TWC SportsNet Lakers analyst James Worthy "is one of four former 'Showtime'-era Lakers navigating the potentially murky waters of analyzing a team coached by a close friend" in Byron Scott, according to Bill Oram of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Worthy "is aware of a perception that he has taken it easier on Scott than he did his predecessor" Mike D'Antoni. Worthy said that D’Antoni’s Lakers "were built to win" with Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and a healthy Kobe Bryant. Worthy: “I had an opportunity to be more critical then. But I see what Byron’s doing. I’m in the film room, I see the practices, I see the guys buying into it." Oram noted former Laker Mychal Thompson "is the color commentator on the team’s radio broadcasts," while Michael Cooper and A.C. Green "are members of a rotation of former Lakers who appear as studio analysts alongside Worthy" on telecasts. They all won "at least two championships together," and each man "is close with Scott, to varying degrees." Green is the "godfather to Scott’s daughter." Scott said, “They should be critical of me at times. That’s their job.” Oram noted Scott "worked as a TWC SportsNet analyst" in '13-14, and said that he "understands his friends’ responsibilities." But when Worthy "has called out the Lakers this season, he has typically focused on players rather than the coaching." While TWC SportsNet "is not owned by the Lakers, the network could fairly be considered an extension of the organization." The team’s "official television partner, it is the home for all games, nightly studio shows and original programming." The sides "are in the fourth year of a 20-year agreement reportedly worth" $3B (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/10).
