--The Hornets and coach Byron Scott agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2009-10 season. The new deal makes Scott, the NBA Coach of the Year, one of the highest-paid coaches in the league with an annual salary approaching $6 million. Scott guided the Hornets to a franchise-record 56 wins, a 17-game improvement over the previous season, their first division title, and their first victory in a best-of-seven playoff series.
"I am very happy to sign an extension to stay here in New Orleans with the Hornets," Scott said. "We, as a team, are a piece of the community of New Orleans. We are really growing into something special, and there is no other place I would rather be." Scott's four-year record with the Hornets is 151-177, though tainted by an 18-64 mark in the first season.
"We are all very happy that we were able to sign Byron to an extension; it was a fair deal on all sides," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. "Byron has done an excellent job as coach growing our players, and we feel that we have the best coach for our players and team."
--With Byron Scott's contract taken care of, the Hornets are turning their attention to signing All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a long-term extension. He has one year left on the contract he signed as a No. 1 draft choice three years ago, but owner George Shinn said he's confident a new deal can get done during the summer.
--The future of the Hornets in New Orleans appears more secure than ever before. Their first full-time season back in New Orleans, after being displaced to Oklahoma City for two seasons because of Hurricane Katrina, began with the Hornets last in the league in home attendance. Early in the season, the organization and the state of Louisiana agreed to an escape clause that would allow the team to break the lease after next season if the home attendance from Dec. 1, 2007 through the end of the 2008-09 season didn't reach 14,735. The attendance from Dec. 1 through the end of the regular season inched above the threshold, and the playoff run generated a spike in season-ticket sales that makes it very likely the out clause won't be able to be exercised. Additionally, owner George Shinn and the state are negotiating on a long-term lease that won't include any out clauses. The current lease expires after the 2011-12 season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're going to lose some of these battles before we can get to the mountaintop, but we have the players to do it. It's about those players growing, maturing and getting better, and adding another piece or two." -- Hornets coach Byron Scott.
