http://www.examiner.com/x-22708-Spo...m11d12-Byron-Scott-fired-as-New-Orleans-coach
Byron Scott fired as New Orleans' coach
November 12, 3:13 PM
Sports Twitter Examiner
Andrew Yates
Byron Scott has been fired as the head coach of the
New Orleans Hornets.
After a 3-6 start to the regular season the Hornets were clearly headed in the wrong direction. Last year they finished the season with a 49-33 record and were fortunate enough to make it to the playoffs (as the 7th seed), but lost in the first round to the
Denver Nuggets.
Under the direction of Scott, the Hornets became one of the elite teams in the NBA during the 2007-08 season. That year they won the Southwest division title and eventually fell to the defending champion
San Antonio Spurs in a remarkable 7 game series of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Hornets All-Star point guard
Chris Paul has been very open on his Twitter account about his dissatisfaction with losing this season. Following their 124-104 loss at the
Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, Paul tweeted "
Tough loss once again...man this losin stuff is for the birds."
Following a loss to the
Boston Celtics on November 1 Paul posted "
Tough loss to the Celts...bout to take off to NY for a back to back with the Knicks...gotta get this win tomoro!" Unfortunately the Hornets weren't able to get a win in
New York as they lost 117-111 the very next night. After that game he commented on it saying "
Tough loss once again...we'll continue to get better every night, we gotta get much better defensively...we'll be ok tho."
Before landing in New Orleans in 2005, Scott was the head coach of the
New Jersey Nets from 2000 to 2005. While in New Jersey he led them to a pair of NBA Finals appearances losing both series to powerhouses, the
Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.
As a player Scott was known for his good shooting and smart play, which eventually contributed to his success as a coach. Drafted by the
San Diego Clippers in 1983 with the 4th overall pick, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers before ever suiting up for San Diego. He played for L.A. from 1983 to 1993 and won 3 NBA championships during that period.