Peter Luukko: Good morning, and thanks to everyone for coming out on short notice. We’ve had a pretty exciting off-season with the 76ers this year, and we’ve made a lot of positive moves. We started with the hiring of Doug Collins. Ed Stefanski hired Doug; Doug is a Sixer. Doug also brings an identity to our team. If you look at our team now, we’re going to work hard, we’re going to play good defense, we’re going to run with the ball, and bringing Doug in begins to bring us that identity of what the Sixers are. If you’re going to get better you’ve got to get a little lucky, and we moved up in the lottery to get the #2 overall pick and get Evan Turner. It’s important for a team moving forward that you have those good picks. It’s really a pick and an opportunity that we haven’t had in a decade.
As we further solidify that identity, and move on I’d like to announce that we have hired Rod Thorn as the new President of the 76ers. This is an outstanding opportunity for our club. If you look at Rod’s background, it’s really unprecedented. The years of experience and basketball knowledge that Rod has – he’s been a player in this league, a coach in this league, he’s ran a team, been the General Manager of a team, and also worked in the NBA office for many years. This is a real opportunity for our organization, and it’s a very unique opportunity.
To give you a little background as to where we came about thinking about bringing Rod in is when we saw that the Nets and Rod were going to part ways, Ed Snider and I said, ‘maybe we should talk to him.’ He had a great history with Ed Stefanski, they did a lot together. I had known Rod for a few years and we were talking about when they built this building [Wells Fargo Center] for the league, Rod had approved the locker rooms and officials rooms and all that. So if there is a problem in any of the rooms it’s all Rod’s fault. What we decided is that we should talk to Rod, so Ed Stefanski talked to Rod and met with him and they really hit it off. You could see the experience and the vision that Rod has for an NBA club.
After that Rod came down and met with me and we went over more details about the organization and how we could all work together, and we came to an agreement. We’re very excited about it and it’s a great opportunity to add depth to our organization, and continue that identity of what the Sixers will be. On the other end, it’s really exciting that Ed and Rod have an outstanding relationship. They’ve had a lot of success together: they went to two NBA Finals together, won four Conference Finals together, and it’s a great opportunity for us to strengthen our organization, go forward and put the best team on the court for the players, the fans, and the market alike. And with that, Rod, welcome to Philadelphia.
Rod Thorn: Thank you everyone. I appreciate all of those glowing words, and hopefully we’ll be able to do some really great things here. As Peter [Luukko] alluded to, my tenure with the Nets ended on the 16th of July, and sometime during that next week I got a call from Mr. Snider who wanted to talk with me and we had a meeting. That thing that impressed me about Mr. Snider was the passion he had. He cared, and he wanted to win. That is very much like my personality, and like Doug [Collin]’s personality, and just like Eddie [Stefanski]’s personality. You read and hear a lot of things, but in the meeting I had with Ed, that is a thing that really stood out to me. This organization wants to win. With me, as Peter pointed out, I’ve done a lot of different things over the course of time in professional basketball – 46 years now I’ve been in professional basketball. Having seen many different organizations with my time in the NBA, that’s the key thing. You’ve got to have a passion for wanting to win.
You have to have good player, obviously, but you have to have people that will work together in going forward. This is not about my ego, this is not about anyone’s ego here, and this is about a team. When Ed [Stefanski] hired Doug Collins, I called him and said, ‘Ed, you just made a great hire.’ I think Doug [Collins] is as knowledgeable a basketball man as I know. But he brings that passion and commitment that I think this organization needs. I’m very happy to be working with him. He came from San Diego over night to be here today. He didn’t have to do that, but he did to show the commitment that we all have, that we are a team, and that we are all in it together and if we are successful then everyone will get credit for it. We have some good pieces this year team-wise. We are like everyone else in that we can always use more, but I like some of the pieces we have. In talking with Ed [Stefanski] and talking with Doug [Collins] who are more familiar than I with the actual inner-workings, they feel the same way. Last year for whatever reason we took a little step back, and we don’t want to take any more steps back. We want to take steps forward. That’s what we are looking for, and that’s what all of us will be working together to do.
Again, Ed [Stefanski] and I have a history. We had seven pretty good years with the Nets. In fact, some say when Ed [Stefanski] left, the Nets weren’t as good. I have a tremendous respect for Ed [Stefanski] both on a personal and professional level. I look forward to working with him as we go forward. He understands me, and I think I understand him, and I think we make a good team. Hopefully that will take effect and be something that we can all be proud of here.
When you look at the history of this franchise, it’s been a terrific one. Some of the best players in the history of the league have come through here. Back in my days as a player this was a place that you did not want to come. The Convention Center with Chamberlain and Cunningham, and Jackson, Walker, Hal Greer and Wally Jones and that crew. It was very tough to get a win when you came [to Philadelphia]. Throughout the years, Iverson, Charles Barkley, Doug Collins, Dr. J, There have been so many great players that have come through. The team that Chamberlain was with is arguably among the top two or three teams that has ever played in this league.
The defining thread through all of that is that Philadelphia teams always had a passion and always played hard .The fans of Philadelphia are forgiving if you display that type of spirit. It’s the type of spirit that Doug [Collins] is about, and it’s the type of spirit that this team will play with. It’s not good enough to give a 75% effort. We expect and demand that our players play together, number one, and to play hard every night. That is what the fans want, and that is what the fans deserve. The fans don’t owe you anything, you owe the fans. We as an organization will demand from our players, and get from our players that effort on an every day basis. At the end of the day in my deciding to come here, you know there was a lot of speculation that I had retired. I didn’t retire, I retired from the Nets, but I was never retired. I expected to be back in basketball, I had several opportunities, but this was the one that I felt that I can come in and make some sort of a difference.
I am very, very happy to be here, I look forward to it. Expect us to do well, and all of us will do everything in our power to put a product on the floor that you will be proud of, that you will want to come and see, and that you will be happy to be a fan of. Once again I want to thank Peter [Luukko] and Eddie [Stefanski], and I am looking forward – I am very excited to be here. As I drove down from New York at about 7:15am, I got more excited every minute to be in Philadelphia. Just thinking about the good things that we can do together and thinking about the history of this franchise, and thinking about where it has been and where we can take it. I look forward to working with all of you, and for me it starts today.
Ed Stefanski: It seems like we’ve been meeting a lot of times here. Some good, some bad. One bad one in April, but the rest have been great, and today is another great day. As Peter [Luukko] and Rod [Thorn] said we were fortunate to get the consensus college player of the year in Evan Turner with the second pick, huge day when we got Doug [Collins]. To get a high-profile coach like Doug is exactly what we need for this team. What he has done already in a short few months – he and his staff going out and meeting players and then me talking to a lot of our players, they are so excited to get here and to be coached by Doug. I’m not putting pressure on Doug, but we are excited that he’s here and he’s the right guy for the position.
As I said, going into today’s conference, most people know that Rod is my mentor in the NBA. He taught me a lot of things about the NBA, and besides that we are close friends. I know Rod, he knows me. We work extremely well together. I think we were a hell of a team in New Jersey and I think the results showed. There is no reason to say we’re not going to do the same thing here. We will work hard to get this back to where we were. We were disappointed in last year, taking a step back after moving forward, but as Peter [Luukko] said, he adds depth to our organization. When a guy like Rod Thorn is out there, you have to go for it. So when Peter [Luukko] told me what we were doing, I endorsed it. Rod is extremely knowledgeable and this is only going to help our organization. But if you get in to sports, it’s about winning. If you are in it for any other reason, I can’t even imagine. Everyone is passionate about winning, and I can tell the fans – in getting the second pick, hiring Doug Collins, and now getting Rod Thorn – I think it’s great for the future of this organization.
Q. Why would you resign, and then take another job in the NBA? Was it resignation?
A. It was a resignation. To be perfectly candid, I was offered a lucrative contract to stay with the Nets. Over the course of ten years during my time with the Nets, most of it was great. The last couple of years we dismantled the team on purpose, because of corporate decisions so that wasn’t much fun. But I think my instincts are pretty good, and my feeling was that my time had run its course there. So my feeling was that it was time to go for me, and time for the Nets. There are no nefarious reasons, no smoking guns. It was just a personal decision to do that. Again, I don’t have anything bad to say about the Nets, they treated me well in my time there. We put a lot of banner, all of us together, in that arena that they’ve never had before. So I am proud of most of the things that transpired there, but it was just time to go.
Q. Wasn’t that it for you then? Why did you decide to come back?
A. (Thorn) When I left, I said to the new Nets owner that I expect to be in basketball, I’m not retiring. There were a lot of stories written, which I’ve caught a lot of grief for my wife where one said that she urged me to retire. She said everyone who knows us, though, knows she didn’t urge me at all. I expected to stay in basketball and was fortunate to have a few opportunities to do so. After meeting with Ed, this was the place where I felt I had a chance to make a contribution. I felt this organization was a good place for me to be.
Q. Ed, having done both jobs, do you think it’s best to have two people, two minds as opposed to one?
Stefanski: It is tough to do both jobs. The basketball side of it, to be able to narrow it down to just that is positive. But I agree with you, both jobs are very time consuming and overwhelming.
Luukko: If you look at sports today, whether it’s basketball, or hockey, or anything, you look at the demands of an executive in sports and it is very difficult to hold both position. You’re looking at managing and being with your coaching staff on a day to day basis; you’re looking at scouting, you’ve got various business and community responsibilities. I see Rod very involved in that. There is a lot going on in a sports organization, and this was just an incredibly unique opportunity for us. We weren’t talking to anyone else, but when we saw Rod was available and what he can do for us, and the depth he can bring to this organization. One thing that he’s agreed to do is stay on as a consultant once he leaves his position. So to have that depth and vice as we move forward is a great opportunity.
Thorn: I would agree with what Eddie [Stefanski] and Peter [Luukko] said. In this case, there is not going to be any back biting or that type of thing where two people are fighting with each other. This is all about team. I respect Ed, I respect his opinion, and I respect him as a human being. He and I will get along great, and there will be no problem along those lines.
Q. What is the first thing that you see this team needs in order to move forward?
Thorn: I think that would be a little naive on my part to say exactly what the team needs. Today is my first day, and I’m not one to make precipitous decisions. When I went to New Jersey, I said when I came in, ‘A lot of you people I know, and a lot of you people I don’t. I will make decisions over the next couple of months regarding what I am and am not going to do,’ That’s what I’m going to do here. A lot of people in the scouting aspect, I have respect for them. Until you are there, you may have some idea when you’re with another team about what’s going on with other teams, but until you’re there you don’t really know. I want to take a look at it, be here to feel it, to actually see it, before I make any decisions.
Q. How unique was it that Rod was the guy, allowing ego to stay out of the way?
Stefanski: Everyone has an ego; it’s to what degree you have that ego. It could have been a lot worse if Peter [Luukko] said it was someone else. When he said Rod Thorn, like I said, he is my mentor and close friend, so we’re not going to have any issue; we haven’t skipped a beat. We had a meeting in New York and it was just like old times. We’re like the Odd Couple; we have no problem getting each other. We know each other’s strengths and we know how to help each other.
Q. Considering the way things went in New Jersey the last couple of years, how confident were you in getting another opportunity?
Thorn: I had no clue what may or may not be available. But as I said, I was fortunate to have several opportunities to do things of this nature. I feel very fortunate.
Q. Was the organization looking for a team President?
Peter Luukko: No. As I said before we seized the opportunity. It’s later in the summer, so it was strictly the availability of Rod Thorn. It’s a great opportunity for the organization. You can see by the relationship that the two men have. The idea is to put the best team on the court, the best scouting team, and the best executive team to win it all for the fans. It was a very unique opportunity and we were very smart to take advantage of that.
Thanks to sixers.com for the transcript
-Shaun
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