Tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Milwaukee Bucks and it marks the first time Byron Scott will coach against one of his former players, Jason Kidd. Prior to the game, Scott spoke with the Orange County Register's Bill Oram about Kidd, whom he coached from 2000-2004 as a member of the New Jersey Nets. “He was kind of known as an asshole,” Scott said. Aww.
As you may recall, there were reports speculating whether Kidd had a role in getting Scott fired in 2004. Here is Byron's take on that rumor:
“Now, did he actually go talk to Rod Thorn and all those guys? I don’t know. I never got that story. I always said, though, where there’s smoke there fire.
“I’m in a much better place and I’m sure he’s happy where he is, too.”
When Oram asked Kidd about Scott's comments, the Bucks head coach kept it short and sweet:
As for the whole "Kidd played a part in getting Scott fired" bit:
Nowadays, Scott describes his relationship with Kidd as "cordial," adding, "And that’s about as good as it’s going to get, too.”
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com
[via Pro Basketball Talk]
