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<< Previous   of   Next >> Patrick Semansky / Associated Press  (click to enlarge) New Orleans fired head coach Byron Scott Thursday after a 203-216 record in just over five seasons.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, November 13, 2009 NBA Notebook: Hornets fire coach, general manager takes over Associated Press WESTWEGO, La. — The New Orleans Hornets fired Byron Scott only nine games into the season on Thursday and replaced him with general manager Jeff Bower, hoping the man who put the current roster together can get more out of it on the court. “I told Jeff, ‘The genie’s out of the bottle,”’ Hornets chief operating officer Hugh Weber said. “Nobody can say he doesn’t have the right players. ... Jeff has hand-selected this team, and we like the idea that now he’ll be held accountable for the results. “Our expectations are high. Our sense of urgency is high. Our patience is low and we hope that translates into results quickly.” Scott, who only two seasons ago was the NBA coach of the year, was fired one day after a 124-104 loss at Phoenix dropped New Orleans to 3-6. Bower, who will remain general manager while in his first head coaching job, immediately moved to name Tim Floyd his top assistant and said other assistants will be retained as well. Floyd, a former Chicago Bulls and Hornets head coach, most recently coached at Southern California. He led USC to three straight NCAA tournament appearances, then resigned last June amid allegations he paid to have O.J. Mayo play for the Trojans. An NCAA investigation of the matter is ongoing. Bower was Floyd’s assistant coach with the Hornets during the 2003-04 season, and the two are still friends. “I have a high comfort level with Tim, who has proven himself to be a quality coach, who has proven himself to have some very specific areas that he’s outstanding in,” Bower said. The Hornets were 41-41 in Floyd’s only season as head coach, losing in a seven-game series to the Miami Heat and then-rookie Dwyane Wade in the first round of the playoffs. The only player left on the Hornets roster from that season is David West, a rookie back then who has since become an All-Star. West said he respected Scott but understood the rationale behind making a change. “The good thing is we’re 3-6, so getting back to .500 and getting going in the right direction isn’t something that’s out of the realm of possibility,” West said. “With Jeff coming in, bringing in Tim, for guys who’ve only played for coach Scott, it will be a dramatic difference. “We’ve got to be receptive to what this brings because what we had wasn’t working,” West said. “Hopefully we can get some different results.” Chris Paul, who has not played for any NBA coach but Scott, was not available. Paul was close with Scott. The pair golfed together and Paul once referred to Scott as a father figure who was closer to him than many of his own relatives. “I understand personal relationships,” Bower said. “Chris, that’s one of his strengths, his ability to connect. And obviously it’s a very strong personal relationship (with Scott) and that should remain in place. This is a professional decision and a professional relationship that we have here and I have a lot of confidence in what he wants. He wants to win. ... None of us are pleased from a personal standpoint to ever have a day like today.” After spending 12 years as an assistant college coach at Penn State and Marist, Bower joined the Hornets’ scouting department in 1995 and began his first stint as general manager in 2001. He returned to a front office role in Scott’s first season and became general manager again during the 2005-06 season. Jefferson to miss 2 games MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves center Al Jefferson will miss the next two games because of an illness in his family. The Timberwolves say Jefferson left the team to be with an ill family member in Florida. He will miss the game tonight against Dallas and on Saturday at Memphis. Cavs’ West inactive again MIAMI — Troubled Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West was inactive for the second night in a row Thursday, and coach Mike Brown says his status was day to day. West made the trip to Miami but sat out against the Heat because of an “internal matter,” Brown said. That was the same reason given for West missing Wednesday’s win at Orlando. Raptors release Douby TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have released guard Quincy Douby. Douby had been on the inactive list since Oct. 28 and did not appear in any regular-season games. Douby joined the Raptors in March and appeared in seven games last season. He averaged 4.4 points, 1.0 assists and 10.4 minutes a game.

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