An introductory news conference is planned for today at 3 p.m.
View full sizeCleveland Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant, left, and new head coach Byron Scott share a laugh during Friday's introductory news conference at the team's practice facility in Independence.CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cavaliers confirmed the hiring of Byron Scott as their new coach this morning, General Manager Chris Grant announced. A news conference is planned for today at 3 p.m.
"Byron's combination of high-level success and depth of experience, both as a head coach and as a player, is a tremendous asset for our organization," Grant said in a statement. "He is a strong leader with a proven track record of winning in both the regular season and the playoffs. We're confident Coach Scott will positively impact the strong culture we have put in place here in Cleveland over the past five years."
Scott, 49, has 10 years of head coaching experience in the NBA, starting in the 2000-01 season.
He coached the New Jersey Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in his second and third seasons.
After four seasons with New Jersey, Scott was hired by the New Orleans Hornets. He was named coach of the year in the 2007-08 season after leading the Hornets to a franchise record 56 wins and an appearance in the Western Conference semifinals.
"I want to thank Chris Grant and Dan Gilbert and the entire ownership group for this great opportunity," Scott said in a statement. "In meeting with Dan and Chris I could tell they have a solid team and family approach to everything and that really impressed me. The deeper we got into these discussions, the better I felt about the situation. This is a great job and an impressive organization and I am very happy to be a part of it.
"Everything about it just felt like a really good fit for both me and the team. I am anxious to get going and to build on the success the Cavaliers have experienced in recent years."
Scott played in the NBA for 14 years, including three championship seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.