Rodthorn_Newarkstarledger

Source: The Newark Star-Ledger

For the 10 people who still care about the Sixers, they named former Nets executive Rod Thorn as the Team President today. It was a bit of a demotion for Ed Stefanski, who will shed his other title and just remain as GM.


Besides looking like a cross between Ray Didinger and George Steinbrenner, Thorn spent 14 years as NBA Executive VP of Basketball Operations, whatever that is. Prior to that he was GM of the Bulls when they drafted Michael Jordan and I guess he lived off of that good fortune for most of his career until he resurfaced as an executive on the Nets when the went to the NBA Finals earlier last decade and won NBA Executive of the Year for the job he did (Wait, the Nets went to the NBA Finals?!).  And lately the Nets have been a laughingstock. 

And he was actually a decent NBA player back when he played 100 years ago.

RodThorn_AP


What will this mean for the Sixers' future? I have no idea. Thorn seems like a semi-competent executive, but so did Stefanski before he came here.

But there's another angle to this story and it involves the relationship between Sixers Chairman/part-owner, Ed Snider and the part-owner of the Nets, Lewis Katz. It's has barely been mentioned until recently, but they have a major joint investment in the proposed and now likely doomed Foxwoods casino on the Philly riverfront. Previous coach Eddie Jordan, Stefanski, and now Thorn are all formerly of the Nets. At the minimum, perhaps Mr. Snider should be reminded that there is larger pool of talent in which to choose from outside of former Sixers (Collins, Cheeks, etc) and former Nets. And this incestuous relationship between the Sixers and Nets keeps getting weirder since Billy King was named Nets GM last month. Katz and Snider seem content to just keep hiring each other's discarded coaches and executives.

It just seems a little too coincidental. But I'll leave that for the real reporters to question, since I'm just a stupid blogger with a day job.