Just a season removed from being named NBA Coach of the Year, Byron Scott will begin the 2009-10 season with an uncertain future with the Hornets. His contract expires at the end of the season.
The Hornets did not offer Scott an extension after the Hornets faded down the stretch and were embarrassed by the Nuggets in a first-round playoff series. This came a year after Scott opted to sign just a two-year contract in the wake of the franchise's most successful season ever.
"We talked about multi-year deals and Byron and his agent really felt that a two-year deal was the right fit for where they were," Hornets president Hugh Weber said. "That was something that evolved through the season."
But the term "lame duck" doesn't apply to Scott, at least not yet. Weber said negotiations on a new contract likely will begin before the old deal expires.
"I anticipate that, just as we did last year, we'll continue to evolve and have those discussions go on," he said. "These contracts, you don't just wait until the day they expire and do something. You obviously have to talk and communicate. Byron and his agent are partners of ours, so I anticipate that that will be an issue at some point."
The Hornets opted to give Scott a revamped roster to work with, providing him with more youth and athleticism behind Chris Paul, a more versatile center, and more depth inside.
Now it will be up to Scott to get this new group of Hornets to play more like the division champions of 2007-08 than the also-rans of 2008-09.
Scott will have a better chance of doing that if the Hornets remain relatively healthy, as they did two years ago, rather than suffering a rash of injuries, like they did last season.
