Spurred Then Nearly Stung

by Guichard Cadet

It may take a longer than anticipated time for the Nets and Byron Scott to find NBA success. Though he says there are few regrets, Scott could be coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, or still doing NBA analysis and commentary on television. Would the latter be better than coaching the New Orleans Hornets?

The answer is definitely a resounding ‘no’. Except for Hubie Brown who resigned as coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, most folks seem to prefer roaming the sidelines to broadcasting work.

For Scott, he had taken the New Jersey Nets franchise to consecutive NBA Finals, only to be fired and replaced by Lawrence Frank, a man with no head coaching or top-level competitive basketball playing experience. Scott had battled the rumors that certain players did not want to play for him. Though no player went on record to state this, he confronted the situation by having discussions with Jason Kidd and other players.

In his last days in the 2003-2004 season, the team consistently under-performed the way NBA players do went they want to force a change. Scott was fired; and if not for poor shooting by Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin in Game 7 of last year’s Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, versus the Detroit Pistons, the Nets could have gone to their 3rd straight NBA Finals.

It was hard to judge new head coach Frank’s ability. True he posted 13 consecutive wins to begin his career. This actually made the case of the players’ possibly “tanking” in order to get Scott fired. The winning streak also came against lower echelon teams.

The calendar didn’t have to turn many pages for circumstances to further prove the NBA is a players’ league. Whereas coaches do make a difference, coaching strategy in this sport is less important than in the NFL. What do we make of Byron Scott’s record in his first year with the Hornets? What do we make of Lawrence Frank’s this season?

Scott recently commented on the Nets offense. Nothing he said was a put-down, but had the Hornets won the teams’ most recent match-up, it could have signaled an early end to the Nets’ slim hope of making the playoffs.

Both franchises are in turmoil for similar reasons: injuries, parting with All-Star caliber players, and firing good head coaches. Since head coaching jobs are limited (number of teams), only a select crew of individuals can pick and choose their next placement. Weeks after Byron Scott jumped at the opportunity after Tim Floyd lasted only one season after replacing a winning coach, Paul Silas, the Los Angeles Lakers and Phil Jackson parted ways.

All signs indicate Scott would have gotten a fair hearing from the Lakers – specifically because his championship years with the team, and his personal relationship with Kobe Bryant.

Though the Hornets had made 5 straight playoff appearances, the job had one major parallel to Scott’s former job in New Jersey: a disgruntled Point Guard making ‘max’ money. Such situations can take a coach to Hall of Fame potential a la Pat Riley’s good fortune in becoming Magic Johnson’s guy after the firing of Paul Westhead. Scott has not been so lucky, except that he was not fired and the Golden State Warriors took Baron Davis off his hands.

Lawrence Frank has been fortunate that Kidd’s grumbling is not aimed at him. Kidd did not get his hope of being traded to a contending team by the deadline. In as much as he seems content to have Vince Carter, Kidd knows there will be no championship run this season. The Nets are 4 and 3 since the trade deadline. Their most recent loss to the Spurs was expected, but their near-loss to the Hornets would have been a sign that the team was ready to coast into their summer vacation.