That’s the question on everyone’s mind in the Big Easy. And it’s not an easy one to answer.
One the one hand, you have a team that scratched and clawed its way into the Playoffs, only to play awful once in the tournament, and at one point simply just quit (their 58-point loss to the Nuggets at home will not soon be forgotten); on the other, the players insist that the coach still has their ear, and did a solid job.
It’s now up to management to weigh all of their options, and decide if Byron Scott will be roaming the Hornets’ sidelines in the 2009-’10 season. From the Times-Picayune:
Ten days after Hornets owner George Shinn said he planned to meet with his brain trust to evaluate the performance of his head coach, Byron Scott remains in limbo. Scott’s agent, Brian McInerney, said Monday afternoon that he has not heard from the Hornets about whether they want Scott to return for the last year of his contract next season or if they’ll grant him permission to pursue another job.
Scott’s agent, Brian McInerney, said Monday afternoon that he has not heard from the Hornets about whether they want Scott to return for the last year of his contract next season or if they’ll grant him permission to pursue another job…McInerney said Scott was not aware of any issues involving the team’s management and his performance until Scott read it in The Times-Picayune during their playoff series against Denver last week.
When Shinn was asked to assess the job Scott had done and if the coach’s job was safe, the team’s owner said it was a loaded question and Scott would be evaluated like everyone else at the end of the season.
The former Coach of the Year is slated to make $6.5 million next year.
