RealGM

Pritchard traveling with Pacers

Former Portland Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard spent the first part of the trip traveling with the Pacers.

Pacers president Larry Bird invited Pritchard, who was fired by Portland about an hour before last summer's NBA draft, on the trip. Their friendship goes back to when the two were teammates with the Boston Celtics during the 1991-92 season.

Bird, who is in the last year of his contract, respects the job Pritchard did in rebuilding the Trail Blazers. Pritchard played a significant part in acquiring guard Brandon Roy and forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

The Pacers do not employ Pritchard. Bird likes to pick the brains of people who have held front office positions. Golden State's former executive of basketball operations, Chris Mullin, also a former Pacers player, might hang around the team later in the season.

"There's a lot of guys around the league I talk to," Bird said. "I've always done that."

Wizop wrote:start a Mullin rumor while you are at it.

Grang33r wrote:

Wizop wrote:start a Mullin rumor while you are at it.

kdawg531 wrote:Honestly I hope Larry Bird signs a new contract and stays... Pritch could be an assistant GM or something. Patiently, Larry has built this current team and has done a great job in my opinion. If he has a solid summer I'd like to see him be able to sit back and enjoy the young talent develop and play together.

Grang33r wrote:

kdawg531 wrote:Honestly I hope Larry Bird signs a new contract and stays... Pritch could be an assistant GM or something. Patiently, Larry has built this current team and has done a great job in my opinion. If he has a solid summer I'd like to see him be able to sit back and enjoy the young talent develop and play together.

Bird is the team President, so, hiring Prichard as GM wouldn't effect Bird staying long term. Morway is the current GM, who i actually like. I don't think Prichard should come in as GM but as an advisor.

Indy2thawindy - I don't like Mullin in an executive role, but i was just agreeing we could start that rumor based on that article. As Miller4Ever said, it probably means absolutely nothing and i realized that when i posted it, i was just bored and wanted feedback... plus wanted to get some activity back into the forum, as it's been active recently so i wanted to post as many topics to talk about as possible.

Indy2thaWindy wrote:

Grang33r wrote:

kdawg531 wrote:Honestly I hope Larry Bird signs a new contract and stays... Pritch could be an assistant GM or something. Patiently, Larry has built this current team and has done a great job in my opinion. If he has a solid summer I'd like to see him be able to sit back and enjoy the young talent develop and play together.

Bird is the team President, so, hiring Prichard as GM wouldn't effect Bird staying long term. Morway is the current GM, who i actually like. I don't think Prichard should come in as GM but as an advisor.

Indy2thawindy - I don't like Mullin in an executive role, but i was just agreeing we could start that rumor based on that article. As Miller4Ever said, it probably means absolutely nothing and i realized that when i posted it, i was just bored and wanted feedback... plus wanted to get some activity back into the forum, as it's been active recently so i wanted to post as many topics to talk about as possible.

No, rumors can give management ideas. I don't want anybody thinking about hiring Mullin. Isn't that how Jim O'Brien got his job? Being friends with Bird?

Scoot McGroot wrote:Um....kinda, but not really. Bird hired O'Brien because they were professional acquaintances and had some communication there. O'Brien made Bird aware that he was interested and might've been the top candidate out there that was interested.

However, in no way was O'Brien hired because of a "rumor that gave management an idea".

You're arguing against one point by citing a completely different, unrelated other idea.

Miller4ever wrote:Probably not GM. It sounds like Bird talks with a lot of these guys. It would be nice, though. Pritchard has had a good eye for the draft (no one could've predicted The Oden).