season while coaching the infamous Chris Paul.
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His firing in 2009 was most likely the result of a sloping winning percentage over the previous two seasons and their embarrassing loss to Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2009 Western Conference Playoffs. How embarrassing? Paul and Scott were on the sharp end of a 58-point loss to the Nuggets. It seemed pretty hasty that the organization would release Byron after what he had accomplished for the franchise, even after they were forced to play in OKC due to the tragic result of Hurricane Katrina.
What was the most telltale sign of the bond that he had formed with CP3 during his tenure in New Orleans was how Paul spoke up about Scott’s firing, as reported by ESPN.
“Obviously change needed to occur. I’m not sure that’s what should have happened. I’m not sure it was all coach’s fault. You can [only] play with the cards you’re dealt. It’s a tough situation. The team went a different direction. Now we’ve got to play. Coach was more than a coach to me. He was a mentor, someone who has made me the player I am today,” Paul said.
It is very rare that Chris Paul ever makes a splash about anything that is going on within the organization. Never does he speak out about any injustices that he felt took place. He simply sucks it up and moves forward with one thing in mind – Winning. Still while these words were spoken, I could not help to think that Coach Byron Scott truly was the driving force behind the man we saw giving the Lakers problems on each end of the floor in this Western Conference Playoffs.
If Scott can have such an impact on an elite level guard like Chris Paul, what can he do for a raw talent like Kyrie Irving?
The tandem has a lot to do with an organization that has nowhere to go but up. After such a tumultuous 2010 season, I suppose that this is all they have in mind.
Main Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images North America
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