New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn wants a winner and his next coach and unlike previous years, he is willing to spend whatever it takes to hire the right head coach.
Shinn said this during yesterday's press conference to announce the firing of Tim Floyd after just one season as coach.
"We're going to do what we have to do to get better," Shinn said. "I've got some candidates in mind, but the first call I will make will be to the league office to get more names and start conversations to call other people."
"I have a bigger passion, with bigger dreams, to make this team successful," he said. "We're going to be looking for someone that has succeeded in the NBA. It's not just a person that can handle and manage Xs and Os."
Rumored canadiates for the job include former New Jersey Nets head coach and current ABC analyst Byron Scott, former Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Fratello, Hornets assistant coach Alvin Gentry, New Jersey Nets assistant Brian Hill, who was an assistant for the Hornets under former coach Paul Silas and declined the same spot on Tim Floyd's staff after being a finalist for the top job last year.
However, Gentry said during the playoff series between the Hornets and the heat that he woulds not be interested in the job if it was vacant because of Floyd's firing.
Former Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle Supersonics head coach George Karl is also mentioned even though him and Hornets guard Baron Davis were rumored to have butted heads at the 2002 World Basketball Championships when Karl coached Davis on that team.
With Bob Bass' retirement, the Hornets have a GM opening and Shinn is likely to hire one so he can help pick the next head coach.
He is not interested in having one person do both jobs.