Report: Hornets get permission to interview three more GM candidates
What's the story?
The Charlotte Hornets have gained permissions to interview candidates to fill the franchise’s vacant general manager position.
In case you didn't know...
Mitch Kupchak, the front-runner on the Hornets' list, has a long-distance relationship with Michael Jordan with whom he shares the University of North Carolina. He won two NBA championships as Los Angeles Lakers’ GM in 2009 and 2010 before getting fired a year ago.
The heart of the matter...
The Los Angeles Lakers’ general manager Mitch Kupchak tops the list of the probable candidates for the position of GM and is ultimately going to receive an offer to replace Rich Cho. But the Hornets are engaging in a larger search process and plan to start an initial round of conversations with multiple candidates as soon as possible, according to league sources.
Charlotte has received permission to speak with Philadelphia 76ers vice president of player personnel Marc Eversley, Houston Rockets executive vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, and Miami Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon, league sources told ESPN.
Assistant general manager Buzz Peterson is currently running the day to day operations for the Hornets and is expected to continue with the organization once a new GM is hired. The Hornets hope to hire a new GM by the end of the regular season somewhere around mid-April.
Rosas has been with the Houston Rockets now for 17 years. Together with general manager Daryl Morey, they have built a roster that has the best record in the NBA right now. In his 23rd season in Miami, Simon has risen from an intern to assistant GM and has played a part in three Heat championships.
What's next?
After winning 5 games on a trout, the Hornets have lost 3 straight. They host the 76ers on Tuesday.
Author's take
The Hornets have not been able to build any kind of roster in the previous few years and a large part of the blame must go to the GM. A new GM could be the answer to their problems and its good to know that the management is going in-depth with their search.