[TimesPicayune] Shinn took charge of pursuing coach
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Shinn took charge of pursuing coach
Scott fits description of proven winner
Sunday, May 30, 2004
By John Reid Staff writer
Through six previous head coach searches, Hornets owner George
Shinn had always been content to let his front office executives
take the lead. But he knew the decision on who would replace Tim
Floyd was a crucial one.
So he rolled up his sleeves, got a bit of advice as to what
questions to ask, and went out and landed the coach many
considered the hottest prospect available.
Win or lose down the road, responsibility for the hire will fall
on Shinn's shoulders. But he's not worried.
Shinn landed an expierienced winner Friday when he hired Byron
Scott, who took the New Jersey Nets to consecutive trips to the
NBA Finals in 2002 and '03 and won three NBA championships as a
player for Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s.
"I'm getting a little older each day, and I just really want to win
a championship," said Shinn, who celebrated his 63rd birthday earlier
this month by giving presents to patients in the maternity ward at
University Hospital in New Orleans.
"That's the only thing missing in my life. I just decided hell, I've
got to step up. I've always had the dream of winning and we've done a
lot of things. We tried to cut corners, tried to do this and that. I
decided that I'm doing the interviews because I know what we need and
I'm going to do it myself. If I'm going to commit to this team, it's
time to do it right now."
Last year, gambling didn't work for Shinn. He thought Floyd was the
perfect choice despite a 49-190 record in 3 ½ seasons as coach of
the Chicago Bulls.
Last season, under Floyd, the Hornets lost 22 games to teams with
losing records. They finished the regular season 41-41, and were
eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat.
Another problem was attendence. The Hornets slipped to 28th among the
league's 29 teams after finishing at 19th in their inaugural season in
New Orleans for the 2002-03 season.
After failing to advance beyond the first round, Shinn fired Floyd on
May 7.
"We got him at a below-NBA-average price ($1.3 million last season),"
Shinn said. "I think Bob (Bass) and I both felt like we had the right
guy. He had been there, had lost, but we thought he had learned from
his losses," Shinn said. "Unfortunately, we learned from our mistake,
and we just moved on."
This time Shinn put himself at the head of his team's coaching search
and set the criteria: He wanted an experienced coach, a proven winner
and someone who could handle players' personalities and their egos.
No longer was he going to settle on finding a someone to pay below the
NBA average price.
He immediately identified Scott as one of the top candidates for the job,
but he wanted to check out other candidates as well.
Last weekend he took a sheet of 25 questions given to him by Bass and
went to Los Angeles to interview candidates Michael Cooper and Mike
Fratello. On Tuesday he interviewed New Jersey Nets assistant Brian
Hill.
"Mr. Shinn stepped forward and said we were going to get a proven
coach," Bass said. "He said he was going to spend some money. He made
a promise, and I think he furfilled the promise."
Scott said he decided to accept the Hornets' offer because of Shinn's
commitment to bring a winner to New Orleans.
"That struck me as a man who really wants to do what it took, and I was
happy to hear him say those words because I think this organization is
one of the finest in the league," Scott said. "Mr. Shinn is definitely
committed to winning."
Near the end of Friday's news conference to introduce Scott as the
Hornets' new coach, Shinn stood by himself for a few minutes and
observed how Scott was easily fielding questions from the media in
front of numerous television camaras.
"I prayed about this, and I'm really relieved," Shinn said. "I'm so
impressed with his demeanor and attitude. He's a handsome guy, dresses
great and when we add all of those things up, and he helps us accomplish
our goal. I understand going into the Western Conference is going to be
a challenge. But for all of us to grow, we all need a challenge. But
we're going to get it done, and that's really the bottom line."
. . . . . . .
John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3405.
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