I guess you just really don’t want to be named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.
Avery Johnson and Sam Mitchell were each let go from their respective teams within two seasons of winning the award in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
|
|
Today, we know that wasn’t the case.
On the surface, nine games into an 82-game season seems awfully soon to make such a decision. But whether it was today, next week, next month or in the offseason, Scott was basically a dead-man walking with the Hornets. After a playoff series that saw the team destroyed by an unfathomable 58 points at home and blown out in its other three losses, the team began this season by losing six of its first nine games, including losses of 17, 10, 17, 16, and 20.
Scott had to go. David West’s comments to the press on Thursday confirmed what New Orleans’ on-court play already indicated – he’d lost his team. It’s time for a new direction.
Whether its found that direction this season is yet to be determined. General Manager Jeff Bower has been handed the reins of the team, and former Hornets head coach Tim Floyd tabbed his top assistant.
Lets start with Bower, who has no head coaching experience at any level of basketball. There’s no real guessing game as to why this choice was made: with Scott gone, Bower is accountable for the “mess” he made. This is his chance to make it work or be the next to go. It’s not the first time this has happened in the NBA, and it won’t be the last. Without anything to go on, Hornets fans can only hope he proves a worthy leader that the team can rally around.
As far as Floyd, I’m probably in the minority, but I think bringing him in was a very solid maneuver. As a head coach, he’s failed miserably in the NBA – twice – and seemed a bit over his head each time. He couldn’t handle NBA egos, most notably Baron Davis.
But as an X’s and O’s guy, Floyd shines. It’s why he’s been so successful at each of his stops at the college level. West said it himself – the team won’t be so unpredictable with Floyd in the fold. And he should especially breathe some new life into a defensive gameplan that hasn’t amounted to much this season.
This is not a championship team. Bower/Floyd hope to salvage a playoff season and show the fans – not to mention Chris Paul — that there is hope in New Orleans after all. Bower’s greater challenge still comes in his chair as GM, where he must find a way to get underneath the salary cap and add a weapon or two on the wing, not to mention some desperately needed depth.
These were issues that Scott couldn’t overcome.
Cleveland coach Mike Brown is on notice. Louisiana’s state bird may no longer be on the verge of extinction, but former coach of the year winners are going the way of the dodo. these days.
Comments
Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The L'Observateur is not liable for messages from third parties.
DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in The L'Observateur reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of L'Observateur. L'Observateur does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized L'Observateur spokespersons.
Thank you for your comments!