Los Angeles Lakers Byron Scott had his problems managing the rotation lately, opting to go with the veterans rather than the younger players.

Such has drawn strong criticism from almost everywhere, many wondering why Scott has placed premium on winning than development.

One player who has been tied up with the circus is Kobe Bryant who is set to retire after this season. From the looks of it, Scott is still hoping that the Bryant of old would re-appear, although it is coming at the expense of the young breed led by D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson.

Probably noticing it, Bryant took the lead and told Scott to give the players a chance to play in the crunch. Scott has purposely held off Russell from playing in the final quarter but somehow all that could change.

"He said, 'Coach, let 'em go. Let's see what they do,'" Scott said through the The LA Times.

With Bryant sitting out, Russell was in the limelight together with sophomore Julius Randle. Both put up good numbers but it was more of seeing what they would do during such moments that had more weight.

Russell had his moments, although he did miss a shot which could have given the Lakers the lead in that 123–122 overtime loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Just the same, Bryant shared with Russell that he too had his share of missed shots so it was alright.

With that experience, Scott saw what he was missing. And just like that, he comes out to say that Laker fans will be seeing less of Bryant in the second half of the season.

Coincidence or was it something spurred by what Scott saw when Bryant volunteered to sit out?

As it is, Scott is already in a lot of heat currently. He hasn't exactly had a great relationship with Russell and probably some of the younger players. On whether he keeps his job or not depends on the Lakers' top brass.