Thorn: 'We will take steps forward'
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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."
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Thorn and Stefanski were both also together with the New Jersey Nets....recently the Nets were one of the WORST teams in the NBA.— Bill20- fillyfan, I know Turner was a high lottery pick. But we would have had to throw him into the package to get someone to take the awful contracts of Brand and Iggy, in exchange for expiring contracts. If we had done this, we could have kept Dalembert's expiring contract. It would have been an atrocious year (2010-2011), but at least we would have a practically blank contract slate next summer.— Steve Jeltz, the home-run king
- Snooze fest, everyone was starting to see what a hapless chump Stefanski is so they bring in another personality to take the heat off the one that's in over his head. Yes this organization just lost me again right when I was getting kind of excited again about their backcourt.— allrightknight
- They traded for Todd Maccolough...they know talent!— ArtieLange
- this has got to be a move to strip stiff of more power in the back room. if not it is just a waste of money lining the pockets of a well-traveled NBA exec in his retiring years.— barrywil
- Jesus! You guys are way too depressing. You're blaming Thorn for ownership of the Nets being so cheap in the past few years. Yeah getting Vince didn't help, but I'm betting the owner wanted a star to fill the seats. Basketball is not a short-term turn-around like other sports. There are few examples like the Heat & Celtics of recent years. Dynastys are built over YEARS. How many did it take the Bulls with essentially the same cast (Jordan & Pippen) to win it all? The Lakers took awhile as well unless you forget Kobe's teams during 2005-06 and 2006-07. Things are looking much better than the past season. A coach who can get us to the playoffs, playing defense. Collins, Turner & Thorn are all positive signs. I'm not saying we are going to win it all unless if there are major trades, but there is improvement. Judging Thorn by what happened with the Nets in his later years there and it's cheap ownership is rediculous!— joecooler2u
Winning starts at the top. The latter just moved a little higher with thorn. Not a bad move.— combocancer1975- It takes multiple top players to win in the NBA. Thorn is irrelevant. IS he bringing Lebron or Kobe or Bosh or Wade or Carmelo or Paul? No? Then who cares.— JonKap
- Goood hire— 76er
- So Thorn leaves the Nets and goes to another horrible team.........the Sixers. He won't do anything for this team just like he didn't didn't do anything for the Nets!— MRD
- So we've hired the guy who drafted Michael Jordan & the guy who was Jordan's first NBA coach, and now we have the Nets' front office. Let's just suit up the '92 Olympic Dream Team and put Dr. J and Bobby Jones in the mix too.— JPTHIBIGBOPPER
- It's the good old boys network at the Sixers, Thorn, Stefanski and Zumoff on TV. Doesn't anything ever change.— Drew777
- quite frankly, that only reason that NJ team was any good a few years back was because of Jason Kidd.. that guy was a winner— AlonzoMoselyFBI
- Great. We get rod and ed and they get billy.
- The guy drafted Michael Jordan, oversaw the squad that was put around him, and won executive of the year with the Nets in 2002. Getting to the finals twice in the early 2000's was the best that anyone in the east could have done: no one was going to beat the Lakers or Spurs at that time. Give the man some credit! I definitely don't like the "good 'ol boy" from Jersey thing that we now have going, but considering that they both assembled a squad that made the finals twice, and hired Doug Collins, I think this is about as good an executive/coaching crew that could've been assembled here.— TheCrookedMan
- Is the NBA still in business?— Phront_Runner
- Jeltzie, Evan Turner was a high lottery pick [second pick]. I'm not impressed with the New Jersey connection, though...— fillyfan
- L O L ?????? NO ONE IS LAUGHING HARDER AT ED SNYDER AND HIS 76ers THAN HIS "BUDDY", LOUIS KATZ!!!!— taxsrme
- why should this excite me?— scootch
- Six Speed: I feel you but Go Eagles. Seriously. They haven't won anything in 50 years and it's looking like they will be searching for another QB for the next 10. Good luck with that.— Bush Destroyed America
- Rod Thorn will never fire Stiffansky. He gave him his start in NJ. These are the same two idiots that gave Kenyon Maritn a boat load of money with a bad knee and Richard Jefferson 55 mil. Stiffanksy came here and did the same thing. He gave Elton a big contract and Iggy. Why are we not hiring the person learning under Jerry West or the Spurs GM. It's always deals with the Nets, the Kings, or some guy who has some connection with the city.— Bush Destroyed America
- If Rod Thorn fires Ed Stefanski then I will be impressed.— Drew777
- Woo hoo..we'll be as good as the Nets now! What were the Nets last year?— PhillyFanSince86
- anything is better than leaving stefanski alone with snider as his boss. i still think the team should be sold to someone who cares but having thorn around will help a little.— esesjay
- @six speed, your right!! all he ever did was put together that Mike Jordan Bulls team!!— hassan114
Great! Maybe now we will win as many championships as the Nets. Oh wait a minute when was the last time they won a playoff series or game???? LOL what a joke. How much of a say does Douggie C have now?????- you guys dont know what you are talking about! you need guys like rod thorn and dog collins to move this thing forward. correct me if im wrong the nets lost their championships to 2 powerfull dynastys the lakers and the spurs. no body was beating those teams— dribbler
- I agree with Steve Jeltz. You don't need a new president to know that the way to build a dynasty in the NBA is to finish last 2-3 years in a row. I will believe they want to win when they take steps to dump mediocre "marquee" players and continue getting youthful high lottery picks. Until then, I will continue to believe they view winning as secondary to attendance over the next 3 years. The hole dug here over two decades is deep, Mr. Thorn. Climbing out of it will take smarts and years. I hope you don't prolong the foolishness we've all had to endure. I hope you can remove the corporate blinders.— Scoop
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- The 76ers should have dealt the #2 pick (Turner) with Elton Brand and perhaps Iggy too in a salary dump for contracts that expire at the end of this season. At least we would have had a clean slate for next summer, with a strong chance of a high lottery pick.— Steve Jeltz, the home-run king
- sooooooooo does anyone really cares whose the president? Bottom line Sixers don't have the horses to compete for an NBA Championship.— PHILLY76
- /yawn, the Nets never won anything...— Jangocat
- /yawn, the Nets never won anything...— Jangocat
Jason Kidd and Kerry Kittles are next.- I'm glad to see the Sixers have a basketball guy back in the office running things !!— azsixerfan
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
