OKLAHOMA CITY -- Jeff Bower signed a five-year extension
Friday to remain the general manager of the New Orleans Hornets
through 2011.
Bower has overseen a dramatic overhaul of the Hornets since he
was promoted to general manager in October to replace Allan
Bristow. Only four players who went through training camp with the
Hornets last season are on the roster.
"We were all looking for change because nobody was satisfied
with an 18-win season," Bower said. "As an organization, we were
committed to great change."
Last season, the Hornets had the biggest improvement of any NBA
team -- piling up 38 wins after having 18 in 2004-05. Bower followed
that by signing free agents Peja Stojakovic, Bobby Jackson and
Jannero Pargo, trading for center Tyson Chandler and re-signing
forward Rasual Butler in the offseason to prepare the team for a
run to the playoffs.
"It was a big jump from 18 to 38. It was a big jump, but we
went into the offseason looking at that and understanding that to
get from 38 to 43 or 44 may be even harder than getting from 18 to
38," Bower said.
Bower is in his second stint as the Hornets' GM. He worked his
way up through the organization after starting off as an advance
scout in 1995. He also served as an assistant coach before becoming
the general manager for two years, beginning in 2001. He credited
support staff, as well as vice president Willis Reed and owner
George Shinn, for their roles in the team's turnaround.
"There's been an awful lot of people put a lot of effort into
this, so don't think that I sat alone and concocted this brew,"
Bower said.