Byron Scott is exactly what the Cavs need in a coach.
Byron Scott is set to become the next head coach of the Cavaliers. An official announcement is due soon, possibly as early as today. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- I could be wrong, but I doubt Byron Scott will say, "LeBron James allows me to coach him."
That actually will be the case for the new Cavaliers coach, assuming James signs a new deal to remain in Cleveland. Scott has been around the league long enough to know that coaches have to deal on a very adult level with star players.
Scott has coached two possible future Hall of Fame point guards. He had Jason Kidd in New Jersey, developing a relationship that led to the Nets reaching the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
It also ended with Scott being fired after a 22-20 start and fussing with Kidd in the season after the team lost to the 2003 Finals to the Lakers.
His next great point guard was Chris Paul, who was upset when Scott was fired last season after a 3-6 start with the Hornets. After Scott was let go, Paul told the New Orleans media: "Coach had an open line of communication. Guys would feel a certain way about playing time, and Coach was always honest. He always was straight forward with you from Day One."
This is not about bashing Mike Brown, who did an very good job in his five seasons here. But if you are going to replace a guy who has won more games in the last two regular seasons than anyone else in the NBA, then also change the personality.
Scott will do that.
He has a bit of an edge, more willing to confront players in the huddle and not afraid to sometimes point out their faults in the media. What makes it work for him – at least in the short term – is that he’s utterly honest with his players.
The Cavs were very impressed with his leadership and communication skills. As Paul said on the day Scott was fired in New Orleans, players knew where they stood with their coach. They may not like it, but there is no mystery, no reason to guess what he’s thinking.
Scott played for Pat Riley. He played with Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He coached Kidd and Paul. Being around stars does not intimidate Scott, nor is he afraid to challenge them.
Maybe the Cavs need a little of that after five years of Brown, who was a coach/consensus builder. He demanded they play his style of defense, but gave the players tremendous freedom in other areas of the game.
Scott’s critics fault him for being rigid, in terms of what he wanted done on the court. They question his ability to make in-game adjustments. Some said he lacked patience with young players.
There may be some truth to all these charges.
But the bottom line is that the Nets never won big before he arrived, at least in their NBA era. Nor have they won as much since he left.
His 56 victories in 200-08 were the most in Hornets history. That team went to the second round, and that also matches a couple of second-round playoff finishes for Paul Silas, who coached the Hornets before coming to the Cavs.
The Cavs discovered that Scott was excited about the job, especially as he did his homework on the current state of the franchise. Of course, the former Laker guard would have loved to replace Phil Jackson as coach in L.A., but no one is sure if Jackson plans to retire.
But Scott sees an owner willing to spend, a roster with some talent even without James. After some of the teams he’s coached in 10 seasons, players such as Mo Williams, Antwan Jamison, Anderson Varejao, Anthony Parker and J.J. Hickson are encouraging to a coach – especially since the team has some expiring contracts that can be used in trades.
Scott also believes the Cavs have a realistic chance to retain James. Hiring Scott has to help the Cavs in their quest to keep their two-time MVP. James is close to Paul, so he has his own scouting report on Scott from a star who played for him.
Now, consider the coaches of the teams recruiting James: Miami (Erik Spoelstra), Chicago (Tom Thibodeau), New Jersey (Avery Johnson), New York (Mike D’Antoni) and Scott with the Cavs. Scott compares well to any of those names. Johnson (in Dallas) is the only other coach in that group to lead his team to the Finals.
After the Cavs fired Brown, they had a list of Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, Laker assistant Brian Shaw and Scott as their final four. Van Gundy, an NBA analyst for ABC, decided he wasn't ready to return to coaching.
From the start, I wanted Scott to be the choice for the Cavs, and they are able to hire him just in time as James makes the decision about his own future.