http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1087111601241430.xml 'It's just a good time for me' Sunday, June 13, 2004 John Reid On May 28, Byron Scott was introduced as the seventh coach in Hornets franchise history. Team owner George Shinn said Scott is the proven winner the Hornets were searching for to replace Tim Floyd, who was fired May 7 when the team failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. Scott guided the New Jersey Nets to two consecutive trips to the NBA Finals before he was fired last January. Scott said he's eager to get started after he fulfills his obligation with ABC-TV as a studio analyst for their pregame show during the NBA Finals. Once the Finals end, he said, he'll be working from his office at the Alario Center, starting June 23. Scott sat down with Hornets beat writer John Reid last week and discussed his objectives. Times-Picayune: How busy have you been since you were introduced as coach last month? Scott: I'm ripping and running, doing the ABC thing right now, trying to finish up that obligation, and I'm thinking about the Hornets and when training camp starts. I've already tried to get in contact with every player on the team. I've got in contact with five or six of the guys, where they've called me back, and we've had some discussions. It's just a good time for me. I'm very happy and very excited about the New Orleans job and the players we have there. I'm really looking forward to getting entrenched into the office and meeting people, and start working with (assistant general manager) Allan Bristow, and just get going. Q: How much contact have you had with Bristow? A: We've stay in contact three or four times a week. We've almost talked to each other every day or every other day and that's good because we are really getting to know each other, which is important. I really think he understands the game of basketball. I think he understands what I want, and I understand him as the assistant GM. That relationship is very important. Right now, we're on the same page. Q: When are you and your family going to move to New Orleans? A: We're getting all that squared away right now. But this has been a crazy time for us because in February we bought a condo in California because that's where my wife is from. We just closed on it last month. So even down here (in Los Angeles) for ABC, I was running around with her trying to find furniture and all this other stuff. June 22 is my daughter's graduation from high school. The next day, I'll be in New Orleans, and my wife is going to come down and start looking for a home. I'm just excited about getting down there on the 23rd and being in the office and learning my way around, and meeting with Allan every day and talking basketball in person instead of on the phone. The other thing I've been doing is jotting my team down. Jotting those guys' names on the board and looking to see where we need help. But it's going to be an exciting time. Q: What do you think about the existing talent on the roster? A: The guys that we have signed, I like what we have. Compared to the first job I had in New Jersey, if you compare rosters, this one is much better. So that's a good thing. Obviously I feel I'm much better as a basketball coach than when I took my first job. I'm more experienced and I understand what it takes, even though I felt I did as a player. I've always felt that when we got into the postseason, it was where I would be at my best, because I understood what it took to get to that next level. I think I can add that special piece to this team as well. Obviously, when you have a team that's a little bit older, you're going to have to make some changes. Like I said, I want to get quicker, and I want to get a little bit younger. Q: What is the latest news on completing your coaching staff? A: Kenny Gattison is definitely in. Donald Newman, we're still talking, and hopefully we'll get that deal done soon. But Kenny is definitely in. I've got a chance to see Kenny and talked to him. Kenny is somebody I trust. His family, Wanda and my wife, they've known each other for a long time. So they get along extremely well. So she's happy and it's almost like she picked him. I told her I was going to hire Kenny, and she said it was a good choice. Don is obviously one of the guys I would like to have on the staff. I had him in New Jersey, and he's a very loyal guy. He's a heck of a worker. I'm going to bring Henry Hines on board to help us get quicker. He's a former long jumper, and I brought him to New Jersey to help get our guys better as far as quickness and agility. He's probably the best I've seen to get players to understand how to get out quicker to the open floor, and that's what we need. Sometimes it's not necessary to be faster but just learning how to use your speed. I don't think it's a coincidence that the two years he was there in New Jersey with me, we were in the Finals. So I'm looking to bring him on board. Q: How involved will you be in this month's draft? A: I'll definitely take part in the draft. I want to know everything that's going on. That's why Allan and I have been talking so much, because the draft is coming up and I haven't been able to see a bunch of the workouts, so I had him send me all the tapes of them. Now I have to get a television and VCR in Detroit, so I can be watching all of these guys. But yes, I'd like to be involved in everything. When it's concerning basketball and players that I'm going to be coaching I want to have some type of input on that, and they've given me the authority to have the input. Like I said, Allan and I have been on page with everything that's gone so far, and I think the line of communication is very important. When I get down there on the 23rd, we'll all sit down and start talking about these guys they've brought in and the guys that I've seen. We'll also talk about the order we think the draft is going to be presented and then what players might be available for us and where we'll go from there. Q: Have you had any conversation with Jamal Mashburn? A: I have not. I've put in a call to Jamal, but I haven't heard back from him yet. I haven't talked to P.J. Brown -- I called him and he called back, but I was out. But I have talked with Baron Davis, Stacey Augmon, Darrell Armstrong and Steve Smith. The one thing that I gather from the conversations is that they're class acts, and that's something I really admire about the team. Those are the type of people you want to keep around. Q: How tough is your training camp going to be this October? A: With the conversations that I've had with these guys, before we got off the phone that's the last thing I told them is don't come to camp trying to get into shape. If they heard anything about my training camps and if they haven't, they might want to call some of the guys in New Jersey and ask them about it -- it's no joke. Baron Davis said he had heard about it from Kenyon Martin. My thing is if you come in shape, we're going to be ahead of the game. I don't want guys to be behind as far as trying to get ready. I'm a firm believer that if you come to camp in shape, it can minimize some of the injuries. Most guys get hurt when they're out of shape. I think most of the guys understood that who I've spoke to. Hopefully, I'll get in contact with everybody before training camp starts. Q: Did you have a lot of basketball over the past few months, and how much did you know about the Hornets before accepting the job? A: I think that's a big-time positive going in that I do have a pretty good idea of what these guys can do on the court. The one thing I don't have is an idea of their personalities and how to mesh with that. But that's something that I will get familiar with once we get to training camp. That was the purpose in putting in calls to everybody. To No. 1 introduce myself, so they can get to know me a little better and know what I'm about and what I stand for. Like I told Baron, this is supposed to be fun; getting up and down the court should be an exciting brand of basketball for our team. But it doesn't minimize how hard we're going to work to get to that particular point. As long as we understand that and we're all on the same page, we'll be fine. Q: How anxious are you? A: When I was let go in January (by the Nets), I didn't think by June that I would be this fired up to get back into it. It's been a new revelation for me to sit back and watch everything that's happening. And now have the opportunity to do it again; it's almost like your first job again. I'm just so excited about it because I have some good pieces to the puzzle. Obviously, you have to subtract a couple and add a couple to get the mix the way you want it. I'm truly excited about it. I'm truly excited about the "Big Easy," as everybody calls it. Hey I'm a big seafood lover, so the food is just fantastic. I probably have to work out in the gym a lot but, other than that it's going to be a lot of fun. Obviously having the right staff around you is going to help. And Kenny Gattison, I wouldn't have kept him if I didn't think he was a perfect fit. I want a staff of guys who are excited about their jobs and enjoy what they do and fight for what we believe as a family. I want the players to know that. --

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