[interview] Scott: 'It's just a good time for me'
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'It's just a good time for me'
Sunday, June 13, 2004
John Reid
On May 28, Byron Scott was introduced as the seventh coach
in Hornets franchise history. Team owner George Shinn said
Scott is the proven winner the Hornets were searching for
to replace Tim Floyd, who was fired May 7 when the team
failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs.
Scott guided the New Jersey Nets to two consecutive trips
to the NBA Finals before he was fired last January.
Scott said he's eager to get started after he fulfills his
obligation with ABC-TV as a studio analyst for their
pregame show during the NBA Finals. Once the Finals end, he
said, he'll be working from his office at the Alario Center,
starting June 23. Scott sat down with Hornets beat writer
John Reid last week and discussed his objectives.
Times-Picayune: How busy have you been since you were
introduced as coach last month?
Scott: I'm ripping and running, doing the ABC thing right
now, trying to finish up that obligation, and I'm thinking
about the Hornets and when training camp starts. I've
already tried to get in contact with every player on the
team. I've got in contact with five or six of the guys,
where they've called me back, and we've had some discussions.
It's just a good time for me. I'm very happy and very excited
about the New Orleans job and the players we have there. I'm
really looking forward to getting entrenched into the office
and meeting people, and start working with (assistant general
manager) Allan Bristow, and just get going.
Q: How much contact have you had with Bristow?
A: We've stay in contact three or four times a week. We've
almost talked to each other every day or every other day
and that's good because we are really getting to know
each other, which is important. I really think he
understands the game of basketball. I think he understands
what I want, and I understand him as the assistant GM. That
relationship is very important. Right now, we're on the same
page.
Q: When are you and your family going to move to New Orleans?
A: We're getting all that squared away right now. But this has
been a crazy time for us because in February we bought a
condo in California because that's where my wife is from.
We just closed on it last month. So even down here (in Los
Angeles) for ABC, I was running around with her trying to
find furniture and all this other stuff. June 22 is my
daughter's graduation from high school. The next day, I'll
be in New Orleans, and my wife is going to come down and
start looking for a home. I'm just excited about getting
down there on the 23rd and being in the office and learning
my way around, and meeting with Allan every day and talking
basketball in person instead of on the phone. The other thing
I've been doing is jotting my team down. Jotting those guys'
names on the board and looking to see where we need help. But
it's going to be an exciting time.
Q: What do you think about the existing talent on the roster?
A: The guys that we have signed, I like what we have. Compared
to the first job I had in New Jersey, if you compare rosters,
this one is much better. So that's a good thing. Obviously I
feel I'm much better as a basketball coach than when I took
my first job. I'm more experienced and I understand what it
takes, even though I felt I did as a player. I've always felt
that when we got into the postseason, it was where I would be
at my best, because I understood what it took to get to that
next level. I think I can add that special piece to this team
as well. Obviously, when you have a team that's a little bit
older, you're going to have to make some changes. Like I said,
I want to get quicker, and I want to get a little bit younger.
Q: What is the latest news on completing your coaching staff?
A: Kenny Gattison is definitely in. Donald Newman, we're still
talking, and hopefully we'll get that deal done soon. But
Kenny is definitely in. I've got a chance to see Kenny and
talked to him. Kenny is somebody I trust. His family, Wanda
and my wife, they've known each other for a long time. So they
get along extremely well. So she's happy and it's almost like
she picked him. I told her I was going to hire Kenny, and she
said it was a good choice. Don is obviously one of the guys I
would like to have on the staff. I had him in New Jersey, and
he's a very loyal guy. He's a heck of a worker. I'm going to
bring Henry Hines on board to help us get quicker. He's a
former long jumper, and I brought him to New Jersey to help
get our guys better as far as quickness and agility. He's
probably the best I've seen to get players to understand how
to get out quicker to the open floor, and that's what we need.
Sometimes it's not necessary to be faster but just learning
how to use your speed.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the two years he was
there in New Jersey with me, we were in the Finals. So I'm
looking to bring him on board.
Q: How involved will you be in this month's draft?
A: I'll definitely take part in the draft. I want to know
everything that's going on. That's why Allan and I have
been talking so much, because the draft is coming up and I
haven't been able to see a bunch of the workouts, so I had
him send me all the tapes of them. Now I have to get a
television and VCR in Detroit, so I can be watching all of
these guys. But yes, I'd like to be involved in everything.
When it's concerning basketball and players that I'm going
to be coaching I want to have some type of input on that,
and they've given me the authority to have the input. Like
I said, Allan and I have been on page with everything that's
gone so far, and I think the line of communication is very
important. When I get down there on the 23rd, we'll all sit
down and start talking about these guys they've brought in
and the guys that I've seen. We'll also talk about the order
we think the draft is going to be presented and then what
players might be available for us and where we'll go from
there.
Q: Have you had any conversation with Jamal Mashburn?
A: I have not. I've put in a call to Jamal, but I haven't heard
back from him yet. I haven't talked to P.J. Brown -- I called
him and he called back, but I was out. But I have talked with
Baron Davis, Stacey Augmon, Darrell Armstrong and Steve Smith.
The one thing that I gather from the conversations is that
they're class acts, and that's something I really admire
about the team. Those are the type of people you want to keep
around.
Q: How tough is your training camp going to be this October?
A: With the conversations that I've had with these guys, before
we got off the phone that's the last thing I told them is
don't come to camp trying to get into shape. If they heard
anything about my training camps and if they haven't, they
might want to call some of the guys in New Jersey and ask
them about it -- it's no joke. Baron Davis said he had heard
about it from Kenyon Martin. My thing is if you come in shape,
we're going to be ahead of the game. I don't want guys to be
behind as far as trying to get ready. I'm a firm believer that
if you come to camp in shape, it can minimize some of the
injuries. Most guys get hurt when they're out of shape. I
think most of the guys understood that who I've spoke to.
Hopefully, I'll get in contact with everybody before training
camp starts.
Q: Did you have a lot of basketball over the past few months, and
how much did you know about the Hornets before accepting the
job?
A: I think that's a big-time positive going in that I do have a
pretty good idea of what these guys can do on the court. The
one thing I don't have is an idea of their personalities and
how to mesh with that. But that's something that I will get
familiar with once we get to training camp. That was the
purpose in putting in calls to everybody. To No. 1 introduce
myself, so they can get to know me a little better and know
what I'm about and what I stand for. Like I told Baron, this
is supposed to be fun; getting up and down the court should
be an exciting brand of basketball for our team. But it
doesn't minimize how hard we're going to work to get to that
particular point. As long as we understand that and we're all
on the same page, we'll be fine.
Q: How anxious are you?
A: When I was let go in January (by the Nets), I didn't think by
June that I would be this fired up to get back into it. It's
been a new revelation for me to sit back and watch everything
that's happening. And now have the opportunity to do it again;
it's almost like your first job again. I'm just so excited
about it because I have some good pieces to the puzzle.
Obviously, you have to subtract a couple and add a couple to
get the mix the way you want it. I'm truly excited about it.
I'm truly excited about the "Big Easy," as everybody calls it.
Hey I'm a big seafood lover, so the food is just fantastic. I
probably have to work out in the gym a lot but, other than
that it's going to be a lot of fun. Obviously having the right
staff around you is going to help. And Kenny Gattison, I
wouldn't have kept him if I didn't think he was a perfect fit.
I want a staff of guys who are excited about their jobs and
enjoy what they do and fight for what we believe as a family.
I want the players to know that.
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