http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1085814481223890.xml 'A PERFECT FIT' Byron Scott officially introduced as new Hornets coach Saturday, May 29, 2004 By Jimmy Smith and John Reid Staff writers In the hours after Byron Scott had sat across from Hornets owner George Shinn following their first formal interview session 12 days ago, Scott sat in a room in the Wyndam Hotel at the foot of Canal Street and pondered still another question. This time, the query came from Scott's wife, Anita. "We were sitting on the bed and she bluntly asked me, 'If they offer you the job, would you take it?' " Scott recalled Friday afternoon. "And I said, 'I would.' "I thought at that particular time, the job was a perfect fit for me." So when Shinn called Thursday afternoon and offered Scott a three-year, $10 million contract that will pay him $3.1, $3.3 and $3.6 million a year before incentives, Scott was true to his word. He accepted. The deal was consummated after about eight hours of negotiations, from the time Bob Bass, executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager, first contacted Scott's business manager Brian McInerney on Thursday morning, until Shinn's telephone call during which the pair entered into a verbal agreement. "After our interview," Shinn said, "I felt like he was the guy we needed. But I felt we had to go through the interviews because somebody else might have rung a bell. But it always really came back to him. "Quite frankly, just yesterday afternoon, I called Byron myself. I told him what we'd be willing to do. I told him, 'If you're willing to do that, I want you to come in tomorrow and we'll sign the deal. He said, 'I'll do it.' " In addition to the base salary, Scott's contract calls for annual incentives should the Hornets advance in the playoffs. Scott would receive a $200,000 bonus for winning the first round, $300,000 after the semifinals and $400,000 for winning the Western Conference championship. If he leads the Hornets to an NBA championship, his bonus is not to exceed $1 million. Scott beat out former Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Fratello, New Jersey Nets assistant Brian Hill and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks coach Michael Cooper for the job. Minority owner Ray Wooldridge did not attend Scott's introductory press conference. Two factors, Scott said, made the Hornets' coaching vacancy attractive: potential and challenge. "There are some very good players in place here," Scott said. "Obviously I've looked at the roster. I've looked at it the last two or three weeks. I know the players we have in place here, what type of players we have here. And I have a good feel in my mind what we need to make this team successful. "And I love challenges. This is a challenge just because we move to the Western Conference next year and we're in a division (the newly created NBA Southwest) where three of the four teams (San Antonio, Dallas and Memphis) won 50-plus games. So that's a challenge." With Scott's appetite for challenges whet, he telephoned Memphis' basketball chief Jerry West, who held the same position with the Los Angeles Lakers when Scott was a player as part of three NBA championship teams. "Jerry, who I consider a father figure and a guy who I'll call about every major decision I'm going to make -- and obviously I talked to him about this job; he told me the same thing he told me when I played," Scott said. "Most men, if you're a real man, you like challenges. And you need challenges during your life. This was a challenge I need. And I think it's a challenge most of the guys on this team need as well." Scott, 43, comes to the Hornets after guiding the New Jersey Nets to back-to-back Eastern Conference championships the previous two seasons. He replaces Tim Floyd, who was fired on May 7 following a 41-41 regular season and a first-round elimination in the playoffs. He has a 149-139 regular season record as a head coach and a 25-15 mark in the postseason. Scott was fired after 42 games with the Nets this season, in part because of reported player dissatisfaction with his coaching tendencies. On Friday, faced with yet another blunt question, this time in the New Orleans Arena Courtside Club restaurant, not a swank hotel, Scott again had a quick answer. Asked whether he had concerns he was joining a team that had fired its two previous head coaches following first-round playoff exits, Scott merely smiled. "I really don't know," Scott said. "I was fired after going to the (Finals) the last two years." . . . . . . . Jimmy Smith can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3814. John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3787. --

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