Nets fire Byron Scott

Nimrod · 01-26-2004, 04:17 PM

Poor bastard takes them to the finals two years in a row, and this is his reward.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1718853

ESPN.com news services
Nets coach Byron Scott, one year removed from taking New Jersey on a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, has been fired.

"It happens to almost every coach eventually: Your message isn't well received and taken onto the court," team president Rod Thorn said at a news conference announcing the change.

Assistant coach Lawrence Frank will take over on an interim basis and will stay at least through the end of the season, Thorn said. The Nets also hired Brian Hill as an assistant coach.

"He has absolutely no resentment or anger," Scott's agent, Brian McInerney, told The Associated Press. "He's going down as the winningest coach in Nets' history."

Thorn said he thought about firing Scott for more than a month and finally decided Sunday night that the time was right. He delivered the news to Scott on Monday morning after giving the job to Frank late Sunday night.

"They discussed the situation and both concluded that the timing of the move is to the benefit of the team," McInerney told AP. "They decided another voice needed to be heard in the locker room."

The Nets, an unspectacular 22-20 with the All-Star break approaching, lead the 22-24 Celtics by two games in the Atlantic Division but have only the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference. The game that sealed Scott's fate was Friday's loss at 18-26 Miami, in which the Nets were routed 85-64, sources told Stein.

Scott wasn't around for the final 14 minutes Sunday of what turned out to be his final game as New Jersey's coach -- a 110-91 victory over Boston that halted a five-game losing streak. He was ejected late in the third quarter by referee Luis Grillo for saying something that earned a one-technical ejection. Frank finished up.

The last year of Scott's four-year deal was to pay him between $2.6 million and $3 million.

Despite leading the Nets to back-to-back Finals appearances, management had refused to give Scott an extension while the team was for sale. It was sold Friday to developer Bruce Ratner, who plans to move the team to Brooklyn.

Scott's status was made even more tenuous by persistent reports that he lacked the support of star guard Jason Kidd, who berated Scott after an embarrassing 110-63 loss in Memphis on Dec. 13.

A source in the Nets' front office told AP that Kidd spoke to management Saturday and said the team need a change in leadership.

Thorn considered other candidates from inside and outside the organization but settled on Frank because of his familiarity with the Nets' offense and his rapport with the players.

"Lawrence is a lot like Jeff Van Gundy, who I think is one of the best coaches in pro basketball," Thorn said.

Scott was ejected during the third quarter of Sunday's 110-91 victory over the Boston Celtics, which ended a five-game losing streak and kept New Jersey (22-20) from dropping to .500.

"I felt it would turn itself around, and for a while it did. But it became evident to me that it wasn't going to turn around," Thorn said. "We have not played to the level we anticipated playing."

Kidd, and forward Kenyon Martin, also took issue with Scott's coaching moves during last year's Finals, including how the coach used former Net Dikembe Mutombo against San Antonio and his reluctance to call for double teams on center/Finals MVP Tim Duncan.

In the series' decisive Game 6, the Spurs went on a 19-0 second-half run that ultimately finished New Jersey.

In the offseason, Kidd was being hotly pursued in free agency by the Spurs, and there were reports claiming that Kidd would not consider re-signing with the Nets unless Scott was fired. Despite their differences, Kidd re-signed with New Jersey for $103 million over six years.

On Friday, the Nets were officially sold to Brooklyn developer Bruce Ratner, who is intent on moving the Nets across the Hudson River to the borough. The rest of the NBA owners must approve the deal as well.

Scott holds the franchise record with 149 coaching victories. After a 25-56 record in his first season, the Nets went 52-30 in 2001-02 and 49-33 in 2002-03 -- losing to the Lakers and the Spurs in the finals.

Scott's dismissal brought to 16 the number of head coach jobs that have turned over since the 2002-03 season. Two weeks ago, the Knicks fired Don Chaney and replaced him Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens.

The Nets next play Tuesday night at Philadelphia.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report

ReadMusic · 01-26-2004, 04:30 PM

Mavs may trade Jamison and some cash to get Kenyon Martin.

guz · 01-26-2004, 04:37 PM

yet another reason why i'm really getting fed up with professional sports. i'm tired of hearing these athletes complain. you're making millions/year playing the game you love, shut up already and thank your lucky stars.

Nimrod · 01-26-2004, 04:39 PM

If/when the Nets move to Brooklyn, I will probably stop watching the NBA all together.

ReadMusic · 01-26-2004, 04:53 PM

If I bought an NBA team, I'd want to move it to my hometown (assuming my hometown didn't have an NBA already).

sppunk · 01-26-2004, 04:56 PM

I was thinking of making this thread earlier, but then realized it's the NBA East and the best team (the Pacers) are the seventh best team in the West.

The NBA is about to face a huge amount of problems in the next five to 10 years.

Nimrod · 01-26-2004, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ReadMusic
If I bought an NBA team, I'd want to move it to my hometown (assuming my hometown didn't have an NBA already).

That's not what they're doing. A real estate developer is buying the team and moving it to get a sweetheart deal to build a stadium on public funds AND luxury apts and other buildings surrounding it. Without the team, no stadium. Without the stadium, no development project.

ReadMusic · 01-26-2004, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nimrod
That's not what they're doing. A real estate developer is buying the team and moving it to get a sweetheart deal to build a stadium on public funds AND luxury apts and other buildings surrounding it. Without the team, no stadium. Without the stadium, no development project.

Well that sucks. I just heard that Jay-Z was involved in the deal with the people buying the team, and he was going to get them moved to his hometown.

wounded · 01-26-2004, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ReadMusic
Mavs may trade Jamison and some cash to get Kenyon Martin.

i don't know. jamison has been doing a descent job for them as of late.

remember when jamison was the bad ass at UNC and Carter was the second option?

guz · 01-26-2004, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nimrod
That's not what they're doing. A real estate developer is buying the team and moving it to get a sweetheart deal to build a stadium on public funds AND luxury apts and other buildings surrounding it. Without the team, no stadium. Without the stadium, no development project.

similar talk going on about the owner/buyer/whatever of the Dodgers, F.McCourt. it's sick.

neopryn · 01-26-2004, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sppunk
The NBA is about to face a huge amount of problems in the next five to 10 years.

Great. This coupled with the inevitable collapses of the NHL and baseball will give the NFL a complete monopoly on American sports. What's to make them stop at sports, actually. Tagliabue is the new Hitler.

guz · 01-26-2004, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by neopryn
Great. This coupled with the inevitable collapses of the NHL and baseball will give the NFL a complete monopoly on American sports. What's to make them stop at sports, actually. Tagliabue is the new Hitler.

Nimrod · 01-26-2004, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by neopryn
Great. This coupled with the inevitable collapses of the NHL and baseball will give the NFL a complete monopoly on American sports. What's to make them stop at sports, actually. Tagliabue is the new Hitler.

That's crazy. More people went to baseball games last year than any other year in history.

BTW, the problem is that pro sports is pricing itself out of joe consumer's expendable money range.

guz · 01-26-2004, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nimrod
BTW, the problem is that pro sports is pricing itself out of joe consumer's expendable money range.

the problem is that it's all about tha dollar bill.....ya'll. gets worse every year.

01-26-2004, 04:17 PM	#1
Nimrod Macho Business Donkey Wrestler Location: the cross i'm bearing home 'aint indicative of my place Posts: 5,410	Nets fire Byron Scott Poor bastard takes them to the finals two years in a row, and this is his reward. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1718853 ESPN.com news services Nets coach Byron Scott, one year removed from taking New Jersey on a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, has been fired. "It happens to almost every coach eventually: Your message isn't well received and taken onto the court," team president Rod Thorn said at a news conference announcing the change. Assistant coach Lawrence Frank will take over on an interim basis and will stay at least through the end of the season, Thorn said. The Nets also hired Brian Hill as an assistant coach. "He has absolutely no resentment or anger," Scott's agent, Brian McInerney, told The Associated Press. "He's going down as the winningest coach in Nets' history." Thorn said he thought about firing Scott for more than a month and finally decided Sunday night that the time was right. He delivered the news to Scott on Monday morning after giving the job to Frank late Sunday night. "They discussed the situation and both concluded that the timing of the move is to the benefit of the team," McInerney told AP. "They decided another voice needed to be heard in the locker room." The Nets, an unspectacular 22-20 with the All-Star break approaching, lead the 22-24 Celtics by two games in the Atlantic Division but have only the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference. The game that sealed Scott's fate was Friday's loss at 18-26 Miami, in which the Nets were routed 85-64, sources told Stein. Scott wasn't around for the final 14 minutes Sunday of what turned out to be his final game as New Jersey's coach -- a 110-91 victory over Boston that halted a five-game losing streak. He was ejected late in the third quarter by referee Luis Grillo for saying something that earned a one-technical ejection. Frank finished up. The last year of Scott's four-year deal was to pay him between $2.6 million and $3 million. Despite leading the Nets to back-to-back Finals appearances, management had refused to give Scott an extension while the team was for sale. It was sold Friday to developer Bruce Ratner, who plans to move the team to Brooklyn. Scott's status was made even more tenuous by persistent reports that he lacked the support of star guard Jason Kidd, who berated Scott after an embarrassing 110-63 loss in Memphis on Dec. 13. A source in the Nets' front office told AP that Kidd spoke to management Saturday and said the team need a change in leadership. Thorn considered other candidates from inside and outside the organization but settled on Frank because of his familiarity with the Nets' offense and his rapport with the players. "Lawrence is a lot like Jeff Van Gundy, who I think is one of the best coaches in pro basketball," Thorn said. Scott was ejected during the third quarter of Sunday's 110-91 victory over the Boston Celtics, which ended a five-game losing streak and kept New Jersey (22-20) from dropping to .500. "I felt it would turn itself around, and for a while it did. But it became evident to me that it wasn't going to turn around," Thorn said. "We have not played to the level we anticipated playing." Kidd, and forward Kenyon Martin, also took issue with Scott's coaching moves during last year's Finals, including how the coach used former Net Dikembe Mutombo against San Antonio and his reluctance to call for double teams on center/Finals MVP Tim Duncan. In the series' decisive Game 6, the Spurs went on a 19-0 second-half run that ultimately finished New Jersey. In the offseason, Kidd was being hotly pursued in free agency by the Spurs, and there were reports claiming that Kidd would not consider re-signing with the Nets unless Scott was fired. Despite their differences, Kidd re-signed with New Jersey for $103 million over six years. On Friday, the Nets were officially sold to Brooklyn developer Bruce Ratner, who is intent on moving the Nets across the Hudson River to the borough. The rest of the NBA owners must approve the deal as well. Scott holds the franchise record with 149 coaching victories. After a 25-56 record in his first season, the Nets went 52-30 in 2001-02 and 49-33 in 2002-03 -- losing to the Lakers and the Spurs in the finals. Scott's dismissal brought to 16 the number of head coach jobs that have turned over since the 2002-03 season. Two weeks ago, the Knicks fired Don Chaney and replaced him Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens. The Nets next play Tuesday night at Philadelphia. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report

01-26-2004, 04:30 PM	#2
ReadMusic Apocalyptic Poster Location: VALLEY RANCH Posts: 2,922	Mavs may trade Jamison and some cash to get Kenyon Martin.

01-26-2004, 04:37 PM	#3
guz El Gringo Mexicano Location: I'd rather just have dome anyway Posts: 8,599	yet another reason why i'm really getting fed up with professional sports. i'm tired of hearing these athletes complain. you're making millions/year playing the game you love, shut up already and thank your lucky stars.

01-26-2004, 04:39 PM	#4
Nimrod Macho Business Donkey Wrestler Location: the cross i'm bearing home 'aint indicative of my place Posts: 5,410	If/when the Nets move to Brooklyn, I will probably stop watching the NBA all together.

01-26-2004, 04:53 PM	#5
ReadMusic Apocalyptic Poster Location: VALLEY RANCH Posts: 2,922	If I bought an NBA team, I'd want to move it to my hometown (assuming my hometown didn't have an NBA already).

01-26-2004, 04:56 PM	#6
sppunk Netphoria's George Will Location: Fenway Park Posts: 37,125	I was thinking of making this thread earlier, but then realized it's the NBA East and the best team (the Pacers) are the seventh best team in the West. The NBA is about to face a huge amount of problems in the next five to 10 years.