Byron Scott Fired.

[PHX]

New Orleans Hornets general manager Jeff Bower has replaced Byron Scott as the team’s coach, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Former Hornets coach Tim Floyd also is returning as an assistant on Bower’s staff. Floyd coached the Hornets during the 2003-04 season, going 41-41 before losing in the first round of the playoffs. Bower was an assistant on Floyd’s staff that season.

Floyd will be with the Hornets on Friday for their game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Scott was fired after the Hornets started the season 3-6. Four of the team’s losses were by at least 16 points.

The Hornets also suffered a 58-point loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of last season’s playoffs, the biggest sign yet that the franchise had fallen from the ranks of the Western Conference’s elite.

Scott did not know of his impending hiring when the Hornets flew back from Phoenix following Wednesday’s 124-104 loss, but had privately expressed concern to friends and peers about his job when the team struggled during the preseason. He also was concerned about the team’s overall talent level and some chemistry issues within the roster.

Hornets officials told the players of the coaching change during a team meeting Thursday. Paul Pressey, Scott’s lead assistant, was demoted with the change. Floyd will be the top assistant under Bower.

Scott was the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2008 when he helped guide the Hornets to a 56-26 record during the 2007-08 season. The Hornets came within a game of reaching the West finals that season.

League sources say Hornets owner George Shinn had pressured Bower to take over as coach as far back as the summer. Bower initially resisted, preferring to see how the Hornets would start the season and whether center Emeka Okafor – the team’s big offseason acquisition – would improve their success.

Bower has been with the Hornets since 1995, serving as everything from an advance scout to assistant coach to general manager. He was promoted to GM in June 2001 then returned to the bench as an assistant under Floyd during the 2003-04 season.

“As we look at our long-term coaching plans, it’s not about who the head coach is, it’s about the role of the head coach to get the team to perform to their capabilities and reaching our potential this season,” Bower said in a statement released by the team.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...lug=ys-bowerhornets111209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


Would have helped Byron if Bower could put together decent depth, although they still shouldn't be getting smashed by as much as they were. Will be interesting to see how Bower goes with the team he's put together.

 

[coachhzl]

Was always going to happen... like Scott Skiles, Byron Scott is a hard task master that players eventually tune out to...

I like him however, and hope he gets another gig. Might have to wait a little while.. as NJ is the only other team likely to fire anyone and he would not be likely to go back there.

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

Phoenix Suns = Scott Killers.

I think Scott is a scapegoat here. Yes, he has significant responsibility in the results of the team, but when a team has lost 5 games by more than 16 points, that's not all down to poor coaching. I guess the rumours of Okafor not wanting to join in practice may be the chemistry issues that are being referred to.

Whilst CP3 continues to shine, the dropoffs by West and Peja in particular have been very disappointing.

I just hope the New Orleans stick fat, as the last thing this franchise can afford is dwindling crowd support.

 

[PHX]

I just hope the New Orleans stick fat, as the last thing this franchise can afford is dwindling crowd support.

Especially with the Saints dominating the NFL, people probably will care less and less about an underperforming NBA franchise.

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

Especially with the Saints dominating the NFL, people probably will care less and less about an underperforming NBA franchise.

Spot on.

There's only so much CP3 can do!

 

[PHX]

Barkley is an idiot but he speaks the truth.

 

[Borgsta]

What did said idiot say this time?

 

[PHX]

A rant that said not alot while saying a lot, but the main point was that Chris Paul is Michael Jackson and all Bower has put around him is Tito Jacksons.

 

[Borgsta]

hahaha what a great way with words he has.

 

[DoubleA]

I don't like Jeff Bower's hiring, I don't like Tim Flloyd's hiring as he's only being brought back because Jeff was an assistant to him, but at least it's a change in direction.

Play the kids, bench the duds. It's fairly simple.

 

[CURVE]

Everyone is expecting Scott will take over the reigns in Lakerland once Jackson retires, which is expected to be at the end of this season, so it was always going to be Scott's last season in NO anyway.

 

[CURVE]

A rant that said not alot while saying a lot, but the main point was that Chris Paul is Michael Jackson and all Bower has put around him is Tito Jacksons.

You can understand him???

He sounds as if he talking with a mouthful of marbles or a blood/alcohol reading approaching double digits.

 

[peternorth]

Everyone is expecting Scott will take over the reigns in Lakerland once Jackson retires, which is expected to be at the end of this season, so it was always going to be Scott's last season in NO anyway.

 

[PHX]

You can understand him???

He sounds as if he talking with a mouthful of marbles or a blood/alcohol reading approaching double digits.

You pick key words and try to put it together.

 

[CURVE]

Why??

 

[Inferno]

I think it had to be done, and I thought it was going to happen after the start we have though I didn't expect it to happen this soon. I was a bit on the fence about it, but the more I think about it the better I think this choice was. Our offence has been downright terrible since last season, it's possibly the most predictable, one dimensional offence I've ever seen from an NBA team and Scott refused to change anything about it.

I also think he lost the team, or at least a fair amount of players and David West pretty much said that today as well. And there was only so much young talent Scott could throw away because of his refusal to play them (JR, Bass, Andersen), and the current youngsters don't even have a role and are normally benched in favour of useless old players like Mo Pete and Devin Brown. I mean look at Wright, the last two seasons he's played completely random amounts of time and this season Scott just threw him into the starting 5 hoping for the best.

As for the Bower/Floyd combo, I'm not sure about it. Possibly they think Floyd is the best man for the job, but the club aren't ready to appear to throw the reigns back to someone who was essentially sacked by them years ago. From what I've heard Floyd was a decent coach (I have to admit I didn't follow the NBA that much back then), but he had issues handling the egos on the team, which isn't a major problem for us now.

 

[mdc]

Long overdue. Managed to lose the trust of two of the best point guards of all time, which says enough for his ability.

An absolute dunce.

 

[Inferno]

^ You have to be kidding if you think he lost the respect of CP3, the one player who certainly still had respect for him.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Hornets gotta make a trade to get CP3 some help or he'll bolt whenever his contract expires, i know i would

 

[Borgsta]

^ You have to be kidding if you think he lost the respect of CP3, the one player who certainly still had respect for him.

I certainly wouldn't know either way but he is saying the right things

“Coach was more than a coach to me. He was a mentor, someone who has made me the player I am today,” Paul said.

Linkage

 

[mdc]

^ You have to be kidding if you think he lost the respect of CP3, the one player who certainly still had respect for him.

Yeah, looks like I was wrong about CP3, given his comments today. tbh I wouldn't have thought they'd fire Scott so early without having Paul's implicit "approval".

 

[Inferno]

He isn't the type of star who will hold a club to ransom a la Kobe a few years back, but he seems pissed off he wasn't told about it before it was going to happen which is fair enough considering he is a captain and is basically the heart of the entire organisation.

But yeah he always had the utmost respect for Byron no matter how shitty things got.

 

[Altum Volantes]

He isn't the type of star who will hold a club to ransom a la Kobe a few years back, but he seems pissed off he wasn't told about it before it was going to happen which is fair enough considering he is a captain and is basically the heart of the entire organisation.

But yeah he always had the utmost respect for Byron no matter how shitty things got.

Roll in the that whole mess with Tyson Chandler last year and Paul would be within his rights to look elsewhere.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

Yeah, looks like I was wrong about CP3, given his comments today. tbh I wouldn't have thought they'd fire Scott so early without having Paul's implicit "approval".

Far be it for me to claim to speak on behalf of NBA inner sanctums, but everything Ive heard indicates these firings are always done at the very least without the stated disapproval of the team's star.

maybe Paul wasn't the one that drove the knife into Scott's back (as Kidd did in NJ) but he certainly didnt stop the ones that did.

 

[celtic_pride]

Personally I don't think the Hornets have a long term future in New Orleans, frankly I think they should relocate (Again ) to Seattle, to become the new Seattle Supersonics ...

It's either that, or move them to Las Vegas , but personally I'd love to see the Sonics and Seattle get another team in the NBA.