Ferry in Atlanta, Thorn still head honcho
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Ferry in Atlanta, Thorn still head honcho
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
Looks like all the talk about Rod Thorn being a lame duck was a bit premature.
When asked over a week ago what his role would be in the upcoming draft – right after it was reported that Danny Ferry was the leading candidate to take over his job as Sixers president, Rod Thorn had this to say to The Inquirer regarding Thursday’s upcoming talent grab.
"Oh, yeah," Thorn said. "We will do it the same way we did last year. I'm busy with that now, and it will be exactly the same way."
On Monday afternoon, Ferry signed a six-year deal to become the Atlanta Hawks general manager for the next six seasons, meaning that Thorn, who still has a year left on his contract, continues to be the head man in the organization until further notice.
According to a source reached on Monday, Thorn, who still has a full year remaining on his contract with the Sixers, will continue in this capacity while a search for his successor continues.
“Can’t imagine that right now they would just turn over the draft and what they are going to do in the short amount of time that they have now,” the source said.
According to the source, the Sixers are formulating a succession plan for Thorn. When a replacement is eventually identified, Thorn will remain with the team as an advisor.
When asked about the situation in Atlanta, where Ferry replaced former general manager Rick Sund, the source said, “Two totally different situations. Sund’s contract expires at the end of the month. Rod’s doesn’t.”
Thorn will most likely be at Philadelphia College of Medicine on Tuesday as the team works out Illinois center Meyers Leonard.
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
