Jeff Bower Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Hire Jeff Bower As GM

June 3rd, 2014 at 3:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Pistons have formally named Jeff Bower their next General Manager, the team announced. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported Monday that Detroit was on the verge of making the deal final. Bower will serve as day-to-day help for president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy, who doubles as the team’s coach.

“Jeff brings great basketball knowledge and NBA experience to our organization and he’s enjoyed success in building teams,” Van Gundy said as part of the team’s statement. “He’s a great evaluator of talent and Jeff will bring solid leadership to our front office.”

Pistons management had to wait until Bower was formally released from his contract at Marist College to make the announcement. Before serving as Marist’s head coach, Bower was in the New Orleans organization for 15 years including a run as GM from 2005-10. He also served as coach of the then-Hornets for the final 73 games of the 2009/10 season, going 34-39.

His record as the primary front office decision-maker in New Orleans had its share of both hits and misses. He acquired a young Tyson Chandler in 2006 for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith, then traded Chandler for Emeka Okafor in a regrettable 2009 deal. The team unearthed Darren Collison with the 21st overall pick in 2009, helping make up for the selection of Julian Wright at No. 13 in 2007.

Still, Bower will serve a secondary role to Van Gundy in the Pistons basketball operations department, having beaten out former Magic GM Otis Smith, with whom Van Gundy had worked in Orlando. Stu Jackson also interviewed for the position, while Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden and former Heat GM Randy Pfund were also reportedly candidates. Bower had been in the running for GM jobs with the Sixers and Magic the past two summers. Those jobs, unlike the one he wound up with in Detroit, would have given him full control over player personnel.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Jackson, Hayward, Fisher

June 2nd, 2014 at 10:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Thunder guard Reggie Jackson made it clear that he wants to start and seems to want to do so at point guard, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Coach Scott Brooks was non-committal when asked about the possibility of adding Jackson, under contract through next season, to the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Thabo Sefolosha spoke of his time with the Thunder in the past tense and it seems likely that he’ll wind up elsewhere next season. More from around the league..

Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that the Jazz front office fully expects Gordon Hayward to be with the team going forward. Hayward is a restricted free agent this summer and there is mutual interest in a return.
The Lakers haven’t reached out to the Thunder about getting permission to talk to Derek Fisher just yet, but that could be subject to change, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Former Nuggets coach George Karl had an informal phone conversation with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak but has yet to have a formal interview, Medina tweets.
Marist announced the resignation of Jeff Bower, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit Free Press. That should be the first step towards him taking over as Pistons GM.
UCLA guard Jordan Adams was in Houston working out for the Rockets today, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com.
The Nuggets will host Rodney Hood for a private workout tomorrow, a source told Goodman of ESPN (on Twitter).
The Raptors will host Jordan Clarkson and Canadian Khem Birch for workouts tomorrow, sources tell Goodman (on Twitter).
A source told Goodman (on Twitter) that Elfrid Payton held his own in front of the Kings in a workout today against Marcus Smart. Aaron Gordon worked out for Sacramento but did not go head-to-head with Noah Vonleh. He instead matched up with Eric Moreland (link).
The Lakers will be very busy on Wednesday as they audition many of this year’s top prospects, as Goodman tweets. Among the names not previously reported are Payton, Gordon, Tyler Ennis, Zach LaVine, James Young, and Rodney Hood.

Pistons Close To Hiring Jeff Bower As GM

June 2nd, 2014 at 10:06am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons are finalizing an agreement with former New Orleans GM Jeff Bower that would make him Detroit’s GM, a role in which he would assist president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Bower emerged as a candidate for the job Thursday, and apparently he’s beaten out Otis Smith and Stu Jackson, who were the only two known candidates for a few weeks. Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden and former Heat GM Randy Pfund were other latecomers in the race.

Bower was a candidate for the Sixers and Magic GM jobs in 2013 and 2012, respectively, although he’d have had more autonomy in those jobs than he’s in line for with Detroit. He’ll handle the day-to-day duties of the Pistons front office, Wojnarowski writes, while Van Gundy juggles the tasks of being the team’s head coach and top basketball executive. Bower is set to leave his job as the head coach at Marist College, which he took last year after working as a scout following the end of 15 years in the New Orleans organization, as Wojnarowski points out.

He served as the primary basketball executive for the then-Hornets from 2005-10, finishing out his tenure there in a dual role of GM and coach in 2009/10. His experience that season may come in handy for Van Gundy, who’s schedule figures to be packed. Still, Bower is something of a surprise choice, given the connection between Van Gundy and Smith, who worked together with Orlando, and the team’s interview with Jackson.

Central Notes: Irving, Pistons, Turner

May 31st, 2014 at 9:27pm CST by Cray Allred

Word around the league continues to indicate that the Cavs might not extend a max contract offer to Kyrie Irving, and Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal reports that there are two reasons behind Cleveland’s hesitancy. The Cavs aren’t positive that Irving is a max talent, and they also want the assurance that he is committed to Cleveland in light of persistant rumors that he is dissatisfied with the team. Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Cavs have fielded multiple callers attempting to make a trade for Irving, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (on Twitter).
Stan Van Gundy is closing in on hiring a day-to-day Pistons GM to his liking, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The ESPN scribe says that Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden and former New Orleans GM Jeff Bower are names being brought up frequently, with Otis Smith and Stu Jackson remaining as strong candidates. (All Twitter links)
Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press wonders if Anthony Morrow would be an ideal player for the Pistons to use some of their cap space on this summer. Morrow will reportedly opt out of his player option with the Pelicans.
Rodney Stuckey has switched agents, moving from Leon Rose to Paolo Zamorano, reports Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press.
Evan Turner told Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star that he doesn’t know whether he’ll be back with the Pacers next season, and acknowledged that his limited playing time with Indiana could have hurt his value as he approaches free agency. “I really don’t know because I’m not a GM,” Turner said. “Clearly, you’re judged on, like, your last game. The last couple of months then [probably weren’t] ideal for me in regards to [the] contract but at the same time, I think it’s known that I can play basketball and everything will work itself out.”

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Eastern Rumors: ‘Melo, Griffin, Pistons, Saric

May 29th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

A source tells Ian Begley of ESPN.com that Carmelo Anthony would “embrace” playing for Mark Jackson, but that doesn’t mean he only wants to play for Jackson or would feel uncomfortable playing for anyone else, Begley cautions. Knicks president Phil Jackson hasn’t ruled out hiring the former Warriors coach, but it doesn’t appear as though there are plans for an interview. Jackson appears to be a leading candidate for the Cavs job, though no interview has been scheduled with Cleveland, either. Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Adrian Griffin impressed the Cavs during his interview for the team’s coaching job this week, with one source telling Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that the performance as “fantastic” (Twitter link).
Spurs assistant GM Scott Layden, former Heat GM Randy Pfund and former Pelicans GM Jeff Bower are among the candidates for the Pistons GM job, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Stu Jackson, who’s completed an interview for the job, and Otis Smith are the previously reported names.
Dario Saric reportedly would come to the NBA for next season if the Celtics or Lakers were to draft him, but the C’s consider him a candidate for their pick at No. 17, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, indicating that he’s not in the mix to go at No. 6.
Marcin Gortat is likely in line for $10-12MM salaries while Trevor Ariza will look for $8-9MM as both Wizards hit free agency this summer, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post.

76ers To Interview Zarren, Bower; Targeting Hinkie

August 22nd, 2012 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 4:25pm: Sources tell Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld that Hinkie is interested in "ascending the NBA front office ladder" for the right situation. It's not clear if the Sixers job qualifies as the "right situation" but as Ingram notes, it certainly seems like an appealing position.

TUESDAY, 12:19pm: The Sixers have added Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Sam Hinkie to their list of GM candidates, reports SI.com's Sam Amick. Philadelphia has asked for and received permission to speak to Hinkie, though it's unclear if the two sides have met yet, or if Hinkie would leave his job with the Rockets.

Amick adds that Penn is still among the candidates in the Sixers' GM search.

MONDAY, 9:20am: The 76ers continue to search for a replacement for team president Rod Thorn and will conduct at least two interviews with potential candidates this week. John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that Philadelphia will interview Mike Zarren of the Celtics for the first time and former Hornets GM Jeff Bower for a second time.

Less than a month ago, it appeared that former Blazers exec Tom Penn was the frontrunner for the Sixers' general manager job. Since interviews are still ongoing, it seems the team is either exploring all its options or has decided to go in a different direction.

According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, there is no timetable for the Sixers to make a decision, but the club would prefer to have the situation resolved by the time training camp begins. When Philadelphia finds its man, Thorn is expected to transition into an advisory role.

Tom Penn Frontrunner To Become Sixers GM

July 25th, 2012 at 4:31pm CST by Michael Pina

WEDNESDAY, 4:31pm: The Sixers may not quite be on the verge of hiring Penn, but he is the frontrunner for the GM job, says Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Still, Philadelphia is expected to meet with former Hornets GM Jeff Bower this week, according to Ken Berger of CBSports.com (via Twitter). Bower was also in the running for front office positions in Portland and Orlando earlier this offseason.

TUESDAY, 2:28pm: The Sixers are close to hiring Penn to be their new GM, according to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. It is believed that if Penn lands the job, current GM Rod Thorn would immediately move to a new advisory role with the club.

SUNDAY, 4:28pm: Former Trail Blazers executive Tom Penn is a frontrunning candidate for the Sixers' general manager position, according to CBSSports.com's Ken Berger. Philadelphia had previously interviewed Danny Ferry for the position, before Ferry took the same job with the Hawks.

According to Berger, Philadelphia's ownership group is expected to consider several candidates to handle the day-to-day duties under Thorn and eventually succeed him as team president. Penn has previously served as an assistant general manager in Portland, and was offered Minnesota's general manager position in 2009 before it was eventually given to David Kahn.

Magic Hire Rob Hennigan As GM

June 20th, 2012 at 5:49pm CST by Luke Adams

5:49pm: NBA.com's David Aldridge confirms that Rob Hennigan has accepted the Magic's offer to become the team's next general manager.

5:23pm: CBSSports.com's Ken Berger tweets that the Magic have officially offered the GM job to Hennigan. The two parties are currently in contract negotiations.

5:00pm: The Magic are in advanced talks with Thunder executive Rob Hennigan to make him the next general manager in Orlando, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Hennigan is one of three finalists for the position that has made with Magic ownership this month. According to Wojnarowski, Hennigan was brought to Michigan in recent days to meet with the DeVos family for a second time (Twitter link).

Orlando Expected To Name GM This Week

June 19th, 2012 at 10:42pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports that the Magic are expected to make a decision on their GM search no later than this work week, adding that CEO Alex Martins had planned all along to name a GM within 10 days of the NBA Draft. The three finalists – Jeff Bower, Rob Hennigan, and Dennis Lindsey – have all met with the DeVos family to conclude the final round of interviews.

Dave Twardzik, the current assistant GM, has been handling draft preparation in the meantime.

Odds & Ends: Shaw, Bower, Claver

June 14th, 2012 at 10:21pm CST by Ryan Raroque

A handful of tonight's coaching search updates came in the form of tweets. TNT's David Aldridge reported that Brian Shaw had an interview in Charlotte today, but was not offered the job. Yahoo's Marc Spears also confirmed that no offer was made, adding that Portland and Orlando are still on Shaw's radar. Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated, who broke the news about Sloan's withdrawal from Charlotte's head coaching race, thinks the Trail Blazers have a better chance of landing Shaw than the Magic do.

We've got more on Orlando's GM search and highlights from HoopsWorld chats with Mark Nugent and Tommy Beer…