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Thorn: 'We will take steps forward'

Rod Thorn was introduced this morning at a news conference as the new president of the 76ers.

Thorn said he resigned as the president of the New Jersey Nets and met with Ed Snider a week after that. He later met with Peter Luukko and the sides reached an agreement this week.

The Sixers have split the president and general manager jobs for the first time since Pat Croce left the organization. At that point, Billy King held both titles. Ed Stefanski then took both jobs, until today.

Here are some of Thorn's remarks:

"The thing that impressed me about Mr. Snider was the passion he has. He cared. He wanted to win, which is very much like my personality, obviously like Doug's personality and like Eddie's personality. You read and hear a lot of things, but in the meeting I had with Ed, that is the thing that really really stood out to me, that this organization wants to win. I've done a lot of different things over the course of time in professional basketball, over the course of 46 years."

"Having seen many different organizations and having dealt with them through my work in the NBA office, that is the key thing throughout we want to have a passion for win. You have to have good players but have to have good people who for better or worse will be joined at the hip going forward. This is not about my ego, anybody's ego here, this is about a team … We are a team. We are going to work together. If we're successful everyone will get credit for it. That's what we expect to be. We have some good pieces. We're like everybody else, we could always use more."

"Last year, for whatever reason or reasons as the case may be, the team took a step back. We don't want to take any more steps back, we want to take step forward. That's what we're looking for and that's what we anticipate."

"I have tremendous respect for Ed [Stefanski] both on a personal and professional leve. I look forward to working very closely with him as we go forward. He understands me and I think I understand him. I think we make a good team. Hopefully that will take effect and be something that we can all be proud of here."

"We expect and will demand that our players play together, No. 1 but also play hard every night … The fans don't owe you anything, you owe the fans. We will demand from our players and will get that effort on an every night basis. At the end of the day, in my deciding to come here, this was the one opportunity where I thought I could come in and make a difference. I expect us to do well. Every one of us will do anything in our power to make sure we put a product on the floor that you will be proud of and want to come and see and will be happy to be a 76ers fan."

As for Ed Stefanski, who remains in place as the general manager, added: "I think we were a hell of a team in New Jersey and the result showed it. There is no reason we are not going to do the same thing here."

"Rod is a friend, a mentor, extremely knowledgeable. This is going to only help the organization."

"It is tough to do both jobs. Both jobs are very time-consuming and overwhelming."