Jon Horst Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks GM Talks New Position, Antetokounmpo, Parker

August 6th, 2017 at 2:24pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Jon Horst, who is entering his first season as the GM of the Bucks, recently spoke with Steve Aschburner of NBA.com to discuss the roster and his role on the team. Here are the highlights:

On the recent ESPN story, which reminded everyone that teams will be lining up to pry Giannis Antetokounmpo away from Milwaukee once he becomes a free agent in 2021:

First of all, he’s our player. He’s under contract with us. And what did Giannis say: “I’ve got loyalty in my DNA?” That was his retort on his own. He said, “This is my team.” So, we, by and large, ignore that.

On Jabari Parker‘s recovery from a torn ACL:

For Jabari and the Bucks, this is not about this year. This is about a 22-year-old kid who is one of the best young talents in the league, and making sure he comes back physically in the right way.

On who will be making the decisions in the front office:

Obviously, ownership is ownership. Jason Kidd is our coach. They’re going to be involved in everything we do. But in taking this job, we talked about these things. Ultimately, I’ve been hired to run the basketball operations for the Milwaukee Bucks, to have the final say and to make the final decisions. I’m going to operate as such, and I have their support in doing that. The only way you can really set aside those concerns is by living it every day and watching the transactions unfold.

On the advantages of being a GM at age 34:

Maybe a level of energy, though I’ve seen people in this type of position who have more years to their name than I do. But the NBA is ever-changing. For instance, when I first started, cap guys were not a thing; everyone had an outside counsel that worked on the CBA and basketball offices were not that in tune with the cap. That’s why I got an opportunity. Shortly after that, analytics became a big thing in our sport and that’s why those people got opportunities.

My point is, with my youth, I think I’m really an open-minded, collaborative person. Not that older people aren’t, but I think it’s a strength of mine. I think that will help us find “the next thing” – what’s “the next thing” that NBA teams are going to find to have competitive advantages? Just like Jason has a young staff and they’re constantly trying to figure out, what’s “the next way” to play basketball? What’s “the next way” to get a competitive advantage on the floor?

Latest On Bucks’ Assistant GM Search

July 13th, 2017 at 10:17pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Bucks are looking to add an experienced front office executive to pair with new GM Jon Horst, Gery Woelfel reports on his blog. Sources tell Woelfel that the team has interviewed several candidates with extensive front office experience for its open assistant GM position.

“They want someone who has either been a GM or who has worked closely with a GM,’’ a source tells the scribe.

Milwaukee has shown interest in former Cavs GM Jim Paxson. Paxson, who is currently a consultant for the Bulls, recently met with the Bucks about their open position.

Woelfel adds (in another post) that Milt Newton, who previously served as the Wolves GM, also met with the team and is a serious candidate for the position.

Bucks Notes: Horst, Ownership, Zanik, Ferry

June 30th, 2017 at 8:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks’ general manager search, conducted after John Hammond‘s departure for Orlando, appeared to take some unexpected twists and turns throughout the process — the club reportedly narrowed its options to three candidates, then opted to promote Jon Horst, who hadn’t been one of those three finalists.

In an interesting piece for ESPN.com, Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe detail the machinations behind Horst’s promotion, which caught even Horst himself off guard. Sources tell Windhorst and Lowe that the GM job was already earmarked for him when he was called to New York to meet with team ownership, even before he knew he was viewed as a candidate. The Bucks then began planning Horst’s introductory news conference before he signed his deal.

Here are more of the highlights from ESPN’s report on the Bucks’ unique search:

Bucks assistant GM Justin Zanik, who has since left the organization, was considered Hammond’s successor when he joined the franchise and had built a good relationship with head coach Jason Kidd. Although his contract didn’t explicitly state he’d replace Hammond, his annual salary reflected an anticipated increase in his decision-making power, per ESPN. However, only two of Milwaukee’s three co-owners were on board with a promotion for Zanik — Wes Edens was the holdout, and wanted to conduct a full-fledged search, according to Windhorst and Lowe.
After going through their search process, Edens still wasn’t sold on Zanik. He was outnumbered 2-1 by co-owners Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan, but Edens is technically the Bucks’ designated governor, which gives him unilateral power on all basketball-related decisions if he chooses to wield it, per ESPN.
The three co-owners had previously agreed to settle all decisions with a vote, but this situation revealed that Edens ultimately could have the final say, even if he was outnumbered. In two years, that will change, however — the Bucks’ ownership agreement calls for the governorship role to alternate between Edens and Lasry every five years, per ESPN.
With the search for a new GM having stalled, commissioner Adam Silver suggested the Bucks ought to consider Danny Ferry for the opening, according to ESPN. Milwaukee reached out to Ferry, but the two sides never had a formal meeting, with the Bucks’ co-owners opting instead to reach a compromise — they all liked and respected Horst, and brokered an agreement to promote him for the role.
Horst will be inexpensive compared to other general managers around the NBA. According to Windhorst and Lowe, his three-year deal starts at just $500K.
The Bucks continue to seek a veteran executive to complement Horst in the front office, though the three co-owners will likely all have to agree to move forward with a hire.

Bucks Officially Name Jon Horst GM

June 16th, 2017 at 6:34pm CST by Luke Adams

6:34pm: The Bucks have officially announced that Jon Horst will be their new general manager via a press release published on the team’s website.

9:42am: The Bucks are expected to officially announce Horst’s promotion to GM later today, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.

8:15am: The Bucks’ general manager search has taken another unexpected turn, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is closing in on promoting current director of basketball operations Jon Horst to the GM role. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Milwaukee has been searching in recent days for a veteran basketball executive to pair with Horst in the front office.

After former general manager John Hammond left Milwaukee for Orlando earlier in the offseason, the Bucks conducted an extensive search for his replacement, and had reportedly identified three finalists: Justin Zanik (Bucks assistant GM), Arturas Karnisovas (Nuggets assistant GM), and Wes Wilcox (former Hawks GM).

Zanik and Karnisovas were viewed as the top candidates from that group, but Karnisovas withdrew his name from the process after receiving a promotion in Denver, leaving Zanik as the apparent favorite for the job. However, it appears the Bucks will instead promote another in-house exec, following what Wojnarowski refers to as a “contentious ownership disagreement.”

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Zanik had the support of co-owner Marc Lasry and head coach Jason Kidd, among others, for the GM job, but a full consensus was required to promote him to that position.

If the Bucks do finalize Horst as the new GM and bring in an outside executive to work with him in the front office, it will be interesting to see whether Zanik remains in Milwaukee, having been passed over for a promotion. Zanik has been leading the club’s draft preparations since Hammond left for the Magic.