At long last, the Los Angeles Lakers have their coach for the 2014-15 season.
The hiring process took a long time, even if the man who ended up with the job was widely considered the top candidate for quite a few weeks. But everything became official on Tuesday afternoon, when the organization officially introduced Byron Scott at his introductory press conference.
Everything opened with general manager Mitch Kupchak at the microphone, and he quickly made it clear that he was happy with the eventual agreement between the two parties.
However, Kupchak didn't hold on to the mic for long, as there was a surprise appearance from a few of Scott's former teammates. In what was clearly an indication that the Lakers family was coming back together, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes all took turns at center stage.
First, Magic expressed his support:
As Bleacher Report's Ethan Norof sharply noted, this was one of the few times in a long while that the legendary point guard has been supportive of the organization's moves, rather than disavowing them or just remaining silent:
Kareem and Wilkes also spoke up, both following in Magic's footsteps and expressing their own support:
Then it was Scott's turn to speak, and you could just feel how much passion he had for the Lakers, with whom he'd spent all but three seasons of his 14-year NBA career.
After expressing his regret that Dr. Jerry Buss couldn't be a part of the festivities, he quickly revealed his hopes for the organization.
They can be summed up in a single word: championships.
Off to the right of the makeshift stage, the Lakers had all of their old Larry O'Brien Trophies lined up in a window, from which Jeanie Buss overlooked...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
