Hornets coach fired

WESTWEGO, Louisiana - The New Orleans Hornets fired Byron Scott only nine games into the season on Thursday and replaced him with general manager Jeff Bower, hoping the man who put the current roster together can get more out of it on the court.

“I told Jeff, ‘The genie’s out of the bottle,”’ Hornets chief operating officer Hugh Weber said. “Nobody can say he doesn’t have the right players. ... Jeff has hand-selected this team, and we like the idea that now he’ll be held accountable for the results.