According to new Lakers coach Byron Scott, he cannot fully envision Kobe Bryant as a coach after the latter retires from the NBA.
On September 30 the Los Angeles Lakers concluded their first practice with very good results. Coach Scott, who replaced Mike D'Antoni, was reportedly pleased with how veterans Kobe and Steve Nash were coping with training and seemed ready for the upcoming NBA season.
In a Yahoo Sports report, Scott talked about Kobe's recovery from a knee and Achilles injury, "I'm not worried. I've seen him enough. I've seen no ill effects of the knee or Achilles. He's moving well. I don't think he has his lift yet, but most guys after the first or second day don't have lift either."
Kobe was reportedly keen on playing in the preseason opening match against the Denver Nuggets on October 6 in San Diego. In the report, Scott added that Kobe wanted to play in every preseason game and that he and Gary Vitt, trainer of the Lakers, already talked about the superstar's playing time.
"He wants to play in every one of them just to get the rust off, get his timing back and get his legs under him, all the things you do during preseason. I told him to take it easy three weeks ago and he said, 'Coach, I need to play. I haven't played in almost a year.' He looked good that day," Scott said.
Scott also addressed the possibility of Kobe coaching an NBA team similar to other former Lakers players like Derek Fisher, Pat Riley and Brian Shaw.
"He's too tough. He would probably be a whole lot more demanding than Pat Riley, myself and guys like that. It would be tough. Plus, he would expect guys to play like him, to have that type of passion that he has for the game. And to have the love for the game that he has and to have that commitment," he was quoted by Yahoo Sports as saying.
He added, "Guys today just don't have that like he does. He's just a dying breed. I don't think he would bode well if he wanted to coach."
According to Fansided.com, Scott stated that Kobe is far too competitive to become an NBA coach. Kobe, on the contrary, never talked about a coaching tenure at the end of his playing days. He will most likely turn into a businessman when he finally hangs up his sneakers. He did suggest that he could play well beyond his 40th birthday.