On the surface, it looks like a typical sports story.  Team fires coach, promotes an assistant as interim while it looks for a long-term replacement.  Big deal.  It happens all the time in every sport, even to two-time defending conference champions.  But, in the case of Byron Scott, the New Jersey Nets, and Eddie Jordan, what lies beneath is a fascinating look into NBA politics ? and the effects could ripple for many years to come.

While Scott has been the titular head coach for the past three seasons, it was an open secret around the league that Jordan was central to the Nets? success.  According to an individual within the New Jersey organization, Scott envisioned himself as a coaching CEO, seeking to manage players and assistant coaches by delegating major portions of the head coach?s strategic, systemic and game-planning responsibilities.

During his tenure in New Jersey, Jordan installed the team?s offense, held considerable sway over their defensive schemes, was the primary game-planner, and was the go-to guy when players had problems or complaints.

All coaches delegate their responsibilities among their assistants, but Scott went farther than most.

?Sometimes he barely said anything during practice,? said one player, who spoke on condition of anonymity.  ?Eddie [Jordan] ran a lot of practices, not Byron.  He [Byron] was more hands-on this year, but it felt almost like he was trying to replace Eddie, not like he?d been the coach for two, three years.?

With Jordan gone to the Nets, players half listened to Scott, or in some cases ? including Jason Kidd ? were openly disdainful.  Kidd?s disrespect did the most to undermine Scott?s authority, according to Nets sources, because of his role as team leader.  Without Jordan to mediate and game plan, the Nets struggled on the court.  Scott?s problems communicating with his players were apparent when he couldn?t resolve a feud between Alonzo Mourning and Kenyon Martin.  The conflict led to corrosive divisions, but Scott was unable to close the gap.

As the team spiraled into a five-game losing streak, dissension grew, leaving the Nets with little choice but to fire Scott and hope a new voice can unify the locker room and return the team to a better course.  The ideal replacement would be Jordan, except that he?s now barely halfway through his first season coaching the Wizards.

Scott?s firing is thick with irony for Jordan.  Which job would he prefer?  To coach the two-time Eastern Conference champions, or one of the worst franchises of the past decade?  Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, or Gilbert Arenas and Kwame Brown?

If asked, Jordan will say the right things, but he?s a smart guy, which means he?d prefer the Nets job.  Rod Thorn, the Nets honcho who fired Scott, has mouthed the appropriate words publicly, but according to a player agent, the Nets have initiated back channel contact with Jordan?s agent to see whether he could be pried from the Wizards.  Such a move is unlikely because it would be costly ? both in actual dollars, and in the public relations beating all parties would endure.  But, it?s not out of the question.

For Jordan, Scott?s firing is a tacit validation.  He deserved credit for helping the Nets make consecutive trips to the NBA Finals; his contributions are more evident than ever considering the Nets struggles since he departed.  Without Jordan, Scott lasted just 42 games.

At the same time, Jordan can take scant pleasure because he cannot be a ?real? candidate for the Nets? coaching position.  Last offseason, the Nets could not switch to Jordan because they?d just completed a second trip to the Finals.  With the job he wanted already filled, Jordan accepted the reconstruction job in his hometown.  Had he stayed in New Jersey, it?s likely the Nets would have been better on the court, which means Scott would not have been fired.  Meaning Jordan still could not have become the Nets? coach.

His departure contributed to the Nets? problems, led directly to Scott?s firing, but simultaneously put Jordan in a position where he can?t be a viable candidate for the job.  Now, for the real twist ? Jordan may not be 100-percent safe in Washington.

See, the bassackwards Wizards hired Jordan before recruiting Ernie Grunfeld to be the team?s general manager.  Most general managers like to choose their own coaches, something Grunfeld obviously wasn?t able to do.  The word from inside the Wizards organization is that the two like and respect each other and have a good working relationship.  Grunfeld will not fire Jordan this season, and almost certainly won?t make a move in the offseason.

But what happens if the team starts next year with a 9-20 record?

At that point, Grunfeld could justifiably send Jordan packing, and bring in a coach of his choosing.  But, the Nets would presumably have a long-term replacement, which could leave Jordan without a head coaching job of any sort, and without likelihood of landing another one.

Jordan, should the Wizards fire him, would then be a two-time loser as head coach.  His first job was in Sacramento, where his injury-plagued, talent-starved team lost and lost and lost.  Now with the Wizards, his two best players (Gilbert Arenas and Jerry Stackhouse) have missed much of the season, and his remaining players are so inexperienced, short on talent, or both, that Jordan has been forced to shelve his Princeton system and design simple plays his team can understand.  Despite Jordan?s best efforts, the Wizards are among the league?s worst teams.  If he can?t turn the Wizards around, what team would be willing to give someone with his record a third chance as head coach?

As for Scott, it?s debatable whether he?ll be able to land another head coaching job.  His reputation around the league is not stellar, in part because many view him as riding Jordan?s coattails.  Scott was in charge of a team that made two trips to the Finals, but the team?s troubles this season have caused league decision-makers to question whether his management style can be successful without an elite assistant such as Jordan.

Regardless, Scott, Jordan and the Nets are inextricably linked, even as they?ve gone in separate directions.  For the rest of us, it?s a primer in NBA politics and backroom machinations, and a lesson in how being a ?good? coach is as much about timing as it is basketball knowledge and interpersonal skills.

Kevin Broom is a Senior Writer with RealGM and a frequent contributor to WizFans.  He can be reached at KevinBroom@RealGM.com.