http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1090486903254090.xml Hornets hire Walker as Scott's top assistant Focusing on defense is part of the plan Thursday, July 22, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer Darrell Walker, a former head coach of the Toronto Raptors, was hired Wednesday to be the top assistant on Hornets coach Byron Scott's staff. Walker's hiring is the second Scott has made since last month. "He's a guy that I know has a lot of energy and passion for this game," Scott said. "We go back 21 years. We came into the league together and became good friends after the first game we played against each other." In June, Kenny Gattison, an assistant last season, was retained by Scott. Scott has one more position to fill. Walker, 43, said he wants to bring the same competitiveness to coaching that he had as a player. And he plans to spend a lot of time emphasizing defense, which Scott considers a priority. "I have walked in the same footsteps as Byron, so I pretty much know what he's going through and what he's going to be feeling during and after games," Walker said. Walker began his coaching career as an assistant with the Raptors during their expansion season in 1995-96. He was promoted to head coach the following season and led the Raptors to a 30-52 record. Walker resigned at midseason during the 1997-98 season and finished with a 41-90 overall record. Walker was interim coach of the Washington Wizards for the final half of the 1999-2000 regular season. After guiding the Wizards to a 15-23 record, Walker was named the Wizards' director of player personnel at the end of the season. He stayed with the Wizards -- holding a number of duties, most recently as a scout -- until the Hornets hired him. He had also been interim head coach of the Washington Mystics of the WNBA and coached the Rockford (Ill.) Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association. "I didn't know he was available until I was talking to another friend of mine," Scott said. "I called Ernie Grunfeld and asked for permission to talk to Darrell. The fact that he's been a head coach in this league a couple of times attracted me. He understands what's going on in that seat and he can definitely help me and we can help each other as well with Kenny." Walker began his playing career with the New York Knicks. He was their first-round draft pick in 1983. He played on five teams in his 10-year career, including the Chicago Bulls' championship team in 1993 with Michael Jordan. Walker had been signed to two 10-day contracts at midseason but ended up staying through the Finals. Walker, who lives in Little Rock, Ark., plans to get started quickly once he moves to New Orleans next month. He's already been studying Scott's playbook. "Byron runs a pretty complicated offense. There are a lot of reads, cuts and backdoor plays, so I've been studying it every day," Walker said. . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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