Scott back to the bench as New Orleans Hornets' new head coach

Jet, June 21, 2004

Byron Scott led the New Jersey Nets to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and looks to bring the same success to the New Orleans Hornets.

Six months after he was pushed out of a coaching job, the 43-year-old Scott is back on top as the new head coach of the Hornets. He was fired by New Jersey in January despite his leading the Nets to two-straight NBA Finals. Scott said he never hesitated when Hornets majority owner George Shinn offered him the job.

"We said we would go out and get the best available coach on the market and we succeeded," said Shinn, proclaiming he fulfilled his goal of hiring a "proven winner."

The Hornets will pay Scott a reported $10 million for three seasons.

After 14 years as a player in the NBA with the L.A. Lakers, including three championship titles, Scott stepped into his first head-coaching position with the Nets in 2000. In his three-plus seasons he compiled a 149-139 record and won back-to-back Atlantic Division titles.

When he left the Nets, Scott served as an analyst for ESPN and ABC.

Scott inherits a team that features All-Stars Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn. He will look to these players to help the team make a smooth transition to the Midwest Division in the Western Conference next season after playing its first 15 seasons in the East. The move was made to accommodate the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, who will join the Eastern Conference in 2004-05.