Despite rough start, Lakers plan to make no changes

Sam Amick | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Philly fans show Kobe Bryant love in hometown farewell Kobe played his final game in his hometown of Philadelphia.

There are 65 of these left.

Sixty. Five. More. Lakers. Games.

To steal a phrase from Clippers commentator, Ralph Lawler, “Oh me, oh my.”

As Tuesday night’s loss to the previously-winless Philadelphia 76ers reminded us, Kobe Bryant’s long goodbye is going to involve some absolutely brutal basketball. The updated tally after his 7-of-26 shooting night (four of 17 from three-point range)? Per NBA.com, he’s now last in the league in field-goal percentage among players who average at least 25 minutes per game (30.1) and last in three-point percentage among players taking at least three per game (20.8 on 7.6 attempts per). The Lakers, who spoke coming into the season about the possibility of pushing for a playoff spot, are at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 2-15 mark.

Yet still, all signs continue to point to the woeful Lakers standing pat.

In any other context on any other team, this would be the kind of stuff that inevitably leads to one of two things: a coaching firing, or a player benching. But according to a person with knowledge of the Lakers’ situation, it’s extremely unlikely that either option will be exercised anytime soon. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

While there’s a never-say-never qualifier to the notion that coach Byron Scott could be replaced midseason, it appears for now that he won’t be held responsible for either the dreadful record or the fruitless way in which Bryant continues to play. The coaching component, it should be noted, could always change if this losing streak (currently seven games) grew too big to bear.

The strong sense, however, is that Scott is seen largely as an innocent bystander in Bryant’s bon voyage campaign. Scott signed a four-year, $17 million deal in July 2014 to reunite with his former teammate, but the contract is only guaranteed through next season.

As for Bryant’s part in this mess, it seems the 20 years of equity he built up in Los Angeles will be enough to get him to the mid-April finish line without too much internal scorn. His final NBA visit to his hometown of Philadelphia showed why, as there will be a sentimental portion of this program that likely overrides all the rest. The same in-house ethos that led to Bryant’s two-year, $48.5 million extension in Nov. 2013 – where the organization’s respect and appreciation for what he had done earned him the big payday – is the driving force at the end here, too.

The man who won’t stop shooting, in other words, is getting a pass.

There are a few silver linings here for the Lakers, though. At this unexpected rate, they just might wind up holding onto their 2016 first-round draft pick after all (it goes to Philadelphia unless it's in the top three). What's more, there is a ripple effect of Bryant's recent retirement announcement that is worth examining.

Because he made it clear so early on that this season would be his last, announcing on Sunday via the Player’s Tribune web site, the Lakers now have the kind of roster clarity that should help them crystallize their offseason plan. And considering the front office’s widely-known deadline to deliver a contender (the end of the 2016-17 season) or else, not to mention the Lakers are slated to have approximately $66 million in salary cap room, this is no small development.

As great as Bryant has been for all these years, it’s undeniable that some free agents will see the Lakers’ situation as more appealing now because of the clean-slate component. Rather than tag-teaming with a future Hall of Famer on the decline, they’ll have a chance to give it a go with the Jordan Clarkson-D’Angelo Russell-Julius Randle youth movement while playing for a storied franchise in a massive market. The unanswered question regarding Bryant’s future, make no mistake, was an obstacle that is now obsolete.

Now if only they could fast-forward through the season and get to the free agency portion of the summer. As woeful shooting percentages go, that’s the one that matters most.