Hornets coach Byron Scott, second from right, is in line for a big payday, but anticipates staying in New Orleans. (Donna McWilliam/Associated Press)NBA coach of the year Byron Scott could translate his team's outstanding season into a lucrative pay raise with another franchise with a coaching vacancy.
But despite his right to buy out the remainder of his contract with the New Orleans Hornets and go to the highest bidder next season, Scott sounds like he's anticipates a return to the Big Easy.
"I expect to be here," Scott said. "In my mind right now I hope to be here unless something crazy happens."
That interest appears to be mutual on the part of Hornets owner George Shinn, who said he intends to make Scott a fair offer on an extension that would see him among the league's highest paid bench bosses.
"Byron has done an outstanding job for us," Shinn said. "I'm tired of flip-flopping and firing coaches. I want somebody to stay that I like … I'm not going to be stupid. I'll be as fair as I can to get him to stay with us."
Scott currently makes about $3.5 million US a year, a far cry from Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, who leads the league with a salary of roughly $10.3 million. Don Nelson of the Golden State Warriors and Mike D'Antoni of the New York Knicks are the next highest paid coaches at about $6 million.
Scott has overseen the transition of the Hornets from a lottery team to legitimate contender in the highly competitive Western Conference.
After coaching the team to an 18-64 record in the 2005-06 season, Scott oversaw several veterans shipped out of town. That offseason, the team parlayed their poor overall record into the fourth overall pick and highly touted point guard Chris Paul.
Scott and his young guard clicked instantly and the turnaround began in the 2006-07 season, where the Hornets improved by 20 games despite being displaced to Oklahoma City by Hurricane Katrina.
The Hornets narrowly missed the post-season but their momentum carried in 2007-08 when they surprised the league with 56 wins and emerged as champions of the Southwest Division.
New Orleans defeated a seasoned Dallas Mavericks team in the first round of the playoffs and pushed the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs to the limit before bowing out to them in seven games.
Paul, an MVP candidate and undoubtedly the franchise cornerstone, will be a restricted free agent next season, and Shinn has said that signing him to a long-term extension has been deemed the franchise's top priority.
The owner has said that signing Scott is the next priority.
"It's a great scenario for him. He's worked hard to develop the players he has," Shinn said of Scott. "If we can pay the same as somebody else, why would he leave?"
According to Scott, those comments fall in line with his private conversations with the Shinn.
"The biggest thing is, Mr. Shinn talked about being reasonable and things like that," Scott said. "I'm not trying to break the bank or anything. I just put a number down that I feel is in that top five or six of what other coaches in this league make."
If he did choose to leave, Scott would undoubtedly be a hot commodity for a couple of franchises that have coaching vacancies.
The Chicago Bulls, who just won the top pick in June's rookie draft via the lottery on Tuesday, are in a position to rebuild quickly and have an opening. The high-octane Phoenix Suns also need a head coach after parting ways with D'Antoni just weeks ago.
With files from the Associated Press
