NBA | Hornets deliver early ax to Byron Scott

WESTWEGO, La. — The New Orleans Hornets fired coach Byron Scott only nine games into the season Thursday and replaced him with general manager Jeff Bower, hoping the man who put the roster together can get more out of it on the court.

"I told Jeff, 'The genie's out of the bottle,' " Hornets chief operating officer Hugh Weber said. "Nobody can say he doesn't have the right players. ... Jeff has hand-selected this team, and we like the idea that now he'll be held accountable for the results.

"Our expectations are high. Our sense of urgency is high. Our patience is low and we hope that translates into results quickly."

Scott, who only two seasons ago was the NBA coach of the year, was fired one day after a 124-104 loss at Phoenix dropped New Orleans to 3-6.

Bower, who will remain general manager while in his first head-coaching job, immediately moved to name Tim Floyd his top assistant and said other assistants will be retained as well. Floyd, a former Chicago Bulls and Hornets head coach, most recently coached at USC. He led USC to three straight NCAA tournament appearances, then resigned last June amid allegations he paid to have O.J. Mayo play for the Trojans. An NCAA investigation of the matter is ongoing.

Bower was Floyd's assistant coach with the Hornets during the 2003-04 season.

"I have a high comfort level with Tim, who has proven himself to be a quality coach, who has proven himself to have some very specific areas that he's outstanding in," Bower said.

The Hornets were 41-41 in Floyd's only season as head coach. The only player left on the Hornets roster from that season is David West, a rookie back then who has since become an All-Star. West said he respected Scott but understood the rationale behind making a change.

"We've got to be receptive to what this brings because what we had wasn't working," West said. "Hopefully we can get some different results."

Notes

• Troubled Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West was inactive for the second night in a row. Coach Mike Brown said West's status was day to day.

• Minnesota Timberwolves center Al Jefferson will miss the next two games because of an illness in his family.

• Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker's lawyer said he's trying to resolve criminal charges against Walker stemming from more than $800,000 in gambling debts to three Las Vegas casinos.