New Orleans Hornets fire Bryon Scott
I was a bit surprised today that the New Orleans Hornets fired coach Bryon Scott nine games into the 2009-10 NBA basketball season.
I first heard this via ESPN.com and have attached the video of the report. The interview includes a chat with ESPN.com senior writer Marc Stein who broke the story for the sports network.
*** Note, since posting this video, it is no longer available online and has been taken down. ***
A quick visit to the Hornets web site produced a news release confirming the move in a press release.
Scott will be replaced by General Manager Jeff Bower.
Byron Scott
“I want to thank Byron for the hard work he has put in during his time with the Hornets,” said Hornets Owner George Shinn in the press release. “I’ve hired Jeff Bower to take over the coaching reign. He knows this team better than anyone, has the respect of the players and in basketball circles, is regarded as one of the best basketball minds in the business. This is our best opportunity to reach our goals this season.”
Bower, who has spent his 14-plus seasons with the club, began his tenure with the Hornets as an advance scout from 1995 to 1997 before earning a promotion as the team’s director of scouting. In addition to his scouting duties during the 1998-99 season, Bower joined the coaching ranks as an assistant after Paul Silas was named interim head coach on March 7, 1999 (and helped him lead the Hornets to a 22-13 record).
After serving as the assistant general manager for the 2000-01 season, Bower was promoted to general manager in June of 2001 and has since held that position. He returned to the bench as an assistant coach under Floyd in 2003-04. Bower’s years of experience working at all levels in the Hornets’ basketball operations department culminated with his appointment to the current post of general manager just prior to the start of the team’s 2005-06 training camp.
Tim Floyd, the former Chicago Bulls and USC Trojans head coach, was also named to the coaching staff today. Floyd served as head coach of the Hornets for the 2003-04 season, leading the team to a 41-41 record. Most recently, Floyd served as the head coach at USC from 2005-2009, leading the Trojans to a 85-49 mark and three NCAA appearances during his tenure. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Floyd led USC to a Sweet 16 appearance. The team’s 25-12 record that season set a record for most wins in school history. The Trojans advanced to the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual runner-up Michigan State. Floyd also coached for the Chicago Bulls, Iowa State, the University of Idaho and Texas-El Paso. Floyd is a native of Hattiesburg, Miss., and a 1977 graduate of Louisiana Tech.
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That is the news section of the blog.
Since posting this, I went back to check out the team’s web site to see if the changes had been made to the roster. Not yet. A tough move timing wise for sure but all of a team’s front office must work together.
Look at the photo I took from the web site. Scott was still listed as the head man and the changes to the assistants had not been made after the announcement went up, which might cause some confusion.
