Sixers add Rod Thorn to front office

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Sixers have made a change in their front office, hiring Rod Thorn to be the team president of basketball operations. Thorn takes the role from Ed Stefanski, who will remain on board as the general manager.

If the name Rod Thorn sounds familiar, it's because he's been around the league for decades, first as a player in the 60's, then an assistant coach in the 70's before stepping into front office roles as general manager for the Chicago Bulls. From there, Thorn spent 15 years as the NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, a role that had him in charge of handing out league suspensions, amongst other things. In 2000, Thorn left the NBA front office and joined the Nets as team president, a role he retired from after last season.

The Sixers front office now looks a whole lot like the Nets front office in the previous decade, when Stefanski worked hand in hand with Thorn in a variety of roles. The two had some success with New Jersey, especially when they led the team to back-to-back finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. Whether this will be a good combination again will have to be seen but I'm on board with anything that gives Stefanski less power or at least gives him someone to confer with before making any major decisions.