NEW ORLEANS -- Former Hornets coach Allan Bristow returned to the team Wednesday as assistant general manager.

Bristow will direct scouting and advise Bob Bass, the vice president of basketball operations, on player personnel decisions and on the current coaching search.

Bristow would not say if he had any immediate preference on the next coach, deferring to Bass and team owner George Shinn, who also declined to favor a candidate.

"Assistants are there to give ideas and carry out orders, and certainly I'll have some involvement in all the basketball operations,'' Bristow said.

Bristow said of the three candidates the Hornets have mentioned -- Tim Floyd, Mike Fratello and Brian Hill -- he was most familiar with Hill and Fratello, who were coaches in the NBA while Bristow coached.

However, he said Floyd was outstanding as a college coach and handled a bad situation well in Chicago, coming in after the departure of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and other top players.

"It was just a no-win ... I thought his record in Chicago was not an indication'' of how good Floyd could be as an NBA coach, Bristow said.

Bristow and Bass have long known each other. Bristow played for San Antonio when the Spurs were in the ABA, while Bass held various positions with the team.

"We brought in, really, an outstanding individual, a guy that's been in the league, knows how it operates and knows what kind of talent it takes to play in the NBA,'' Bass said. "We've worked together in the past and I need somebody like that who can come in and help us move forward in the draft immediately.''

Bristow coached the Hornets in Charlotte from 1991-96, twice getting to the playoffs. He was fired after the 1995-96 season, but left on good terms with Bass.

He also played for Philadelphia and Dallas. After his playing days he was an assistant coach in San Antonio for a season and in Denver for six seasons under Doug Moe.

Bass would not answer any questions about Larry Brown, who resigned this week as Philadelphia's coach. Shinn said as far as he knew the Hornets had not contacted Brown.

"Larry is probably the dean of coaching in NBA circles. I know Larry, I consider him to be a friend and I think he'd be great,'' Shinn said. "But somebody like that -- I think the whole world knows we're looking for a new coach, and if somebody's interested in a particular market they contact you.''

Shinn also expanded on his reasons for letting go of popular coach Paul Silas.

"It was just time to move forward, whether you call it new blood in the locker room or whatever,'' Shinn said. "I don't know if the people in this community, based on their history, (believe that) once you get to the playoffs, you're a success. That's not the case with us.

"We felt like the last three years we had the potential to win the East,'' Shinn said.

The Hornets went from one victory away from the Eastern Conference finals three years ago to losing in five games in the second round last year. They were eliminated in the first round this season.

"Don't you see a trend?'' he said.