BREAKING NEWS: Rich Cho Hired as Bobcats General Manager

[fallen xxi]

http://www.nba.com/bobcats/photos/Higgins_Cho_670x377.jpg


Higgins Promoted, Cho Hired

***BREAKING NEWS*** The Charlotte Bobcats have promoted Rod Higgins to President of Basketball Operations and hired Rich Cho as General Manager. More information coming on bobcats.com this Tuesday. Not much news on this other than what was just posted to Facebook and Bobcats.com. Cho got GW from Charlotte for what seems like chump change on Portland's end last season to give them some energy and keep the Blazers in contention despite all the injuries that went on in a job that's very tough to keep, not to mention his help re-building OKC. He's a smart man and isn't one of MJ's chronies. My first thought was THANK GOD. Thoughts?

[D.J.2Hendo]

Huge move if MJ stays out of the way and let's Cho do his job. Ignore Cho's year in Portland and remember he played a hand in what has been built in Oklahoma City. OKC is the perfect model for what we need to do in remodeling the franchise but we still have to be patient!

[Dcarnys]

Love this move, still get to keep Rod who I thought was doing a decent job AND get the man who pulled off the Gerald Wallace trade as well as biuld OKC. For the first time in ahwile, quite possibly since before the Ham Biscut days (don't ask) I am exited that were going to have a legit contender in Charlotte.

[D.J.2Hendo]

Presti also said it was not uncommon for Cho to engineer the framework of a trade on the phone, then run it by the management team for approval.

The latest example came on draft night last month, Presti said. Cho traded Oklahoma City's No. 32 pick to Miami for the Heat's No. 18 pick and guard Daequan Cook. In turn, Cho turned the 18th pick into a future first-round pick with the Los Angeles Clippers.

So what started out to be the No. 32 pick turned out to be Cook and a future first-round pick.

That type of move, Cho says, is typical of his way of thinking.

"When you make trades you have to look at it in a layering aspect: So let's make this trade, and maybe what we get out of this trade can help us make a subsequent trade," Cho explained. "Sometimes you have to make one deal to make another."

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2010/07/new_general_manager_rich_cho_h.html

This is the exact approach the Bobcats need.

[Toocool]

Huge grab and a great pick to be GM.
He's very smart, and I'm sure he'll get along just fine with MJ/Rod/Silas

[teej]

Holy shit.

MJ is surprising me more and more.

I like Cho, his personal skills were the only problem in PDX so we'll see if he gets along with the man most famous for being abrasive to teammates...

[Plowright]

I just want to take some credit for calling this! Back when Cho was fired i said MJ might go after him!!! I LOVE this move. I am confused about what head of basketball operation does now tho? Who was doing that when Rod was GM?

[teej]

I am confused about what head of basketball operation does now tho? Who was doing that when Rod was GM?

No one, the last to have that title was Bernie back in 07-08.

Basically, Cho will run the team day-to-day while Rod and MJ will sort of oversee everything.

[Chef]

i hope mj lets him decide on the coach too. i give silas credit for taking on a sinking ship and keeping it from falling apart, but we need a long term coach now. i am not all that sure that his son is the answer. if the heat are dumb enough to fire spolestra, i would immediately bring him in. he was in a can't win situation and did really well. i like the way he does things.

[Scottley Crue]

Wow...I really like the hire in that Cho played a large hand in building (most of) the current OKC team from the ground up. That's obviously needs to happen here and I'm excited to see what he can pull off here. I think it also shows Jordan's commitment to doing this reboot right. I'm actually kind of stunned by it. Happily stunned, though.

[BlockParty]

This is a really strong move, ironically Bonnell's quote from Higgins really sums it up:


"He has a unique set of skills that I don't possess," Higgins told the Observer. "His analytical mind is a big plus for us. His legal background is a big plus for us.

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/06/14/2377417/bobcats-add-analytical-gm.html#ixzz1PFAGS4kd

[anton273]

Finally some good news!! I think a lil change will be good hopefully he gets knee deep into it right now and gives us an amazing off season!

Actually looking forward to what Cho's going to bring for the next two years, i think he has come in at the right time, we have cap space and picks i hope we are the next okc its our time!

[polarcat]

Can't really say anything that hasn't been stated, but I love this move. If it were Higgins out completely, and Cho in, I would be more apprehensive, but I think the 3-prong approach of MJ-Higgins-Cho is exactly what we need. The blueprint that we have to follow as a small market vs. the Miami's, NY's, Boston's and LA's is that of the OKC's, PDX's & Memphis' of the NBA. Solid drafting, and creative forward-thinking trades that improve our team. Kudos to MJ moving outside of his "mafia-esque" braintrust and bringing in some new blood at one of the most critical moments in our franchise's history. Draft night and the offseason just got a lot more interesting.

[ohara831]

Mods might want to lock the other Cho thread so we dont keep posting on 2 different threads.

I really like this move. I like Cho, and most Portland fans liked him and thought Paul Allen made a mistake by firing him. I like the fresh new perspective he brings. I know most here thought Portland took Charlotte in the Crash deal, although I did not think it was a steal for Portland. But if you did not like the deal and thought we got robbed, you should like this hire. We now have a shrewd young negotiator a the helm of our ship, as long as MJ lets him do his job.

[Ampsportsduo]

People do need to be prepared to accept the fact that things will get worse in the short term, to get better in the long.

[dnbman]

People do need to be prepared to accept the fact that things will get worse in the short term, to get better in the long.

That doesn't work in American politics, and it's not going to work for the Bobcats.

Better now. Better later. Better in the past. Better in the 5th dimension.

[Ampsportsduo]

That doesn't work in American politics, and it's not going to work for the Bobcats.

Better now. Better later. Better in the past. Better in the 5th dimension.

Cho's known for his fifth dimension scouting. Big part of getting MJ to sign off on the hire.

/sorry if I missed a reference

[bes628]

Love the hire. He's help put together 2 good teams in OKC and Portland.

[BlockParty]

I think MJ and Cho will get along fine. In Portland the problem was you had a deep thinking, computer nerd, billionaire owner that thinks of himself as a basketball guru. Cho is a Boeing engineer/lawyer that has turned those skill-sets into analytical architect of OKC/Seattle's drafts and salary cap positioning. So you had two smart guys that had never excelled on the basketball court while sweating.

No offense to MJ (and I imagine he'd take it as a compliment), but he's not an jet engineer or computer nerd, hence in the cerebral comparisons with Paul Allen and Rich Cho, he's not as smart of a guy. But MJ does get the nod with the eyeball test and the conclusion of if a player has "it" or not. Cho's analysis combined with Rod & MJ's 'feel' will hopefully produce good results for the Cats.

[Proudiddy]

I really thought this was a joke when I first saw the thread... In the previous thread about Cho, I said I would love to have him, but I just didn't see MJ going out of the "inner circle," I really did not think he was even going to consider it. I am AMAZED right now. I'm talking about jaw-dropping, slobbering on my keyboard, eyes wide open like Halle Berry just moved in next door in 100 degree weather is sweating without a bra on under a white blouse and asked me to help her move some boxes AMAZED.

This is awesome. Lol @ promotion for Higgins meaning "you're not needed."

MJ to Higgins and Silas: We need someone... For this draft... Someone that knows talent and how to build assets... Someone that knows what they're doing personnel wise... Someone who f*cked us at the trade deadline last year... RICH CHO!

[marino13882]

Words can't describe how happy I am over this hire.

[Hormel]

love the hire!

[spectre]

Thank God...we finally have an adult in the FO. Maybe from now on we won't just give assets away.

[ammofan]

This is MJ's greatest move as Bobcats owner so far. I am now FULLY expecting a draft day trade. It should be fun....

[Proudiddy]

This is MJ's greatest move as Bobcats owner so far. I am now FULLY expecting a draft day trade. It should be fun....

No doubt, how often have we seen the Blazers and Thunder/Sonics flip picks like nobodies business and come away with loads of talent/picks on draft night? I'm stoked to see what we do.

[ammofan]

I saw somewhere last year with the Thunder he flip the #32 to Mia for #18 and Cook.....supposedly he structured that trade IDK

[Proudiddy]

I saw somewhere last year with the Thunder he flip the #32 to Mia for #18 and Cook.....supposedly he structured that trade IDK

Yeah I just read that earlier... The thing is, we could've used a trade like that, both for the pick and for Cook. Secondly, what excites me, is it seems Cho brings an everyday man perspective to the FO... An educated everdayman that is... His approach is exciting because it reminds me of how I would play association mode in 2k, lol... I flipped our entire roster and ended up with a starting lineup of Eric Bledsoe, Wesley Johnson, Paul George, Enes Kanter and I can't remember who the other starter was, but I also had Toney Douglas as a 6th man.

This could be awesome.

[adam187]

Saw this somewhere else, thought it was funny:

All part of the GW deal. Portland gets GW, we get Rich Cho.

[G Wuh Wuh Wuh Wallace]

I kind of want to hear his philosophy as far as drafting goes. Curious to see if this could change who we had our sights on next week. Great hire though, great surprise.

[Plowright]

SO SO SO HAPPY. No more stupid moves! I think this is a very smart move.... lets see him flip 39 into Vucevich or Bertans and I will be impressed.

[fallen xxi]

Yeah, something tells me he's going to structure our roster in the next year to get Howard here somehow...he declared today he's testing free agency next year. I think Cho is a smart enough salary cap man to get the job done. I know I'm just dreaming, but one thing that's for sure is Cho isn't going to allow any more ridiculous trades or draft moves on his watch...let's just hope he and MJ develop a nice relationship and he earns MJ's trust quickly.

[adam187]

I wonder if this was in response to the comments made about Asians on this board a few days ago...

[cyphermonk]

i hope mj lets him decide on the coach too. i give silas credit for taking on a sinking ship and keeping it from falling apart, but we need a long term coach now. i am not all that sure that his son is the answer. if the heat are dumb enough to fire spolestra, i would immediately bring him in. he was in a can't win situation and did really well. i like the way he does things.

I can't tell you just how much I am praying the Heat are dumb enough to fire Spoelstra. I've been wanting that guy here even before the big 3 went to Miami. He'd be a perfect fit for us. So...it probably won't happen.

[CaptainJack1]

Saw this somewhere else, thought it was funny:

All part of the GW deal. Portland gets GW, we get Rich Cho.

I saw that too. I guess some things work in mysterious ways.

[SWedd523]

I rove this move. He rearry seems to know rots about how transactions are made. No doubt arr of those hours praying video games (2k11) has herped him.



He arso seems like a rearry nice guy so other FOs might not mind dearing with him.

[Chef]

I rove this move. He rearry seems to know rots about how transactions are made. No doubt arr of those hours praying video games (2k11) has herped him.



He arso seems like a rearry nice guy so other FOs might not mind dearing with him.

excerent! i want to clarify my asian comment. i trust cho, too cool and other bobcat asians. and mr. miyagi. but other than that...

[dvdbumpus]

Love the move. Looked at Cho's body of work and has been solid. I think that it was a move that we needed to do. I just hope that MJ is realizing his limitations as a President of Basketball operations and lets other people do the GM work he's been doing.

Now as for future head coach, I hope Stephen Silas is given a fair shot. This will likely be his year to showcase what he can do.

[ammofan]

Love the move. Looked at Cho's body of work and has been solid. I think that it was a move that we needed to do. I just hope that MJ is realizing his limitations as a President of Basketball operations and lets other people do the GM work he's been doing.

Now as for future head coach, I hope Stephen Silas is given a fair shot. This will likely be his year to showcase what he can do.

^That. Especially with the direction we are headed in with the young players.

Our roster will be very young for the next few years
-Augustin
-Henderson
-Tyrus
-Dante?
-2011 Draft Pick #9
-2011 Draft Pick #19
-2011 Draft Pick #39

We will need someone like S. Silas to help these palyers grow.

[D.J.2Hendo]

I saw somewhere last year with the Thunder he flip the #32 to Mia for #18 and Cook.....supposedly he structured that trade IDK

Post #4 :cool:

[G Wuh Wuh Wuh Wallace]

http://server1.showbizspy.com/static/AES-0373922.jpg


Mr. Cho

[D.J.2Hendo]

^That. Especially with the direction we are headed in with the young players.

Our roster will be very young for the next few years
-Augustin
-Henderson
-Tyrus
-Dante?
-2011 Draft Pick #9
-2011 Draft Pick #19
-2011 Draft Pick #39

We will need someone like S. Silas to help these palyers grow.

Cunningham is a Free Agent but I hope we can re-sign him and you forgot DJ White.

[Marvel]

Love this move, still get to keep Rod who I thought was doing a decent job AND get the man who pulled off the Gerald Wallace trade as well as biuld OKC. For the first time in ahwile, quite possibly since before the Ham Biscut days (don't ask) I am exited that were going to have a legit contender in Charlotte.

Rod...decent. Tad under decent, more like.....CRAP.

[Marvel]

I rove this move. He rearry seems to know rots about how transactions are made. No doubt arr of those hours praying video games (2k11) has herped him.



He arso seems like a rearry nice guy so other FOs might not mind dearing with him.

Comedian.

Less than 10characters my arm.

[TheBeagle]

This is MJ's greatest move as Bobcats owner so far. I am now FULLY expecting a draft day trade. It should be fun....
I think the Larry hire was huge, but you're right, ammofan, this could very well be his greatest. On the other hand, it could be a disaster. But for the forward-thinking involved in this hire, I truly am amazed. It took me until the MJ town hall thing at the season finale to accept and embrace the plan and damned if he isn't following through with it thus far.

[rsxnova]

As long as the players dont get caught with opium im happy.

[Proudiddy]

I think the Larry hire was huge, but you're right, ammofan, this could very well be his greatest. On the other hand, it could be a disaster. But for the forward-thinking involved in this hire, I truly am amazed. It took me until the MJ town hall thing at the season finale to accept and embrace the plan and damned if he isn't following through with it thus far.

Glad to see you back around these parts Beagle... That's how I can tell it's a good hire, lol, b/c you're back.
If Cho was able to do what he did to us at the deadline, I can't wait to see what he does draft night. I was somewhat excited about the LB hire but not really, because after his NY debacle I figured his shtick was old hat and players were tired of him... This hire though... Man, I'm telling you I'm hyped. We needed someone that changed the culture/perception/direction of the front office.

After last year's Chandler for garbage and Crash for picks deals, I feel like we have been viewed as a joke around the league by other team's front offices. It seems like we were only being dealed with if the other team knew they could sh*t on us... Otherwise, it felt like no one would deal with us. I just figured everyone had wrote us off and wouldn't even listen to our proposals anymore, at least that's what I felt like.

That changes with this hire.

[ND22]

Love this hire. Love it. A sign MJ and Co. have a plan.

[Proudiddy]

Higgins/Cho Press Conference Video - http://www.nba.com/bobcats/video/2011/06/14/110614higginscho-1734061/index.html

Higgns/Cho Q&A with Matt Rochinski - http://www.nba.com/bobcats/video/2011/06/14/110614higginscho-1734061/index.html

From Bonnell:
http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2011/06/more-on-cho-from-news-conference.html


New Charlotte Bobcats general manager Rich Cho knows exactly what he’s getting into: It’s Seattle and 2007, all over again.

Back then, Cho was a mid-level executive with the SuperSonics, an aging team winning 30-some games a season. That led to the painful steps of trading Ray Allen to Boston and allowing Rashard Lewis to leave for Orlando in free-agency.

It took three more seasons and a move of the franchise to Oklahoma City. But that team, now called the Thunder, was collecting extra draft picks and developing young talent. Now the Thunder’s future is bright for a long time.

That’s the road map Cho brings to the Bobcats, as the No. 2 basketball executive in this franchise. He’ll work under Rod Higgins, who now has the title President of Basketball Operations.

“One of the worst things you can do in this league is be a middle-of-the-road team -- in the playoffs one year, out the next,’’ said Cho at an introductory press conference at Time Warner Cable Arena.

“One of the tough things about a middle-of-the-road team is you never get really good draft picks. That makes it hard to have sustained success. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward.’’

Intentionally or not, Cho was describing the Bobcats’ recent history. They made their first playoff appearance in 2010, only to be swept by the Orlando Magic. The hangover from that brief post-season was an overpriced roster built around Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson.

Now Wallace is gone -- ironically enough, Cho acquired him in February in his one season as general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers. In his new job (Cho was fired by the Blazers in May) he is following the lead of his former boss, Thunder general manager Sam Presti.

“I’m a big proponent of accumulating assets,’’ Cho said. “That’s how we did it in Oklahoma City.’’

Cho said he would have made that Wallace trade if he was working for the Bobcats, too. Painful as it is to lose an iconic player, Cho says the two first-round picks the Bobcats will get from the Blazers are key to refurbishing a roster in need of shooting, athleticism and big men.

Higgins said there’s been a hole in basketball operations ever since Buzz Peterson resigned as player personnel director two years ago, to return to college coaching. Higgins saw a good fit in Cho and knew he wouldn’t be unemployed long. So within two days of Cho losing his job, Higgins was making his case to team owner Michael Jordan.

In one key way, Higgins and Cho are nothing like each other. In a different way, Higgins says they’re very alike.

“He’s a numbers guy...I’m more the traditional basketball guy,’’ Higgins said of Cho’s backgrounds as an engineer and an attorney.

It’s their personalities that Higgins finds similar.

“He works well with people,’’ Higgins described. “He won’t let ego get in the way of good work.’’

Cho said he believes in a free exchange of ideas -- debate is good -- so long as it doesn’t become confrontational.

“One of my mantras is agree-disagree-then align,’’ Cho said of his management style.

Higgins and Cho were asked a couple of times Tuesday how they’ll share authority. Higgins said his job isn’t changing much, that this is about filling Peterson’s old spot with a skill set different from what the front office already had.

As to who is authorized to explore trades, Higgins said Cho and he will both network with counterparts on other teams.

“We all have different contact points’’ with other front offices, Higgins said. “I want Rich to feel around (the league). I think as many conversations as possible is always better.’’
Notes: Higgins said the front office still hasn’t decided whether to make a qualifying offer to Dante Cunningham to restrict his free-agency. That qualifying offer would cost the Bobcats about $1 million...The Bobcats resume pre-draft workouts Wednesday. Two players who previously had to cancel auditions due to injury -- Colorado guard Alec Burks and Providence guard Marshon Brooks -- will be here. Also scheduled: Michigan’s Darius Morris, Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins, Baylor’s LaceDarius Dunn and Texas-El Paso’s Julyan Stone.

[ziggy]

I rove this move. He rearry seems to know rots about how transactions are made. No doubt arr of those hours praying video games (2k11) has herped him.



He arso seems like a rearry nice guy so other FOs might not mind dearing with him.

http://www.gifbin.com/bin/062009/1243937143_supplies.gif

Incredible move by the Cats! I can't wait to see what kind of dealing he does on draft night.

[Marvel]

This would have been better news if Rod was fired, thrown out of the FO altogether. Then i'd be smiling.

[fallen xxi]

Just from watching that interview with Matt Rochinski, Rod, and Cho as well as the press conference, you can tell that he was nervous and isn't exactly a "talker"...he seems like he isn't probably a people person.

[The Prodigy]

This will make the offseason much more bearable.

Great move and at the exact moment we needed it. These next few months will be huge for the future of the Bobcats.

[Demon DeaCat]

Huge move if MJ stays out of the way and let's Cho do his job. Ignore Cho's year in Portland and remember he played a hand in what has been built in Oklahoma City. OKC is the perfect model for what we need to do in remodeling the franchise but we still have to be patient!

Like most people here, I think this is a decent hire, but I have to say, I think this whole "OKC model" thing is being a bit over-blown. Their strategy of acquiring and flipping assets is sound, but the primary reason they are a competitive team right now is due to luck. They were lucky enough to get the #2 pick in a year when it was a can't miss star (as opposed to us for whom the #2 pick yielded a role-player), and then they were lucky enough that Portland chose to pass on Durant so that he could fall in their laps. If either of those two things doesn't happen they probably aren't even a playoff team right now. No knock against Cho or OKC's FO, but they had absolutely nothing to do with either one.

[teej]

@Demon

The harder you work, the luckier you get.

[BlockParty]

Rich Cho being interviewed in 10 minutes on local Charlotte Sports radio...click here to listen live http://tunein.com/radio/The-Fan-610-WFNZ-s28826/

[BlockParty]

Cho said he is open to idea of trading one of this year's 1st round picks for a pick next year. This draft has few franchise players, but is deep, next year's has a lot of franchise players. He took the high road on why he was fired in Portland, only that it was unexpected and he's looking forward to turning the page.

Cho and his wife have already bought a house in South Charlotte: Providence Plantation where Muggsy lives and adjacent to private neighborhood GW lived in.

[Chef]

adjacent to private neighborhood GW lived in.

sigh...tear...sniff

it's allergies i swear

[Proudiddy]

OT: So Gerald already got rid of that home? He doesn't want to be a part of this community anymore?

Just curious, because I thought he might keep a second home here long-term...

[BlockParty]

Not sure if GW sold his house or not (in this real estate market, he'd probably take a bath on the sale...unless it's previous owner (Dell Curry) gave him a sweet heart deal when he bought it). GW did mention a number of times while in Charlotte that he planned to retire to Alabama once he was done playing...and it's widely known in Portland that he plans on moving his family there over the summer (for at least the 2 remaining years on his contract).

[Boomer]

glad cho is here, think its a good mvoe

[Hormel]

Anyone upset with ESPN not talking about this AT ALL? Honestly, I figured that this would get some coverage, you got a GM that almost any small market team would love to have, and it's been barely reported.

This is coming from a guy who is on vacation, and hasn't gotten to watch ESPN in a year and a half, my tv hasn't moved off espn in a week. Mike and Mike, First Take, SportsCenter, Jim Rome, Around the Horn, PTI, Sportscenter is pretty much my daily routine (hey I have nothing to do until everyone gets off work), I've even tried emailing some of these shows and being like WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS?!

[ND22]

Anyone upset with ESPN not talking about this AT ALL? Honestly, I figured that this would get some coverage, you got a GM that almost any small market team would love to have, and it's been barely reported.

This is coming from a guy who is on vacation, and hasn't gotten to watch ESPN in a year and a half, my tv hasn't moved off espn in a week. Mike and Mike, First Take, SportsCenter, Jim Rome, Around the Horn, PTI, Sportscenter is pretty much my daily routine (hey I have nothing to do until everyone gets off work), I've even tried emailing some of these shows and being like WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS?!

It's big news for us, but aside from a news brief on Sportscenter or a "Big Finish" bit on PTI I didn't expect a lot of coverage. It is just the hiring of a GM, a good one yes, but its only a hiring. The sports world knows it happened and are all in agreement it was a great move by MJ, but right now ESPN and Co. want to cover the lockout, Plaxico, Lebron, and baseball.

[teej]

If Theo Epstein was fired by the Red Sox and hired by the Yankees, it wouldn't get more than 3 minutes on any show. And he's the most recognizable GM there is.