Bucks co-Owner Wes Edens yesterday admitted that the path the team took to hire new GM Jon Horst "was bumpy," but Edens "has no doubt ... Horst is the man for the job," according to Andrew Wagner of the WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL. Edens said, "The process may look like it was a little bit sloppy but at the end of the day, the result is what matters and we got the right guy for the job.” Wagner notes Horst was a "surprise hire as many viewed Justin Zanik, hired before last season as an assistant to Hammond, to be the GM-in-waiting." But the Bucks "ultimately decided" to promote Horst, who had been Dir of Basketball Operations since joining the franchise in '08. The decision "didn’t come easy for ownership, which according to reports was divided between Horst, who was believed to have Edens’ support, and Zanik, the preferred candidate" of co-Owner Marc Lasry and coach Jason Kidd. Edens "brushed aside questions about discontent and said Horst would have the authority of a 'traditional' general manager, with power to make basketball-related decisions." Zanik will "not remain with the team moving forward" (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 6/20). In Milwaukee, Matt Velazquez noted while Horst "wasn't formally interviewed until the final days of the search, he was identified as a valuable asset to the organization from the outset." With his first "big challenges -- the draft and free agency -- on the horizon, Horst doesn't anticipate making any major front-office moves in the coming weeks." He is "comfortable with the current staff and will make changes later in the summer." Edens yesterday "made it clear" that personnel decisions will be made by Horst (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/20).
