After a one-day break, we resume our coaches who also played profiles with a man who was a part of one of the greatest runs in NBA history as a player; the Showtime L.A. Lakers of the 1980s. He has since had success as a coach, making two NBA Finals. He is New Orleans Hornets coach Byron Scott.

Byron Scott was born March 28, 1961 in Ogden, Utah. He grew up Inglewood, California and attended Morningside High School, not very far from the Los Angeles Lakers' home of the Forum. Scott admitted years later that he snuck into the Forum to watch Lakers games by distracting the unattentive guards. Scott attended Arizona State University, where he averaged 17.5 PPG and 3.1 APG as a point guard. The San Diego Clippers selected Scott with the fourth overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft, but Scott was soon after traded to the Lakers in exchange for Norm Nixon. The trade of Nixon allowed Magic Johnson to play PG, and Scott became a part of the Showtime Lakers who ran (literally) roughshod over the NBA in the mid-to-late 1980s.

Scott platooned with veteran Michael Cooper during his rookie year, eventually giving way to Cooper in the playoffs, but still posted respectable numbers of 10.6 PPG and 2.4 APG. Scott became a steady scorer for the Lakers throughout his tenure, averaging at least 13.7 PPG in each of his Lakers seasons after his rookie year (career best 21.7 PPG in 1987-88) while also playing good defense on opposing shooting guards. Scott led the league in three point percentage in 1984-85 and started on three championship teams (1985, 1987-88) before leaving after the 1992-93 season.

Scott then became a solid sixth man, helping the Indiana Pacers to the conference finals in each of his two seasons there, and he played well for the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995-96 before a final NBA season back with the Lakers in 1996-97. Scott's official end came with Panathinaikos in 1997-98, which he led to a Greek championship and was named their Finals MVP. Scott began coaching as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings in 1998, specializing in perimeter shooting, before being hired as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets in 2000.

Scott initially struggled in Jersey, losing 56 games in his first season, but after the team acquired Jason Kidd, the Nets emerged as a power in the Eastern Conference, as Scott's complex Princeton offense began to work perfectly. The Nets won 52 games (a club record in the NBA) and the Atlantic Division title during the 2001-02 season and made it to their first NBA Finals, before getting swept by Scott's old team, the Lakers. Jersey repeated as division champs in 2002-03 with 49 wins, then rolled through the East back to the Finals, this time losing to the San Antonio Spurs in six games. However, Scott was fired after 22-20 start to the following season; rumors had it that Kidd had a hand in Scott's demise (never proven). Scott served as a ABC studio analyst for the rest of the season before being hired to coach the New Orleans Hornets during the summer of 2004.

Much like his early Nets tenure, Scott's Hornets struggled early on, losing 64 games in 2004-05 after moving to the tougher Western Conference. The Hornets were then displace by Hurricane Katrina for most of the next two seasons, playing primarily in Oklahoma City. Scott managed 38 and 39 wins during those seasons as the Hornets matured, then watched as the Hornets returned to New Orleans and were highly successful, winningthe club's first ever division title (the Southwest Division) with a club record 56 wins and advancing to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. Scott is proof that perseverence does pay off, and was rewarded with the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2008.

Season-by-Season Statistical Review (Player):
1983-84: 74 GP, 49 GS, 10.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, 48.4 FG%, 80.6 FT%, 23.5 3P%
1984-85: 81 GP, 65 GS, 16.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.0 APG, 53.9 FG%, 82.0 FT%, 43.3 3P%
1985-86: 76 GP, 62 GS, 15.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.2 APG, 51.3 FG%, 78.4 FT%, 36.1 3P%
1986-87: 82 GP, 82 GS, 17.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, 48.9 FG%, 89.2 FT%, 43.6 3P%
1987-88: 81 GP, 81 GS, 21.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.1 APG, 52.7 FG%, 85.8 FT%, 34.6 3P%
1988-89: 74 GP, 73 GS, 19.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 49.1 FG%, 86.3 FT%, 39.9 3P%
1989-90: 77 GP, 77 GS, 15.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 47.0 FG%, 76.6 FT%, 42.3 3P%
1990-91: 82 GP, 82 GS, 14.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 47.7 FG%, 79.7 FT%, 32.4 3P%
1991-92: 82 GP, 82 GS, 14.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 45.8 FG%, 83.8 FT%, 34.4 3P%
1992-93: 58 GP, 53 GS, 13.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 44.9 FG%, 84.8 FT%, 32.6 3P%
1993-94: 67 GP, 2 GS, 10.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 46.7 FG%, 80.5 FT%, 36.5 3P%
1994-95: 80 GP, 1 GS, 10.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 45.5 FG%, 85.0 FT%, 38.9 3P%
1995-96: 80 GP, 0 GS, 10.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 40.1 FG%, 83.5 FT%, 33.5 3P%
1996-97: 79 GP, 8 GS, 6.7 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 43.0 FG%, 84.1 FT%, 38.8 3P%

Season-by-Season Statistical Review (Coach):
2000-01 New Jersey: 26 Wins, 56 Losses (did not make playoffs)
2001-02 New Jersey: 52 Wins, 30 Losses (11-9, lost NBA Finals)
2002-03 New Jersey: 49 Wins, 33 Losses (14-6, lost NBA Finals)
2003-04 New Jersey: 22 Wins, 20 Losses (fired after 42 games)
2004-05 New Orleans: 18 Wins, 64 Losses (did not make playoffs)
2005-06 New Orleans/Oklahoma City: 38 Wins, 44 Losses (did not make playoffs)
2006-07 New Orleans/Oklahoma City: 39 Wins, 43 Losses (did not make playoffs)
2007-08 New Orleans: 56 Wins, 26 Losses (7-5, lost conf. semifinals)
2008-09 New Orleans: will update at end of season