Here are some excerpts of Rod Thorn’s introductory press conference as new Sixers team president.
“Having seen many different organizations and having dealt with them through my work in the NBA office, that is the key thing throughout we want to have a passion for win. You have to have good players but have to have good people who for better or worse will be joined at the hip going forward. This is not about my ego, anybody’s ego here, this is about a team … We are a team. We are going to work together. If we’re successful everyone will get credit for it. That’s what we expect to be. We have some good pieces. We’re like everybody else, we could always use more.”“Last year, for whatever reason or reasons as the case may be, the team took a step back. We don’t want to take any more steps back, we want to take step forward. That’s what we’re looking for and that’s what we anticipate.”
“We expect and will demand that our players play together, No. 1 but also play hard every night … The fans don’t owe you anything, you owe the fans. We will demand from our players and will get that effort on an every night basis. At the end of the day, in my deciding to come here, this was the one opportunity where I thought I could come in and make a difference. I expect us to do well. Every one of us will do anything in our power to make sure we put a product on the floor that you will be proud of and want to come and see and will be happy to be a 76ers fan.”