New Orleans Hornets Fire Coach Tim Floyd

NEW ORLEANS – Tim Floyd was fired by the New Orleans Hornets on Friday after one season as their coach, The Associated Press learned.

A team source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AP that Floyd was given the news in a meeting Friday morning.

The Hornets planned a formal announcement later Friday, the source said.

With Terry Stotts fired by the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, five NBA coaches – all in the Eastern Conference – have lost their jobs since the regular season ended less than a month ago. Boston (Doc Rivers) and Philadelphia (Jim O’Brien) have hired replacements; Toronto is still looking for a new coach.

Floyd was hired by New Orleans last summer with the expectation of guiding the Hornets deep into the playoffs in the team’s last year in the East before switching to the tougher Western Conference.

But a combination of injuries and chemistry problems that Floyd struggled to control contributed to a 41-41 regular season and a first-round loss to the Miami Heat in the playoffs.

The Hornets were eliminated in Game 7 Tuesday night; general manager Bob Bass stepped down Wednesday.

Floyd’s overall NBA record, including playoffs, is 93-235. He replaced Phil Jackson as the Chicago Bulls’ coach in the post-Michael Jordan era and went 49-190 before resigning in December 2001.

Floyd, a successful college coach, got another chance in the pros with the Hornets, replacing Paul Silas. He referred to his hiring as a dream opportunity with a talented, veteran club in a city he loved.

Some of those talented veterans, however, were unsure about Floyd, who not only came in with one of the worst win-loss records in NBA history but never played professionally.

Then came injuries before the season started, to All-Star Jamal Mashburn and top reserve Courtney Alexander. Alexander missed the entire season, and Mashburn missed all but 19 games during the regular season then was left off the playoff roster.

David Wesley also missed a long stretch of the season with a toe injury, while All-Star guard Baron Davis sprained his ankle late in the season and played through pain in the playoffs.