YAHOO SPORTS' Adrian Wojnarowski cited NBA sources as saying that former Hornets GM Jeff Bower, 76ers GM Ed Stefanski and Spurs Assistant GM Dennis Lindsey have "emerged as frontrunners" for the Raptors GM job. Sources said that "no formal interviews have been conducted," but Raptors President & GM Bryan Colangelo "has started the process of getting permission from teams to talk to candidates." It "may not be until August that Colangelo starts formal interviews for the job." Wojnarowski noted Colangelo has said that he is "willing to cede the GM title for the right candidate" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/14).
FLOCKING TO THE PENGUINS: In Pittsburgh, Rob Rossi reports a "wide-ranging survey of 545 Pennsylvanians by Public Policy Polling" found that the Penguins were the state's "most popular team among fans ages 18 to 29 -- a coveted demographic among advertisers." The Penguins received 27% of the vote in the demo, with the Steelers second at 22%. Thirty-eight percent of all polled chose the Steelers as the most popular team in the state, followed by the Phillies at 22%. The Penguins and Eagles each received 12% of the vote, while the Pirates received 6% (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 7/15).
PACKING A BITE: T'Wolves President Chris Wright said that the team "has sold 7,000 new season ticket packages in the past three weeks, following the signing" of G Ricky Rubio (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/15).
