Before Sunday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, head coach Byron Scott decided to make a change to the starting lineup. Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer were benched in favor of Ronnie Price and Ed Davis.
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Boozer was not happy with the demotion to the bench and according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters, was taken by surprise by the move:
Carlos Boozer described getting taken out of the starting lineup as a "surprise." Said he hasn't talked to Byron Scott about the move.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 8, 2014
Scott has always said that defense is the most important thing to him, something which Boozer has struggled with this year. Still, Boozer disagreed that his defense was the reason for him being benched via Winters:
Boozer on defense being reason for change: "that's just his (Byron's) opinion. I have a different opinion. I'm going to keep it to myself."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 8, 2014
The changes did not reap immediate benefits as the Lakers were dominated by the Pelicans in their first game with the new starting lineup. Boozer was solid, however, with 12 points and six rebounds in his first game off the bench.
It is also interesting to note that Boozer says he hasn’t had a conversation with Scott about the move. If Scott isn’t communicating things in the best way possible, that could hurt his relationship, not only with Boozer, but possibly with the rest of the team. The Lakers have been bad this season, but there has been no internal issues. Hopefully this doesn’t turn into one.
[divide]Lakers Vs. Pelicans: Team Reacts To Starting Lineup Changes
