NBA Daily: Would Hornets Be Smart To Go Unproven?

Proven Vs Unproven

The Charlotte Hornets are in the process of finding a new leader for their basketball operations after opting not to renew the contract of former general manager Rich Cho. There are a number of names floating around in connection to the Hornets, some that are well known and some that are not. Based on the names out there, it seems the Hornets are being incredibly thorough, and that they may end up with an “unlikely” candidate winning the job. The rampant belief in NBA circles, however, is that it’s former Lakers executive Mitch Kupchak’s job to lose.

It’s important to note that some of the names out there in the media require the Hornets to get other teams’ permission to meet with and interview, however, candidate like Kupchak or former Cavaliers executive David Griffin do not require permission, and aren’t mentioned as dominantly, despite being in the mix.

So, let look at some of the options out there, and where they may fall.

Marc Eversley, Philadelphia

For years, Eversley has made every list of up and coming executives Basketball Insiders has put out. He is well regarded in NBA circles as a smart and savvy thinker. He is a grinder-type that does the work required. Eversley has a solid reputation in the player agent community and has been around the NBA in a number of capacities starting on the sports marketing side with Nike Canada before breaking with in the Toronto Raptors in 2006. Eversley has been with the Raptors, Wizards and most recently the 76ers and is as accomplished and experienced a first-time GM candidate as they come.

Specific to the Hornets, if the goal is to bring in someone to work with and lead the existing team, Eversley might be a savvy hire. However, if the goal is a top-down rebuild, Eversley may have the tools, but not necessarily the experience to rebuild everything.

Gersson Rosas, Houston

Like Eversley, you won’t find a more respected executive in the NBA that Gersson Rosas. Having been with the Rockets organization for the better part of 13 seasons, Rosas has worked through a couple of franchise changes and the ups and downs that come with success and failure. Rosas had a brief stint with the Dallas Mavericks in 2013 when he was hired as the general manager, but ultimately left the team after just three months.

For the Hornets, if the goal is bringing in a fresh perspective and a guy that is ready to lead a team, Rosas might be a very smart hire. Like Eversley, there isn’t a body of work as the primary leader, but in Houston, Rosas does a lot of the day-to-day and the heavy lifting for the franchise, so he may be a bit more seasoned for the Hornets job.

Adam Simon, Miami

Of the lesser known GM candidates being talked about, Adam Simon may be the superstar of the bunch. He has spent his entire NBA career with the Miami HEAT, and league sources will tell you he’s the guy behind most of the really smart moves the HEAT have pulled off in finding overlooked, under-appreciated players.

Simon has held virtually every role you can hold in an NBA team and is a key part of the HEAT’s front office. Much like HEAT head coach Eric Spoelstra was the heir apparent in Miami for Pat Riley, Simon is viewed as the future of the front office by the HEAT, which will make poaching him away from Miami a bit tough.

For the Hornets—who are trapped in a little bit of salary cap hell—Simon might be the smartest hire because of his proven track record of finding under the radar talent that can change a team without huge cap expense. Simon is also well regarded in the agent community. If the Hornets pass on Simon, it’s just a matter of time before someone poaches him away from the HEAT.

Mitch Kupchak

From the start of this process, Mitch Kupchak has been called the front-runner. Some of that is the comfort level ownership has with Kupchak, some of it has to do with his pedigree with the Lakers.

While Kupchak is a named guy, there are real questions about how much longer the 63-year old Kupchak wanted to be in the NBA. It’s a taxing job, and Kupchak has accomplished so much in his career no one could fault him for wanting to hang it up.

Kupchak has been very visible at NBA events, working as an unpaid “consultant” for the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have a long track record of giving guys without a chair a chair until they find their next job.

For the Hornets, the question is whether or not the game passed Kupchak by. Experience is invaluable, especially when building a front office, but on the way out of the Lakers, Kupchak was cast as an NBA dinosaur that refused to budge on old processes and modes of doing business. The contracts handed out over Kupchak’s last few years in LA were among the worst in the league. For a franchise stuck in some bad contracts, does Kupchak have the track record of being a dealmaker? Equally, Kupchak, while liked by most agents who would comment on it, he’s not a revered guy like some of the others on the list.

Kupchak might be the biggest name for the Hornets, but does his resume back up the need the Hornets have?

David Griffin

The best name out there might be former Cavs executive David Griffin. Griffin worked for the Phoenix Suns for almost 17 years, serving in a ton of different capacities, including as an intern. He worked all the way up to assistant general manager. Griffin spent six years with the Cavaliers, taking over as general manager in 2014 and helped deliver the first championship in Cavaliers franchise history.

Griffin has a proven track record of savvy deal making, building teams and staffs and is considered the proto-type modern NBA executive.

It’s unclear where things stand with Griffin and the Hornets, league sources said he was contacted, and there was a dialogue, but he may not be a serious candidate.

The prevailing thought on Griffin is he wants complete control in his next job, and that might be more than the Hornets are willing to commit.

Sam Hinkie

No GM list would be complete without talking about former 76ers executive Sam Hinkie. While Hinkie has become a folk legend for how brashly he approached the rebuild of the Philadelphia 76ers, what’s often lost in the Hinkie story is that he too was a grinder-type executive for the Houston Rockets before landing in Philadelphia.

Hinkie has settled into a very interesting life away from basketball, but he continues to surface at the annual Summer League and has remained somewhat connected in NBA circles.

Hinkie is not considered a candidate for the Hornets, but there are few that would doubt that his approach in Philadelphia might be exactly what the Hornets need to reshape and rebuild.

The prevailing thought on Hinkie is he’d like to return to the NBA, but plans to be very selective about his next job to make sure what played out in the end with the 76ers doesn’t occur again.

The Hornets have not set a timetable for a decision for their next leader, although most believe they’d like to have a GM in place before the NBA Draft starts to heat up in May.

The Hornets have 17 games remaining on the season, so there is still plenty of time to be thorough.

More Twitter: Make sure you are following all of our guys on Twitter to ensure you are getting the very latest from our team: @stevekylerNBA, @LangGreene, @EricPincus, @joelbrigham, @TommyBeer, @MokeHamilton , @jblancartenba, @Ben_Dowsett, @SpinDavies, @BuddyGrizzard, @JamesB_NBA, @DennisChambers_, and @Ben__Nadeau .