<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Coach Paul Silas fired by Hornets By BRETT MARTEL, AP Sports Writer May 4, 2003 NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Paul Silas was fired as coach of the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday after five seasons in which he set the franchise record for victories. The Hornets went 47-35 this season, finishing third in the Central Division. They were knocked out of the playoffs Friday night, eliminated in the first round in six games by the Philadelphia 76ers. Silas said he received a phone call Sunday from team co-owner Ray Wooldridge, who said the Hornets would not renew his contract. ``The decision was made for me. It was a little surprising, but they have the right to make their own decisions,'' Silas said. ``We had a good ride, and I appreciate the opportunity they gave me.'' He leaves with an overall mark of 208-155 with the Hornets, who moved from Charlotte to New Orleans after last season. Silas took the Hornets to the playoffs each of the past four seasons, but they never advanced beyond the second round. The Hornets said in a news release that Silas' coaching staff also would not return next season. ``We would like to thank Paul and his staff for all their efforts and hard work during their coaching tenure and with them the very best in their future opportunities,'' team majority owner George Shinn said. Silas said he was glad the Hornets told him of their decision so quickly, so he will have time to look for a coaching job elsewhere for next season. The only other NBA team without a coach right now is the Toronto Raptors, who fired Lenny Wilkens right after the regular season ended. Silas was popular among fans and his players with the Hornets. Starting point guard Baron Davis and others said after their final game that they wanted Silas to return next year. Most players were out of town or unreachable Sunday. Silas and Shinn worked on a contract extension before this season, but were unable to reach an agreement. Once the season started, Shinn and Silas said they would stop negotiating until it was over. Silas was earning about $1.5 million per season. Silas said as recently as the final playoff game on Friday that he loved New Orleans and was optimistic something could be worked out. The past season was the team's first since moving from Charlotte, where the owners became notorious for letting go popular players, such as Alonzo Mourning, for financial reasons. They said it was difficult to remain financially competitive because of Charlotte's outdated arena, which had only 12 luxury suites. The main reason the team moved to New Orleans was the city's new arena, which has many more suites, high-priced club seats and other revenue-generating amenities that NBA owners say are needed to stay financially competitive.</div> I think it's pretty messed up how they let him go like this....he developed them so much and they drop him...Toronto has one more option now.... [/quote]
hornets are done silas gone, pj most likely gone, this was the last chance for the hornets, as for silas i see him waiting a year to see what;s gonna happen and quite possibly returning to charolate to coach the new expansion team
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "deestillballin":</div><div class="quote_post">I think Baron is gonna leave now</div> yea fa real
New Orleans Times-Picayune columnist Peter Finney: "Before the NBA's coaching merry-go-round heats up any more, without having interviewed anyone, without having spoken to a soul in the league, which can be dangerous, here's my personal rankings: -- 1. Tim Floyd -- 2. Brian Hill -- 3. Mike Fratello"
hornets were serious about floyd. the owner said that it was hard for him with the Bulls because they were rebuilding and he didn't have the talent. basically gives him an excuse for being a bad coach.
