Byron Scott is a walking contradiction

There's no other way around it: The Los Angeles Lakers are a flaming mess, and they're led by a head coach in Byron Scott that deals in contradictions.

Those once-mighty Lakers, with all of 16 championship banners hanging in the rafters at Staples Center, have the third-worst defense, the second-worst offense, and the second-worst record in the league.

And while a lack of talent is clearly to blame for their predicament, Scott's inconsistent and downright bewildering decision-making is exacerbating the Lakers' problems, for both the present and future.

Chemistry problems

There's no problem with the Lakers, says Scott, except for their glaring problems.

When asked about his team's quibbles over shot distribution, Scott told Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News on Friday that the team doesn't have any chemistry issues.

"We don’t have chemistry problems. Our guys get along," Scott said. "We just don’t trust each other on the floor."

Wait, what?

When pressed further, Scott pointed to the team's overabundance of ball-dominant players.

"Guys sometimes want the ball in their hands and they don’t trust making passes to other guys," Scott said. "We have to get to the point where the ball doesn’t stick and we find open guys. When you have young guys that are so used to having the ball, getting rid of it is sometimes an issue. That’s what we’re trying to break."

Notice Scott's caveat of "young" guys, through which he not-so-subtly lamented the lack of ball movement by players like D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Jordan Clarkson.

But what of Kobe Bryant, or whatever zombified 2015 version that haunts the Lakers by posting the least efficient scoring season since 1984? What of the famously pass-averse hardcourt recluse?

"He has that privilege (to shoot), basically," Scott told reporters after Bryant's four-point, 1-for-14 outing.

So, Scott admits there are trust issues, but he's also promoting a double-standard that actively divides the team. Some mysteries aren't mysteries at all - they're stubborn refusals to look within.

Raising D'Angelo

The new, bitter reality is beginning to dawn on the Lakers: They clearly need to bite the bullet and rebuild for the future. That means giving opportunities to Randle, Russell, and Clarkson.

That future, however, is being held up by a purveyor of the past.

"I'm not always thinking about necessarily developing them," Scott said of his prospects two weeks ago. "I'm always thinking about trying to win."

If that's the case, having only two wins in 14 games is a pitiful effort. Perhaps it's time to change course. Perhaps start by giving Russell, the No. 2 overall pick, some looks.

But that's turned out to be another contradiction.

Scott won't play Russell in crunch time (opting instead for the wildly inefficient Lou Williams) and appears to have failed to even give feedback as to how the bewildered 20-year-old could improve.

Putting aside the failure to communicate, it's understandable that Russell doesn't play in crunch time. It's a privilege to play key minutes, and perhaps Scott wants the rookie to earn his stripes.

Except, Russell's not even being played in blowouts, because Scott sees no point. Even when there's nothing on the line, Scott's still benching Russell in favor of no-hope gunners like Nick Young.

Russell's average of 6.5 fourth-quarter minutes ranks seventh on the team (Clarkson and Randle are eighth and ninth). A few names ahead of them: Williams (8.1), Marcelo Huertas (7.2), Young (7.1), and Bryant (8.9).

To recap: The Lakers under Scott's watch aren't winning, and they aren't developing their young players. They're erecting a living mausoleum in honor of Bryant and the Lakers' former glory when they should be building towards their future.