Brooklyn Nets Blog – Page 108 – NBA Blog

Sixers name Rod Thorn team president

The Philadelphia 76ers today named Rod Thorn, an NBA veteran of more than four decades, as the team’s new President. Ed Stefanski, who had served as the team’s President and General Manager since December 4, 2007, will continue in his role as General Manager.

“Rod is one of the most respected basketball minds in the game today,” said Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider. “When we learned that he would not be re-signing with the Nets, we realized that this would be a terrific opportunity to bring one of the top executives in the NBA to the Sixers to work closely with Ed Stefanski. I’m really pleased to be adding him to our organization. I’m confident that Rod will be a tremendous asset for our team and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

“We felt with the direction we are now heading that it was important for us to have two very strong basketball minds leading the Philadelphia 76ers,” said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. “We are building a strong organization and we’re off to a terrific start with the addition of Coach Doug Collins, the best available coach, and Evan Turner, who we feel was the best available player in the draft. Now we have added another top-level executive to help lead us into the future.”

“This is a great opportunity to join one of the most-storied franchises in the NBA,” said Thorn. “I look forward to once again working with Ed Stefanski and helping Ed Snider and Peter Luukko build a championship team here in Philadelphia.”

Thorn, the 2001-02 NBA Executive of the Year, spent the past 10 seasons as President of the New Jersey Nets, joining them on June 27, 2000. During his tenure in East Rutherford, the Nets won the Eastern Conference in 2002 and 2003 and captured four Atlantic Division titles in five seasons.

Thorn engineered two major deals the final week in June of 2001, trading the Nets first pick in the 2001 NBA Draft (Eddie Griffin-7th overall) to the Houston Rockets for their three first round picks (Richard Jefferson-13, Jason Collins-18, and Brandon Armstrong-23). The next day he negotiated a major six-player blockbuster trade with the Phoenix Suns that landed the Nets three-time First Team All-NBA guard Jason Kidd in exchange for Stephon Marbury.

Stefanski was Thorn’s General Manager in New Jersey for nine seasons and was instrumental in the 2004 blockbuster transaction that brought All-Star Vince Carter to the Nets in exchange for Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Mourning and two first-round draft picks.

Prior to joining the Nets, Thorn spent 14 years working for the NBA’s league office in Manhattan, where he was the NBA’s Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. At the NBA office, Thorn oversaw all-on court operations, including officiating, game conduct and discipline.

During seven seasons as General Manager of the Chicago Bulls (1978-1985), Thorn selected Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft and actually coached the team for 30 games in 1982.

Thorn was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets as the second overall pick in 1963. After playing one season in Baltimore, Thorn spent a season and a half in both Detroit and St. Louis before finishing his career in Seattle. He was an assistant coach of the Nets in 1973 when the Nets were in the ABA, helping lead the team to their first-ever ABA Championship. Two years later, Thorn became head coach of the ABA’s Spirits of St. Louis. In 1976, Thorn was named an assistant coach with the Nets when they moved into the NBA.

Thorn graduated from the University of Washington (Seattle) with a B.A. in political science. He also holds an honorary degree from West Virginia University. He served on the Board of Directors of West Virginia University for five years.

Nets may change names once they reach Brooklyn

The New Jersey Nets are scheduled to play in Newark for the next two seasons, and if their eventual Brooklyn home is ready, they’ll make the move. And once they do relocate to Brooklyn, the Nets may or may not still be called the Nets.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports (via blog):

Prokhorov’s camp confirmed this morning that they’ve sent a request to the league to change the team’s name.

What does this mean? Maybe nothing.

Changing a team’s nickname, uniform or city name is a long process requiring that the owner gives the NBA notice 25 months in advance. This is to allow time for the creative process and the time it requires to make and market new uniforms. There doesn’t have to be a plan with the proposal, just a desire.

I actually like the sound of the name “Brooklyn Nets” and was hoping they’d keep it. It’ll be fun to see what happens.

Nets sign Sean May

The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent forward Sean May, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released. Multiple reports have said the contract is not guaranteed.

May, 6’9”/266, is a four-year NBA veteran with career averages of 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.7 minutes over 119 career games with Charlotte and Sacramento.

As the Most Outstanding Player in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, May helped North Carolina capture the 2005 National Championship.

He was selected by the Bobcats in the first round (13th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft. In three seasons with Charlotte, May appeared in 82 games with his best season coming during the 2006-07 campaign, where he averaged 11.9 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23.9 minutes.

He signed with Sacramento as a free agent on August 3, 2009 and played in a career-high 37 games during the 2009-10 season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.9 minutes.

March 10, 2010: Sean May of the Sacramento Kings during the game between the Sacramento Kings and the Toronto Raptors at Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA. Ben Munn/CSM.

NBA to play first-ever regular season games in Europe

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will make basketball history when the league holds its first-ever regular season games in Europe, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today. The New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will square off for back-to-back games at The O2 arena in London, England, on March 4 and 5 as part of NBA Games – London 2011.

“The staging of our first regular-season games in Europe is a milestone for the NBA and the ongoing development of basketball in the region,” said Stern. “By bringing these two young and exciting teams to London, we are fulfilling our commitment to schedule a regular-season game in the UK prior to the 2012 Olympics — a natural progression given the overwhelming response to the many friendlies we have played to sold-out crowds over the years.”

The Atlantic Division rivals will battle it out at a crucial time, as the NBA season heads toward the playoffs. This game will be the Toronto Raptors’ first visit to the United Kingdom, while the New Jersey Nets are already well-known in London after a 2008 visit to the city to play the Miami Heat as part of NBA Europe Live.

The Nets roster currently features NBA All-Star Devin Harris; No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft Derrick Favors; and center Brook Lopez, who earned a place on the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2009. The team recently came under the ownership of Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov and has since named Avery Johnson – the 2005-06 NBA Coach of the Year and an NBA champion as a player with the San Antonio Spurs – as its new head coach.The Raptors expect to feature a roster with a distinctive global flair, including four European players: Italian native Andrea Bargnani – the first-ever European No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, in 2006 – and fellow countryman Marco Belinelli; guard Jose Calderon of Spain; and Linas Kleiza of Lithuania. Head Coach Jay Triano – who became the first NBA coach born and trained in Canada when he served as an assistant coach for the Raptors during the 2002-03 season – will lead Toronto.

This announcement follows the success of four sold-out NBA Europe Live games in London from 2007 through 2010, with this year’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves selling out in record time. The NBA’s increasing presence in the UK has helped basketball participation double over the past four years with the sport reaching new levels of popularity.

The NBA became the first American professional sports league to stage regular-season games outside of North America when the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz opened the 1990-91 season with two games in Tokyo as part of the NBA Japan Games. The NBA has staged a total of 13 regular-season games in Japan and Mexico since 1990.

The NBA has a 20-year tradition of bringing NBA teams to Europe. The New York Knicks join the Lakers and Timberwolves for games in Barcelona, London, Milan, and Paris in October 2010 as part of NBA Europe Live. Following NBA Games – London 2011, 24 NBA teams will have played 56 games in 18 cities in Europe since 1988.

Following NBA Europe Live 2010, The O2 – which was developed and is operated by AEG – will have hosted eight NBA teams since 2007 as part of the tour: the Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (2007); Miami Heat vs. New Jersey Nets (2008); Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz (2009); and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Oct. 2010).

InsideHoops.com editor says: This is good news when it comes to promoting the NBA globally. Though, I’m not sure why these two teams were selected. The Nets and Raptors both struggled last season, and while New Jersey should certainly improve this year, the Raptors will likely be worse after losing Chris Bosh. It isn’t the best matchup to showcase the greatness of the NBA. But hopefully the two teams play well and put on a good show.

Stephon Marbury done playing in NBA

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Stephon Marbury told The Post yesterday that he is done with the NBA. He will never get a second chance with the Knicks like Isiah Thomas, whose NBA life was resuscitated by James Dolan on Friday.

“Good luck, New York,” Marbury said wryly in reacting to Thomas’ return to the Knicks as a part-time consultant. “Good luck, New York.”

Marbury, who began training Friday in Los Angeles to get ready for the Chinese Basketball Association season that starts in December, and Thomas still are next-door neighbors in Purchase, N.Y. The two are intertwined in Knicks history with their falling-out symbolizing the franchise’s plummet to rock bottom.

2010-11 Nets preseason schedule

The New Jersey Nets will open their 2010-11 campaign with an eight-game preseason schedule that includes three home contests, all of which will be played at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

“We are pleased to offer the three preseason games in our new venue,” said King. “There is a growing anticipation regarding Newark, and these preseason games will give our fans a chance to sample the arena prior to the start of the regular season.”

The Nets will host Maccabi Haifa at ‘The Rock’ on Sunday, October 3 at 7:00 p.m. and then return to Newark on Thursday October 7 when they play host to the Boston Celtics at 7:00 p.m. and then Saturday, October 9, when the Nets entertain the Philadelphia 76ers in a 1:00 p.m. matinee contest.

The Nets begin their road preseason schedule on Tuesday, October 5 when they travel to the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia to play the Sixers. The Nets will venture to China the week of October 11 for games against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, October 13 in Beijing and Saturday October 16 in Guangzhou.

The Nets conclude their preseason schedule on the road when they travel to New York on Tuesday, October 19 and Boston on Wednesday, October 20. Both games will tip at 7:30 p.m.

Brook Lopez pulls out of world championships; replaced by McGee

The AP reports:

New Jersey center Brook Lopez, struggling to recover from a bout with mono, has withdrawn from the U.S. national team and will be replaced by Washington’s JaVale McGee.

Lopez informed USA Basketball officials Wednesday that he didn’t believe he was in good enough condition to take part in training camp next week in New York.

InsideHoops.com editor says:

Team USA is now dreadfully short on legit big-men. The squad’s current 15-man roster includes centers Tyson Chandler and McGee, and power forwards Kevin Love, Lamar Odom and Jeff Green. If Green does not make the final 12-man roster — and I had assumed he wouldn’t, though perhaps this increases his chances — the team will be very thin up front.

NJ Nets realign scouting department

The New Jersey Nets have unveiled a new alignment of their scouting department for the 2010-11 season, General Manager Billy King announced today. According to King, Gregg Polinsky will remain in his position as director of player personnel, with former assistant coach Roy Rogers tabbed as advance scout. Jordan Cohn, Maury Hanks and Khalid Green will remain with the team as scouts, and will be joined by Bob Ferry and Frank Zanin. Danko Cvjeticanin was named as the team’s new international scouting coordinator.

Gregg Polinsky (Director of Player Personnel): Gregg Polinsky returns for his third season as director of player personnel and 12th overall with the Nets. Polinsky joined the Nets as a scout in 1999 and was promoted as the team’s director of scouting in 2005.

Roy Rogers (Advance Scout): Roy Rogers will begin his first season as the team’s advance scout, following two seasons on the Nets bench as an assistant coach. In his new role, Rogers will be responsible for scouting the team’s upcoming opponents throughout the season and working closely with the coaching staff to develop a game plan.

Maury Hanks (Scout): Maury Hanks returns for his 13th season as a scout for the Nets. Prior to joining the Nets, Hanks served as an assistant coach for seven years at UC Santa Barbara, Clemson, San Diego State and Drake.

Jordan Cohn (Pro Scout): Jordan Cohn returns for his seventh season as a scout for the Nets. Cohn previously served as director of pro player personnel for the NY Knicks and coordinator of basketball information and technology for the Miami Heat. He authored eight volumes of ‘Rick Barry’s Pro Basketball Scouting Report’ and started his own scouting service, charting individual player tendencies, which was used by several NBA teams in the 90’s.

Bob Ferry (Scout): Bob Ferry joins the Nets after most recently serving as a scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Following a 10 year NBA playing career, Ferry worked as an assistant coach and then general manager for the Washington Bullets from 1973-1990, twice being named NBA Executive of the Year.

Frank Zanin (Pro Scout): Frank Zanin brings 11 years of NBA experience to the Nets, spending nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers from 1999-2008. During his time with Philadelphia, Zanin served in a number of capacities, including video coordinator, assistant coach/advance scout and personnel scout.

Khalid Green (Scout): Khalid Green will enter his third season as a scout for the Nets. Prior to joining the Nets, Green served as the head coach of Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn, NY.

Danko Cvjeticanin (International Scouting Coordinator): Danko Cvjeticanin comes to the Nets after serving as the European scouting coordinator for the Philadelphia 76ers. As a player, Cvjeticanin won two Olympic silver medals, representing the Yugoslavian (1988) and Croatian (1992) national teams.

Madison Square Garden, Anheuser-Busch extend their partnership

Press Release — Madison Square Garden and Anheuser-Busch announced today a long-term extension of their longstanding marketing partnership. The new marketing deal makes Anheuser-Busch a “Signature Partner” of Madison Square Garden with exposure across MSG’s unrivaled set of assets, including its professional sports teams (New York Knicks and New York Rangers), television networks (MSG and MSG Plus), digital platforms, in-arena signage and an expanded presence in the transformed Madison Square Garden.

The renewed marketing partnership keeps MSG in Anheuser-Busch’s stable of industry-leading sports and entertainment sponsorship properties and is highlighted by the entitlement of the Budweiser Fan Deck to be developed in the transformed Madison Square Garden. The Budweiser Fan Deck is a 10,000-square foot space that will be located in the upper bowl and serve as a unique gathering space for fans with direct views into the arena bowl.

With Budweiser and Bud Light continuing as the official beer sponsor of the Knicks and Rangers respectively, the agreement provides for additional fan focused initiatives, including brand-sponsored Knicks and Rangers viewing parties.

“Our relationship with Madison Square Garden represents one of the longest tenured partnerships in our portfolio,” said Mark Wright, vice president of media, sports and entertainment marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “Budweiser and Bud Light’s renewed support of the Knicks and Rangers is symbolic of a larger and continued investment in sports and we look forward to expanding our presence in The World’s Most Famous Arena as the transformation is completed.”

“We are proud to continue our longstanding relationship with Anheuser-Busch, and make them a ‘Signature Partner’ with an integrated presence across our sports and media properties,” said Hank Ratner, president and CEO, Madison Square Garden. “One of the exciting new cornerstone elements of the partnership is their expanded presence in the transformed Madison Square Garden with our new fan deck. The Budweiser Fan Deck will provide fans with a unique new space in the arena to socialize and experience games and concerts, truly enhancing the fan experience.”

Added Scott O’Neil, president, MSG Sports: “There is no brand more fitting for The World’s Most Famous Arena than the King of Beers. Anheuser-Busch and Madison Square Garden are storied companies each with well over a century old connection to New York City. This is an exciting new era of our partnership and on behalf of the millions of fans that attend our more than 400 events annually – we look forward to building on the great history our companies have together.”

Nets name Bobby Marks assistant general manager

The New Jersey Nets have named Bobby Marks as assistant general manager, General Manager Billy King announced today. Marks was promoted from his previous position of vice president of basketball operations.

“Bobby has been a well-respected member of this department for an extended period of time,” said King. “He is very deserving of this promotion, and his expertise will be invaluable as we look to re-build the Nets into a championship-caliber team.”

In his new role, Marks will assist King in the areas of salary cap management, scouting, player personnel and the day to day business of basketball operations. A member of the department for 15 seasons, Marks served as the team’s vice president of basketball operations for the past four years. After originally joining the Nets as a public relations intern in the spring of 1995, Marks was hired in January of 1996 as a basketball operations assistant. He is currently the longest tenured member of the department.

A graduate of Marist College, where he was a member of the football team, Marks received his B.A. in communications in 1995. The Little Falls, NJ native currently resides in West Orange, New Jersey with his wife, Michelle, and sons, Jake and Cooper.