When things are going wrong with a basketball program, no matter the level, the fan’s first instinct is to examine the coach’s priorities. Indeed, one of the worst indictments of a coach’s commitment to the program/franchise/rec league is that “he’d rather be working on his golf game than his team’s game.” You can probably already see where this is going.

(”Okay, we’re down 3, 16 seconds left, their big man’s in foul trouble… just do whatever. Where’re we playing tomorrow?”)

So then, taking the Mystery Machine down to New Orleans to help figure out the quick demise of the Byron Scott era, we’re only going to need one clue: a bag full of Calloways and Pings. YAHOO!’s Adrian Wojnarowski ably breaks down the breakdown after the break.

Read more…

Byron Scott was fired yesterday as coach of the New Orleans Hornets, replaced by someone named Jeff Bower, a guy with no previous head coaching experience at any level.

More interesting is Bower’s top assistant hire: Tim Floyd.

You remember Floyd was caught in the middle of a catfight in a crappy SoCal casino out on I-10 two weeks ago, and at the time, we were all wondering what the hell he was doing out there.

Now we know the real reason, perhaps. Read more…

HORNETS BACK IN THE BIG EASY, BUT DO THE FANS CARE?: Someone forgot to tell the good people of New Orleans that the Hornets aren’t in Oklahoma City anymore:

The TIMES-PICAYUNE bounces news that pro basketball in the Bayou is having the same troubles with attendance as the NHL squads.Only 9,187 souls showed up for last Friday’s contest vs. the Oden-less Portland Trail Blazers, setting a new record for smallest attendance at a New Orleans Hornets home game.

The tiny crowd at the 18,000-seat New Orleans Arena was the lowest in the Hornets’ six-year stay on the banks of the Mississippi.

But coach Byron Scott isn’t going to let a little thing like empty seats spoil his fun: “The thing I love about this team is they play for each other. They were on the bench standing and cheering for each other. We’re going to create our own enthusiasm as much as we can.”There’s an idea - maybe if fans were offered some roster spots, more people would show up.

In the meantime, what’s Hornets owner George Shinn to do? Well, we hear there’s a space in Seattle opening up. And don’t think Georgie wouldn’t buzz out of town, since he’s done it once before.