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Dirkenstien · 11-12-2009, 02:37 PM

This is a bit surprising.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4648162

Hornets fire Scott, name Bower coach By Marc Stein

The New Orleans Hornets have responded to their 3-6 start by making the first coaching change of the young NBA season, firing Byron Scott on Thursday.

The Hornets made the decision to dismiss Scott following New Orleans' 124-104 loss in Phoenix on Wednesday night and formally announced the move later Thursday.

Scott will be replaced by general manager Jeff Bower, with Tim Floyd as his top assistant, the team said.

Team owner George Shinn thanked Scott for his service, but said Bower "knows this team better than anyone" and gives the Hornets "our best opportunity to reach our goals this season."

Scott won NBA Coach of the Year honors in 2008 after he and franchise point guard Chris Paul led the Hornets to a 56-26 record and the Southwest Division title. The Hornets then defeated Dallas in the first round of the playoffs and were within one win of the West finals before losing Game 7 at home to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Hornets slumped slightly to a 49-33 record last season, thanks partly to a flurry of injuries. They were pounded in the first round of the playoffs by Denver, losing the final home game of the season -- Game 4 of the series -- by a whopping 58 points.

Scott hung onto his job after the early exit but couldn't survive New Orleans' poor start, even though the many holes on the Hornets' roster -- with no consistent scorer at the wing positions and little depth -- appeared to be beyond his control. A number of league observers considered a coaching change inevitable if the Hornets struggled this season.

The Hornets' 3-6 start has not come against cupcakes. They're tied for the most games against teams that are .500 or better with seven -- and they've gone just 2-5 in those games.

Hornets vice president of basketball Chad Shinn said accountability was the team's watchword over the summer -- and that the Hornets were not measuring up with Scott at the helm.

"We talked about the fact that everyone on our staff is held to a certain standard of performance and we didn't feel this was happening at the head coach level," Chad Shinn said. "We feel like we still have an opportunity with our nucleus to get to where we want and Jeff is the right guy, right now to move us in that direction from the bench."

The firing is the second major move the Hornets have made since the end of last season in an attempt to address Paul's growing frustrations. In July, New Orleans sent center Tyson Chandler, who was plagued by foot problems throughout last season, to the Charlotte Bobcats for Emeka Okafor.

The team's payroll is more than $3 million over the league's $69.9 million luxury-tax threshold, making owner George Shinn reluctant to sanction further roster renovations. The Hornets have been trying to make moves to get under the luxury-tax line since acquiring Okafor, as opposed to searching for players who can bolster Paul's supporting cast.

Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

11-12-2009, 02:37 PM	#1
Dirkenstien Diamond Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 5,048	Hornets Fire Byron Scott This is a bit surprising. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4648162 Hornets fire Scott, name Bower coach By Marc Stein The New Orleans Hornets have responded to their 3-6 start by making the first coaching change of the young NBA season, firing Byron Scott on Thursday. The Hornets made the decision to dismiss Scott following New Orleans' 124-104 loss in Phoenix on Wednesday night and formally announced the move later Thursday. Scott will be replaced by general manager Jeff Bower, with Tim Floyd as his top assistant, the team said. Team owner George Shinn thanked Scott for his service, but said Bower "knows this team better than anyone" and gives the Hornets "our best opportunity to reach our goals this season." Scott won NBA Coach of the Year honors in 2008 after he and franchise point guard Chris Paul led the Hornets to a 56-26 record and the Southwest Division title. The Hornets then defeated Dallas in the first round of the playoffs and were within one win of the West finals before losing Game 7 at home to the San Antonio Spurs. The Hornets slumped slightly to a 49-33 record last season, thanks partly to a flurry of injuries. They were pounded in the first round of the playoffs by Denver, losing the final home game of the season -- Game 4 of the series -- by a whopping 58 points. Scott hung onto his job after the early exit but couldn't survive New Orleans' poor start, even though the many holes on the Hornets' roster -- with no consistent scorer at the wing positions and little depth -- appeared to be beyond his control. A number of league observers considered a coaching change inevitable if the Hornets struggled this season. The Hornets' 3-6 start has not come against cupcakes. They're tied for the most games against teams that are .500 or better with seven -- and they've gone just 2-5 in those games. Hornets vice president of basketball Chad Shinn said accountability was the team's watchword over the summer -- and that the Hornets were not measuring up with Scott at the helm. "We talked about the fact that everyone on our staff is held to a certain standard of performance and we didn't feel this was happening at the head coach level," Chad Shinn said. "We feel like we still have an opportunity with our nucleus to get to where we want and Jeff is the right guy, right now to move us in that direction from the bench." The firing is the second major move the Hornets have made since the end of last season in an attempt to address Paul's growing frustrations. In July, New Orleans sent center Tyson Chandler, who was plagued by foot problems throughout last season, to the Charlotte Bobcats for Emeka Okafor. The team's payroll is more than $3 million over the league's $69.9 million luxury-tax threshold, making owner George Shinn reluctant to sanction further roster renovations. The Hornets have been trying to make moves to get under the luxury-tax line since acquiring Okafor, as opposed to searching for players who can bolster Paul's supporting cast. Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. __________________ ''Nowitzki'' is a German word that, translated, means, ''Good Lord, doesn't this guy ever miss?'' -Miami paper on Dirk Nowitzki Last edited by Dirkenstien; 11-12-2009 at 02:41 PM.