NEW YORK, May 28 (UPI) -- Byron Scott was introduced Friday as the new coach of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets.
Scott, 43, who was fired by New Jersey in January and has been a studio analyst for ABC and ESPN in the playoffs, made the announcement about his hiring by the Hornets on ESPN Thursday night.
"We said we would go out and get the best available coach on the market and we succeeded," Hornets owner George Shinn said. "Now that we have Byron on board, we can concentrate on helping him succeed by continuing to do whatever it takes to make this team
better."
When he was fired by New Jersey, the Nets, who were two-time defending Eastern Conference champions, had a winning record (22-20) and were favored to win the conference title again this year. He was succeeded by assistant Lawrence Frank.
In 3 1/2 seasons, Scott was 149-139, becoming the winningest coach in Nets history.
In New Orleans, he replaces Tim Floyd, who was fired after the Hornets lost in the first round.
