http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/108590048983011.xml Shinn took charge of pursuing coach Scott fits description of proven winner Sunday, May 30, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer Through six previous head coach searches, Hornets owner George Shinn had always been content to let his front office executives take the lead. But he knew the decision on who would replace Tim Floyd was a crucial one. So he rolled up his sleeves, got a bit of advice as to what questions to ask, and went out and landed the coach many considered the hottest prospect available. Win or lose down the road, responsibility for the hire will fall on Shinn's shoulders. But he's not worried. Shinn landed an expierienced winner Friday when he hired Byron Scott, who took the New Jersey Nets to consecutive trips to the NBA Finals in 2002 and '03 and won three NBA championships as a player for Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s. "I'm getting a little older each day, and I just really want to win a championship," said Shinn, who celebrated his 63rd birthday earlier this month by giving presents to patients in the maternity ward at University Hospital in New Orleans. "That's the only thing missing in my life. I just decided hell, I've got to step up. I've always had the dream of winning and we've done a lot of things. We tried to cut corners, tried to do this and that. I decided that I'm doing the interviews because I know what we need and I'm going to do it myself. If I'm going to commit to this team, it's time to do it right now." Last year, gambling didn't work for Shinn. He thought Floyd was the perfect choice despite a 49-190 record in 3 ½ seasons as coach of the Chicago Bulls. Last season, under Floyd, the Hornets lost 22 games to teams with losing records. They finished the regular season 41-41, and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat. Another problem was attendence. The Hornets slipped to 28th among the league's 29 teams after finishing at 19th in their inaugural season in New Orleans for the 2002-03 season. After failing to advance beyond the first round, Shinn fired Floyd on May 7. "We got him at a below-NBA-average price ($1.3 million last season)," Shinn said. "I think Bob (Bass) and I both felt like we had the right guy. He had been there, had lost, but we thought he had learned from his losses," Shinn said. "Unfortunately, we learned from our mistake, and we just moved on." This time Shinn put himself at the head of his team's coaching search and set the criteria: He wanted an experienced coach, a proven winner and someone who could handle players' personalities and their egos. No longer was he going to settle on finding a someone to pay below the NBA average price. He immediately identified Scott as one of the top candidates for the job, but he wanted to check out other candidates as well. Last weekend he took a sheet of 25 questions given to him by Bass and went to Los Angeles to interview candidates Michael Cooper and Mike Fratello. On Tuesday he interviewed New Jersey Nets assistant Brian Hill. "Mr. Shinn stepped forward and said we were going to get a proven coach," Bass said. "He said he was going to spend some money. He made a promise, and I think he furfilled the promise." Scott said he decided to accept the Hornets' offer because of Shinn's commitment to bring a winner to New Orleans. "That struck me as a man who really wants to do what it took, and I was happy to hear him say those words because I think this organization is one of the finest in the league," Scott said. "Mr. Shinn is definitely committed to winning." Near the end of Friday's news conference to introduce Scott as the Hornets' new coach, Shinn stood by himself for a few minutes and observed how Scott was easily fielding questions from the media in front of numerous television camaras. "I prayed about this, and I'm really relieved," Shinn said. "I'm so impressed with his demeanor and attitude. He's a handsome guy, dresses great and when we add all of those things up, and he helps us accomplish our goal. I understand going into the Western Conference is going to be a challenge. But for all of us to grow, we all need a challenge. But we're going to get it done, and that's really the bottom line." . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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