MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT, Scott fired, Bower H/C, Floyd new asst...{merged}

[Harvey]

Oh, I didn't mean strictly GM, but in some fashion. I agree though, I'd like to see a big named outsider brought in. That could be tough after today's events though.

Fire Scott....I get it. Not THE problem, but part of the problem. When you clean house, everyone goes...and I think a housecleaning on the basketball ops side is in order....and this is the beginning.

Put Bower in his place (for the rest of this year)....I get it. We owe Scott a lot of money so we weren't going to hire a big time coach to replace him right now. No one on Scott's staff was qualified or capable. This team isn't good....you put Bower in place to coach "his players" and he's gone at the end of the season when it fails. Like they said at the presser, Bower is now totally accountable. You know what that means in April.

Hire Floyd....we are the laughing stock of the league. Still don't get it. It's going to be hard to get people to take us serious. But now that I think of it, with finances driving their actions....Floyd was doing nothing.....and he probably costs nothing....and what will it hurt to have him hold Bowers hand as the ship sinks? But hiring him just makes us look really bad. NBA savy writers and media are going to have a field day with this.

All I can hope is that we dedicate ourselves to bringing in a solild basketball man who can be offered a clean slate in basketball operations and some money to start building a quality basketball ops staff....and hopefully some roster flexibility. I'm ready to start dumping players. Total control of basketball....and a salary cap situation thats not horrible might be attractive to someone....I hope.

[metalzo]

All I can hope is that we dedicate ourselves to bringing in a solild basketball man who can be offered a clean slate in basketball operations and some money to start building a quality basketball ops staff....and hopefully some roster flexibility. I'm ready to start dumping players. Total control of basketball....and a salary cap situation thats not horrible might be attractive to someone....I hope.

Well said and I hope for the same. The good news is that Paul is locked in for at least 2 more years (and 3 unless he's crazy and foregoes 18 million dollars with the cap decreasing) which should be enough time to rebuild the right way and show him that we're headed in the right direction with smart people in charge of a first rate basketball operations team.

[desolatos]

Nice story on yahoo. Quit a interesting analyse.

[Ry4598]

I think a housecleaning on the basketball ops side is in order....

Absolutely....but do you think Shinn will FINALLY stop running the Mom and Pop operation and hand the reigns off to a true basketball guy?

[Will504]

BS deserved what he got, especially if what the article entails is true. But seriously, Tim Floyd? Does anyone else have that sinking feeling that CP is as good as gone now?

[Adam the Legend]

Interesting quote from John Hollinger's blog, and I have to say I agree:

"Despite the Hornets’ fiscal problems, prospective candidates will circle like vultures around this team because they already have an all-world point guard and a quality power forward as building blocks. New Orleans native Avery Johnson looms as one obvious possibility, and several others could get in on the game too. The one limitation would seem to be the Hornets’ reluctance to pay top dollar for coaching and GM talent."

Rest of the article here:

http://espn.go.com/blog/TrueHoop/pos...in-in-big-easy

[Eman5805]

It's time for the brass to stop running this team like a regular business and treat it like the sports franchise that it is. The Saints saw this and got some of the best in the business to run their football ops. And they weren't afraid to spend good money for it.

Enough penny pinchin' and give this city a b-ball franchise to stand with our football one.

[eatmoreyeah]

Who's out there on the coaching market that we might/they might be interested in coming here next year? And no Avery...

[Eman5805]

If you listen to ESPN talking heads, we can't pony up for any top candidate anyway, thanks to the luxury tax. (Since when do coaches contracts count against the salary cap/luxury tax? Is there something I'm missing here?)

Seems like you can't mention Hornets ball without the implication that we're poor thrown in there somewhere.

[metalzo]

If you listen to ESPN talking heads, we can't pony up for any top candidate anyway, thanks to the luxury tax. (Since when do coaches contracts count against the salary cap/luxury tax? Is there something I'm missing here?)

Seems like you can't mention Hornets ball without the implication that we're poor thrown in there somewhere.

I don't think they mean it's a cap issue. They're saying that since we're already paying the luxury tax, Shinn doesn't want to spend top dollar on a new coach. I actually think that's a blessing in disguise. I'd prefer to go "cheap" with a young assistant coach waiting to prove himself and use the savings to improve our scouting staff.

[West Coast Hornet]

I don't think they mean it's a cap issue. They're saying that since we're already paying the luxury tax, Shinn doesn't want to spend top dollar on a new coach. I actually think that's a blessing in disguise. I'd prefer to go "cheap" with a young assistant coach waiting to prove himself and use the savings to improve our scouting staff.

But when you spend loads of money on players, while sell them all short by not spending on your staff? I'm not saying that Shinny has to spend more than any other team on his staff, but he needs a basketball ops staff. When he had Silas, he paid nicely for assistants. Remember Brian Hill? He had been an NBA coach and took Orlando to the Finals. Shinn is going to have to pay for a decent coach. Do you think JVG is going to come in here for pennies on the dollar? No.

At any rate, I ultimately agree with most of you. I don't expect a big name coach or long-term deal until we get some of these other contracts out of the way. This off-season at the earliest.

[mdaniel]

I think the firing is good. The replacements are questionable, but have you read Weber's quote on it? But Weber also said: "I told Jeff the genie is out of the bottle. Nobody can say he didn't have the right players. ... Jeff has hand-selected this team and we like the idea that now Jeff will be held accountable for the results."

Judging from the And One series and the way he spoke at the presser yesterday, I've been impressed with Weber's demeanor this season. Seems like he has a good head on his shoulders.

[Harvey]

Judging from the And One series and the way he spoke at the presser yesterday, I've been impressed with Weber's demeanor this season. Seems like he has a good head on his shoulders.

Hugh is very smart and professional. I like the heck out of him. I think he needs a rock solid NBA basketball man to help drive this organization forward. Bower will go down with this ship....this season is a lost cause. It's true that these are the players he has acquired...but let's remember that Bower's resources are not unlimited. You can only be as good as the pieces you are able to surround yourself with. While Scott had his faults, he's also a victim of being provided with a disjointed team of parts that didn't fit or parts that were worn out. If you are hampered by prohibitive circumstances, that will affect your job performance....and in Bower's case.....will affect the ability to get the pieces you truely want. So yes, Bower owns it now, but we don't know or understand the challenges he faced. I understand the challenge he faces now....he might want to be thinking about his final meal. His firing squad mate is an interesting choice....and I hear that was entirely Jeff's call.

[Paul Overt]

Hugh is very smart and professional. I like the heck out of him. I think he needs a rock solid NBA basketball man to help drive this organization forward. Bower will go down with this ship....this season is a lost cause. It's true that these are the players he has acquired...but let's remember that Bower's resources are not unlimited. You can only be as good as the pieces you are able to surround yourself with. While Scott had his faults, he's also a victim of being provided with a disjointed team of parts that didn't fit or parts that were worn out. If you are hampered by prohibitive circumstances, that will affect your job performance....and in Bower's case.....will affect the ability to get the pieces you truely want. So yes, Bower owns it now, but we don't know or understand the challenges he faced. I understand the challenge he faces now....he might want to be thinking about his final meal. His firing squad mate is an interesting choice....and I hear that was entirely Jeff's call.

This season isn't a lost cause. They sholud keep the team togheter. We have a very good roster. The next weeks are time for a kind of peace and then look for the objetives, again.

[mdaniel]

Hugh is very smart and professional. I like the heck out of him. I think he needs a rock solid NBA basketball man to help drive this organization forward. Bower will go down with this ship....this season is a lost cause.

How much input in the hiring of a new coach/GM tandem do you think Hugh will have going into next season (assuming Bower is gone)? Obviously, he's the team President and has the powers to go along with the role, but I'm just curious if he'll be the main decision maker until a new staff is in place. We all know how disjointed the front office seems to be.

[Harvey]

How much input in the hiring of a new coach/GM tandem do you think Hugh will have going into next season (assuming Bower is gone)? Obviously, he's the team President and has the powers to go along with the role, but I'm just curious if he'll be the main decision maker until a new staff is in place. We all know how disjointed the front office seems to be.

I'm sure ownership and Hugh will choose the ring leader together...and establish his financial budget.

The one thing about business I've always known is that you are as good as the people around you. If I were in a position of managing an organization at the very top and a part of that organization's operations wasn't necessarily an area I had a lot of experience in, I'd go get the best person I possibly could to manage it for me. I think Loomis has done this with the Saints. He's not a football guy...but he hit a home run on the coach....and it seems that the Saints have filled in it's football operations with effective and talented people from top to bottom. You don't think Payton and Loomis are the guys finding the Colston's, Pierre Thomas' and Lance Moore's of the world do you? Just like the guy at the very top, they have to go out and surround themselves with the best people they can. IMO the Hornets' basketball operations has lacked that kind of depth, experience, talent and commitment.