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**narek** · 04-11-2008, 11:01 AM

Quote:

The Milwaukee Bucks have lured John Hammond away from the Detroit Pistons to be their new general manager, NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com today.

Hammond, pursued in recent years by Portland, Toronto and others after a long and successful run as Joe Dumars' top aide in Detroit, has accepted the Bucks' offer and will be officially introduced as Larry Harris' replacement as early as Monday, ESPN.com reported.

The Journal Sentinel is attempting to confirm this story and will provide updates when available.

http://blogs.jsonline.com/bucks/arch...as-new-gm.aspx

**narek** · 04-11-2008, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Boston - If Detroit Pistons vice-president of basketball operations John Hammond does, in fact, become the next general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks, one person who won’t need an introduction is Bucks Asst. Coach Brian James who worked with Hammond in Detroit.
James and Hammond were Pistons assistants together under head coach Doug Collins for 2 ½ seasons in the late ‘90s and then for one-half season under Alvin Gentry after Collins was fired. So James knows Hammond well.

“I sat right next to him (on the bench),” said James.

Hammond is in his seventh season as the right-hand man to Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and has had a major hand in the success that the Pistons have enjoyed in recent years.

“He’s a wonderful person, a smart basketball man, a very hard worker, and was a good coach on the floor,” said James of Hammond. “The thing about John that everybody liked was he was a good a person off the court as he was as a coach or an executive.”

If the Bucks do hire Hammond and a coaching change is made, it’s interesting to note that Hammond was an assistant coach under Larry Brown in the early ‘90s with the Los Angeles Clippers and that Rick Carlisle was coach of the Pistons during Hammond’s time in the Detroit front office.

Hammond is a native of Zion, Illinois.

“Right across the border,” said James. “John has been in basketball his whole life. We had a lot of fun together and we won a lot of games together and he’s carried that on. He’s been right there with Joe the whole time. He comes from good stock. I can’t say enough about the guy.”

http://blogs.jsonline.com/bucks/arch...-regarded.aspx

Let's hope he really is it.

Zuca · 04-11-2008, 04:50 PM

Is there any chance that Larry Brown can be hired (since they've already worked together in Detroit) as the new Bucks coach?

MLKG · 04-11-2008, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zuca

Is there any chance that Larry Brown can be hired (since they've already worked together in Detroit) as the new Bucks coach?

Larry didn't exactly leave Detroit on great terms with the front office.

**roux2dope** · 04-11-2008, 11:00 PM

Hell of a GM pick up. I hope this guy isnt a product of Joe Dumars success and was actually a key contributor. As for Larry Brown, i really dont think he is the right guy for this team. For one his asking price will be way to high, and two at this point in Browns career he needs a team that is already built and he is the last piece to the puzzle, he wont come here and sit through 2-3 years of rebuilding. My assumption is we will be getting an assistant coach from a playoff caliber team (Terry Porter

).

**narek** · 04-12-2008, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roux2dope

Hell of a GM pick up. I hope this guy isnt a product of Joe Dumars success and was actually a key contributor. As for Larry Brown, i really dont think he is the right guy for this team. For one his asking price will be way to high, and two at this point in Browns career he needs a team that is already built and he is the last piece to the puzzle, he wont come here and sit through 2-3 years of rebuilding. My assumption is we will be getting an assistant coach from a playoff caliber team (Terry Porter

).

I think we'll get Rick Carlisle. At least, that's one rumor going around.

**narek** · 04-12-2008, 04:41 AM

Speculation in the JSOnline on the next coach:

Quote:

It is expected that Hammond will hire a veteran coach to direct the Bucks, and he has worked closely during his career with both Larry Brown and Rick Carlisle. Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak has one year left on his contract, after his first full season as the franchise's head coach.

"A decision has not been made on Larry at this point," Hammond said. "Those things will be addressed at a later date."

Milwaukee has posted a woeful 26-53 record and has failed to even reach its total of 28 victories from last season, when the team was decimated by injuries. The team is headed for the draft lottery for the third time in the last four seasons.

The Bucks have three games left, including a home game tonight against New Jersey.

Hammond has been influenced by a number of coaches during his time in the league, including the well-traveled Brown and Collins, now an analyst for TNT's cable telecasts of NBA games.
Brown recently spoke publicly of his desire to return to NBA coaching, although he may be considered in Memphis or Atlanta, if coaching changes are made in those cities. He is currently working in the Philadelphia 76ers' front office.

Carlisle has been working as an ESPN analyst since being fired by the Indiana Pacers after the 2006-'07 season. He is also thought to be a candidate for the Chicago Bulls job if interim coach Jim Boylan does not return.

Hammond was an assistant to Brown when he coached the Los Angeles Clippers in the early 1990s, and later Brown served as the Pistons' coach and led the team to consecutive NBA Finals in 2004 and '05.

The Pistons won the NBA championship in 2004.

Carlisle coached Detroit to consecutive 50-32 seasons from 2001-'03 and was named the NBA coach of the year during the 2001-'02 season.

Hammond also has close ties to current Phoenix Suns assistant Alvin Gentry. Hammond was an assistant when Gentry was head coach for part of a season in Detroit and during the 2000-'01 season with the Clippers.

Gentry serves as the top assistant to Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix and is in his fourth year on the Suns' staff.

Another coach with connections to Hammond is Bucks assistant Brian James, who served as an assistant with Hammond under Collins in Detroit in the late '90s.

"He's a wonderful person, a smart basketball man, a very hard worker, and was a good coach on the floor," James said of Hammond. "The thing about John that everybody liked was he was as good a person off the court as he was a coach or an executive."

Hammond graduated from Greenville College in Greenville, Ill., about 45 miles from St. Louis. Before entering the NBA, he spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Southwest Missouri State and also was at Houston Baptist and Nebraska.

"John has been interested in basketball his whole life," said James, who coached high school basketball in Illinois for 18 years before working in the NBA.

"We had a lot of fun together, and we won a lot of games together, and he's carried that on. He's been right there with Joe (Dumars) the whole time. He comes from good stock. I can't say enough about the guy."

There's a ton more at He says no decision has been made on Krystkowiak.

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