NBA Coach of the Year: 5 coaches that were fired after winning award

3. Byron Scott

After enjoying success as head coach of the New Jersey Nets with two straight appearances to the NBA Finals, Byron Scott arrived in New Orleans looking to turn around a struggling franchise. To say his first three seasons in New Orleans were difficult would be an understatement.

Going 18-64 his first season in 2004-05, Hurricane Katrina wiped out the city and forced the team to move to Oklahoma City for two seasons. The Hornets drafted Chris Paul in the 2005 NBA Draft, and made substantial improvements the next two seasons.

Scott and the Hornets shocked the NBA in 2007-08, and had one of the best seasons in franchise history. With a 56-26 record in the regular season, and Southwest Division title, New Orleans entered the playoffs as the 2-seed. Easily defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, the Hornets lost their second round series to the Spurs in seven games.

Due to successfully turning the franchise around, Scott was named Coach of the Year for 2007-08. After a first round playoff exit the following season, and a 3-6 start in 2009-10, he was relieved of his coaching duties in November 2009.

He failed to recapture his early successes in stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. Scott had only one winning season after winning the award, and his combined record since that season was 154-331.