NEW ORLEANS — NBA coach of the year Byron Scott, who has the right to buy out the remainder of his contract and go to the highest bidder next season, showed little interest on Wednesday in leaving the Hornets.
“I expect to be here,” Scott said. “In my mind right now, I hope to be here unless something crazy happens.”
The Hornets pay Scott about $3.5 million a year and the team’s majority owner, George Shinn, said he intends to make a fair extension offer that would make Scott one of the highest-paid coaches in the league.
“Byron has done an outstanding job for us,” Shinn said. “I’m tired of flip-flopping and firing coaches. I want somebody to stay that I like. . . . I’m not going to be stupid. I’ll be as fair as I can to get him to stay with us.”
When Scott took over as coach following the 2003-04 season, he was the Hornets’ third coach in three seasons.
Footnotes.
Center Andrew Bynum underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in New York, and the Los Angeles Lakers said they expect him to make a full recovery by the start of training camp next fall.
• Toronto Raptors guard Anthony Parker had surgery to repair an injured extensor tendon in the middle finger of his right hand.
Parker, who averaged a career-high 12.5 points last season, must wear a cast for three weeks before he can begin rehabilitation.
• Former Seattle Super- Sonics owner Howard Schultz has added a third claim to a lawsuit that seeks to void the team’s 2006 sale to new owners who are planning to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City.
