Pistons GM Jeff Bower is "one of the main reasons this team has been transformed and is back in the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons," according to Jeff Seidel of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. If President of Basketball Operations and coach Stan Van Gundy "is the architect, then Bower is the general contractor -- the guy who gets it all done." Team Owner Tom Gores said, "He's the guy doing a lot of the heavy lifting, in the background, to make the right moves." Van Gundy said, "We have a lot of good people in our organization, but he is the one who has run a team before, and he is a guy who understands team building and how to put it together. He doesn't get enough credit. All of these moves were him." Seidel noted Bower "never played professional basketball" or in college. Pistons Assistant GM Jeff Nix said, "If you want to dissect Jeff, he’s different. He’s very smart. He’s tactical, with almost the precision of a military general. He’s so organized and he’s thoughtful. In a world where everything needs to be microwaved, he refuses to try a quick fix." Van Gundy added of Bower's personnel strategy, "Every move has provided us with something. We have a general manager who understands that every move is important, every move affects your talent, your chemistry, your team dynamics. He treats every move as a big move. Every piece of the puzzle has been important, even ones that a lot of people would look at as minor" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/17).
EXECUTING THE PLAN: In S.F., Ann Killion wrote Warriors GM Bob Myers is the "architect of this palace of wins." He is an "architect who was happily provided the rock-solid foundation upon which to construct his masterpiece." Myers "can't even pick a seminal moment where everything clicked into championship form." Killion noted part of the Warriors' "master plan was to build around people of character, which is harder than it sounds." Myers said, "Talent is seductive, to combine that with someone of high character -- that’s hard. We tried to find people who, when things are difficult, can overcome." The Warriors' "collaborative front office" -- with Myers, co-Owner Joe Lacob, Exec Board member Jerry West, coach Steve Kerr and others "weighing in -- helps in that effort." Myers: "You don't have the luxury of knowing someone intimately. But we collaborate, we talk, which gives us a better chance of being right" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/15).
