Several weeks ago, the Detroit Pistons made a splash by hiring Stan Van Gundy to be their president of basketball operations and head coach. According to reports, the Pistons are finalizing an agreement with Jeff Bower for the general manager position.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Bower will leave his job as the head coach at Marist College and rejoin the NBA, where he had mostly recently spent seven years as GM of the New Orleans Pelicans.
As Van Gundy concentrates on his coaching responsibilities, Bower will handle the day-to-day duties of the front office. He’s well respected among front-office peers and player agents in the NBA, giving Van Gundy a strong complement as he makes his first move into combining management and coaching responsibilities.
Bower and Van Gundy have had a long relationship dating back to their early days as college basketball assistant coaches in the East.
Other candidates for the role included Stu Jackson and former Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith. As president of basketball operations, Van Gundy has final say on all personnel decisions. Given this is his first foray into a management role, and the fact he will also have his hands full as the coach, having someone with Bower’s experience will help Van Gundy acclimate to his new dual role.
As the general manager in New Orleans, Bower drafted Chris Paul, David West and Darren Collison. His mandate in Detroit, at least in the interim, will be slightly different because the Pistons do not have a first round pick in this year’s draft.
They do, however, have a decision to make on Greg Monroe, who is a restricted free agent this summer. Aside from considering whether a Monroe and Andre Drummond pairing is something they want to move forward with, Bower and Van Gundy might explore trade possibilities for Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith, although their contracts will definitely limit market interest.
It may be awhile before we can evaluate the hiring of Van Gundy and Bower; they’re inheriting a roster which will require some restructuring before they can realistically challenge for a playoff spot.
(Yahoo)
What do you think of the hiring?
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