Despite only being able to win 40 games over the last two years, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott had his contract extended through the 2013-14 season on Wednesday, according to The Plain Dealer.
The 51-year-old Scott finished 19-63 in his first year with the Cavs in 2010-11, and showed moderate improvement with 21 wins over a lockout-shortened 66-game season a year ago. One of the most cerebral coaches in the league, and an ideal teacher for youngsters like Kyrie Irving, Scott has significantly beefed up Cleveland's roster from a talent perspective in an extremely short span. And as SB Nation's Cavaliers blog Fear The Sword points out, Scott probably deserves to be given a chance to see his rebuilding project through at this point:
Byron Scott has been on the sidelines throughout the entire post-LeBron era of the Cavaliers. While the team record has been miserable, you cannot deny that the talent on the floor has increased immensely. Byron works closely with general manger Chris Grant and seems to have a good relationship with star Kyrie Irving. Scott did a brave thing in taking this job when he knew that he'd have an enormous project ahead of him and he deserves to see this thing through.
Scott has amassed a record of 40-108 in his two seasons in Cleveland. If we don't start to see real results after the 2013-14 season, then it may be time to consider looking for a new head coach. But that's a long way off. For now, this is definitely the right move for the organization.
Scott's proven ability to turn an NBA organization around is well-documented, so it's encouraging to hear that he'll have two more full seasons working with his bevy of youngsters before his contract is set to expire. With scorer Dion Waiters to pair with Irving in the backcourt this season, and rookie Tyler Zeller making things happen in the paint, Scott's offense figures to be much more explosive in the next few years.