While the Bulls have taken a step to move their franchise forward, their longtime rival Detroit Pistons are doing some unconventional things to get back to contention.
The Pistons hired Arn Tellem, one of the sports’ most powerful agents, to be Vice-Chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment. Tellem is Vice-Chairman of Wasserman Media Group, the agency that represents Bulls guard Derrick Rose.
Rose is represented by former Bull and Wasserman associate B.J. Armstrong, so it’s unlikely the trickle-down effect will hit the Bulls in any tangible way. But it signals more changes in the NBA landscape in the coaching and front office ranks.
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The Bulls, with their hiring of head coach Fred Hoiberg, will likely transform themselves into a new-school style of play that exemplifies a changing game that revolves around playing a faster style and shooting more 3-pointers.
The Pistons, after giving the keys to their franchise to Stan Van Gundy as coach and president of basketball operations last May, took another step with hiring Tellem, who’ll report to owner Tom Gores but won’t usurp Van Gundy’s power.
Detroit has never been a free agent destination, and one wonders if Tellem’s impressive stable of more than 50 NBA players will begin to view that Midwestern city as a viable option.
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Seeing the Golden State Warriors’ path to the NBA Finals birthed an idea for the Pistons, as the Warriors hired former Wasserman associate Bob Myers as assistant general manager in 2011, promoted the next season and he was voted the Executive of the Year this season after helping engineer a 67-win campaign.
It’s another change in the changing NBA, with more change to come all around.