boutons_
02-07-2006, 06:59 PM
February 7, 2006
Nets and Kidd Let Their Game Do the Talking
By JASON DIAMOS (http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=JASON%20DIAMOS&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=JASON%20DIAMOS&inline=nyt-per)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Feb. 6 — There is still no love lost between Jason Kidd (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/jason_kidd/index.html?inline=nyt-per) and Byron Scott (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/byron_scott/index.html?inline=nyt-per).
On Monday night, Scott made his second visit to Continental Arena as coach of the New Orleans Hornets (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/probasketball/nationalbasketballassociation/neworleanshornets/index.html?inline=nyt-org). He did so one day after accusing his former players of a mutiny before his firing by the Nets (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/probasketball/nationalbasketballassociation/newjerseynets/index.html?inline=nyt-org) two seasons ago. At the time, it was widely reported that Kidd had been behind Scott's dismissal. Kidd has always denied it.
As is often the case, Kidd had the last word Monday, as the Nets rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit for their 11th consecutive home victory, 99-91.
Kidd finished with 14 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds, a rebound short of his 71st career triple-double.
Kidd dismissed the idea of a mutiny, but he pointed to Lawrence Frank's success upon replacing Scott two seasons ago. In Scott's final game as the Nets' coach, he was ejected and the Nets rallied to win under Frank. The Nets then won 13 consecutive games after Frank was named the coach on Jan. 26, 2004.
"Again, I think the numbers speak for themselves in that respect," Kidd said. "Lawrence goes on and wins 13½ games in a row. So if there was a mutiny, I think it was the right time for a change — not for me, but for management — because we weren't playing up to par. And it's hard to win 13½ games in a row at any level."
Kidd remained in the game until the final buzzer. Frank took out his other starters with 2 minutes 3 seconds to play. The Nets (25-21) received 26 points from Richard Jefferson and 21 from Vince Carter (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/vince_carter/index.html?inline=nyt-per).
On Monday in The Oklahoman, Scott was quoted as saying that even if he had not been fired in January 2004, he would not have come back to coach the Nets last season.
"It was just too many things going on player-wise that I didn't like that I wasn't going to be able to deal with the next year," said Scott, whose contract was due to expire after the 2003-4 season. "So I wasn't going to put myself in the situation. No coach wants to go through that type of stuff when you have mutiny."
Scott did not refer specifically to any player. He did not back down from his comments before Monday's game.
"A lot of things," he said in describing the problems he faced. "Most of it with players. Just frustrated with some of the things that I felt were going on."
He added: "I wanted to be in a different situation. And I think I'm in a great situation right now. I've got a young team, a bunch of young guys that are hungry, that want to play. So I'll just leave it at that. I'm in a better situation. And the Nets are going to do great. There's no question about that."
Jefferson was asked if he felt there had been a mutiny.
"If I say no, he's a liar," Jefferson said. "If I say yeah," the Nets players look bad, he said.
"Is there a proper answer to that?" he said. "No. So why talk about it?"
Jefferson went over to hug Scott before the opening tip-off, and so did Jason Collins. "I still have a lot of respect for him," Jefferson said.
Scott and Kidd did not acknowledge each other before the game. Kidd had made a big point of doing that in Scott's first return to Continental Arena, when the Hornets made their only appearance here last season.
Before the game, Scott said he preferred to dwell on the Nets' success on the court while he was coach. The Nets advanced to the N.B.A. finals in each of the two seasons before his firing.
"I don't have any bad feelings," Scott said. "The thing about me, I still remember the good times that I had here. We went to two finals in three and a half years. So I'm not going to concentrate or think about the bad things.
"I loved the good things that I had. We had some success and that's all that matters."
Rebounds
The Nets won for just the second time in 22 games in which they trailed entering the fourth quarter. They wound up leading by as many as 16 points in the quarter. ... Speedy Claxton came off the bench to score 23 points for the Hornets, who dropped to 24-23. Matched against Jason Kidd, the rookie point guard Chris Paul had 13 assists but was limited to 6 points and 2-for-12 shooting from the field.
Copyright 2006 (http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html)The New York Times Company (http://www.nytco.com/)
Nets and Kidd Let Their Game Do the Talking
By JASON DIAMOS (http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?ppds=bylL&v1=JASON%20DIAMOS&fdq=19960101&td=sysdate&sort=newest&ac=JASON%20DIAMOS&inline=nyt-per)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Feb. 6 — There is still no love lost between Jason Kidd (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/jason_kidd/index.html?inline=nyt-per) and Byron Scott (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/byron_scott/index.html?inline=nyt-per).
On Monday night, Scott made his second visit to Continental Arena as coach of the New Orleans Hornets (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/probasketball/nationalbasketballassociation/neworleanshornets/index.html?inline=nyt-org). He did so one day after accusing his former players of a mutiny before his firing by the Nets (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/probasketball/nationalbasketballassociation/newjerseynets/index.html?inline=nyt-org) two seasons ago. At the time, it was widely reported that Kidd had been behind Scott's dismissal. Kidd has always denied it.
As is often the case, Kidd had the last word Monday, as the Nets rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit for their 11th consecutive home victory, 99-91.
Kidd finished with 14 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds, a rebound short of his 71st career triple-double.
Kidd dismissed the idea of a mutiny, but he pointed to Lawrence Frank's success upon replacing Scott two seasons ago. In Scott's final game as the Nets' coach, he was ejected and the Nets rallied to win under Frank. The Nets then won 13 consecutive games after Frank was named the coach on Jan. 26, 2004.
"Again, I think the numbers speak for themselves in that respect," Kidd said. "Lawrence goes on and wins 13½ games in a row. So if there was a mutiny, I think it was the right time for a change — not for me, but for management — because we weren't playing up to par. And it's hard to win 13½ games in a row at any level."
Kidd remained in the game until the final buzzer. Frank took out his other starters with 2 minutes 3 seconds to play. The Nets (25-21) received 26 points from Richard Jefferson and 21 from Vince Carter (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/vince_carter/index.html?inline=nyt-per).
On Monday in The Oklahoman, Scott was quoted as saying that even if he had not been fired in January 2004, he would not have come back to coach the Nets last season.
"It was just too many things going on player-wise that I didn't like that I wasn't going to be able to deal with the next year," said Scott, whose contract was due to expire after the 2003-4 season. "So I wasn't going to put myself in the situation. No coach wants to go through that type of stuff when you have mutiny."
Scott did not refer specifically to any player. He did not back down from his comments before Monday's game.
"A lot of things," he said in describing the problems he faced. "Most of it with players. Just frustrated with some of the things that I felt were going on."
He added: "I wanted to be in a different situation. And I think I'm in a great situation right now. I've got a young team, a bunch of young guys that are hungry, that want to play. So I'll just leave it at that. I'm in a better situation. And the Nets are going to do great. There's no question about that."
Jefferson was asked if he felt there had been a mutiny.
"If I say no, he's a liar," Jefferson said. "If I say yeah," the Nets players look bad, he said.
"Is there a proper answer to that?" he said. "No. So why talk about it?"
Jefferson went over to hug Scott before the opening tip-off, and so did Jason Collins. "I still have a lot of respect for him," Jefferson said.
Scott and Kidd did not acknowledge each other before the game. Kidd had made a big point of doing that in Scott's first return to Continental Arena, when the Hornets made their only appearance here last season.
Before the game, Scott said he preferred to dwell on the Nets' success on the court while he was coach. The Nets advanced to the N.B.A. finals in each of the two seasons before his firing.
"I don't have any bad feelings," Scott said. "The thing about me, I still remember the good times that I had here. We went to two finals in three and a half years. So I'm not going to concentrate or think about the bad things.
"I loved the good things that I had. We had some success and that's all that matters."
Rebounds
The Nets won for just the second time in 22 games in which they trailed entering the fourth quarter. They wound up leading by as many as 16 points in the quarter. ... Speedy Claxton came off the bench to score 23 points for the Hornets, who dropped to 24-23. Matched against Jason Kidd, the rookie point guard Chris Paul had 13 assists but was limited to 6 points and 2-for-12 shooting from the field.
Copyright 2006 (http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html)The New York Times Company (http://www.nytco.com/)