Rumors

Rod Boone: One nugget from Mitch Kupchak: He's over in Barcelona with Buzz Peterson. They are meeting with James Nnaji and plan to have dinner. Guessing they are seeing how he's developed and when he'll be ready to come to this side of the pond.

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NBA Communications: Below is the list of team representatives who will be in the lottery drawing room ⬇️

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There have been plenty of rumored potential replacements over the years, but the two most commonly discussed names are Buzz Peterson, Jordan's college roommate at UNC and the Hornets' assistant general manager since 2014, and Chicago Bulls general manager Marc Eversley, who began his career at Nike, the parent company of the Jordan Brand. Eversley interviewed for the general manager position in 2018, but the role went to Kupchak instead.

Bleacher Report

Marc J. Spears: The Hornets announce the promotions of Buzz Peterson to Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations & Assistant General Manager, Larry Jordan to Vice President of Player Personnel and David Duquette to Assistant General Manager.

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“I’m thrilled with reaching an extension to remain as the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets,” said Borrego. “I want to thank Michael Jordan, Mitch Kupchak and Buzz Peterson for their continued confidence in me and I want to thank my coaching staff for all of their hard work. I’m truly excited about our future and the direction that we are headed. I’m proud to coach a group of dedicated, hardworking and talented players that are committed to both improving and winning. The City of Charlotte and our Hornets fans have embraced my family and I and we are so happy to continue to make this our home. I cannot wait for the start of training camp and the upcoming season.”

NBA.com

“He's playing amazing," Stephen Curry said this week. "There was a lot of talk about what he could show his rookie year. He's surprising a lot of people.” James Borrego isn’t surprised. The Hornets coach was sold on Ball last November, when Borrego, Hornets president Mitch Kupchak and assistant GM Buzz Peterson flew to Los Angeles to watch Ball work out. They knew about the passing. “He’s able to read coverages before they happen,” Borrego said in a telephone interview. But then they saw the shooting. “He had a nice little floater,” says Borrego. And the confidence. At one point, Borrego and Kupchak discussed how when Ball shot, he seemed to believe every one was going in.

Sports Illustrated

Rod Boone: As for #Hornets possibly bringing someone in, James Borrego said: "I know he (Mitch Kupchak) is looking into it and we're doing our homework. If there is someone that fits and it makes sense, I know Mitch and Buzz (Peterson) are all about doing what's best for our team."

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Now you are working for Michael Jordan as his assistant GM. Some Hornets fans are skeptical he has the same drive to win as an owner that he did as a player. What would you say to those who aren’t convinced? Buzz Peterson: They need to take my cell phone and answer my cell phone after a game one night. That’s what they need to do. Or during a game. Or sit with me during a ballgame when I’m sitting with him. They’ll know what a competitor he is. I mean, my left knee, my left shoulder. I’ve sat up there (during a game) before, and his mom would turn around and look at me and says, “Are you OK?” I said, “My shoulder is numb; I only feel it now.” I told her, “My knee is numb.”

The Athletic

Buzz Peterson: That’s what’s so unique about what he has. He can see a lot of things that a lot of people can’t see. That’s why I always tell him, “You would not make a very good coach. You wouldn’t. Because your expectations are just tough.” And this is what may be hard for people to understand what the documentary is about. He may be tough, the way he’s driven, the way he sees things, because he sees it through a different lens sometimes. I’ve always said this: Coach Smith, Larry Brown, some of the gifted coaches I’ve ever seen, you just let them have four or five objects out on that floor, and what they do and what they see before it even happens is just remarkable. And I always thought that Michael, I mean he’s like that. He sees things a whole lot different than a lot of people.

The Athletic

Now you are working for Michael as his assistant GM. Some Hornets fans are skeptical he has the same drive to win as an owner that he did as a player. What would you say to those who aren’t convinced? Buzz Peterson: They need to take my cell phone and answer my cell phone after a game one night. That’s what they need to do. Or during a game. Or sit with me during a ballgame when I’m sitting with him. They’ll know what a competitor he is. I mean, my left knee, my left shoulder. I’ve sat up there (during a game) before, and his mom would turn around and look at me and says, “Are you OK?” I said, “My shoulder is numb; I only feel it now.” I told her, “My knee is numb.”

The Athletic

Buzz Peterson: But listen, the guy wants to win, and no matter what. And he is such a competitor. To say we are trying to work with these young guys, get them better and work and develop these guys — at the same time, Michael says, “I hear ya. But let’s win. I want to win.” And he wants to win in the worst way. It just drives him crazy when we don’t, and so when we don’t and when he thinks we should’ve, that’s when the cell phone rings and he wants a lot of questions answered right away. And sometimes that doesn’t help, either. He don’t want to listen.

The Athletic

How much does it burn him up that he can’t necessarily control what happens results-wise with his team on the court? Buzz Peterson: That’s sometimes where the underlining comes in our conversations. I say, “Can I say this to you, Michael? You say all this, let me say this. You see the game totally different than a lot of other people do. Your eyes, your vision, what you see, a lot of people can’t gather all that, Michael. And that’s the gift that God has given you, and then sometimes you have to understand that.” Because when you are on the floor with him, you’re one of those four other guys, you better be playing as hard as him and running with him. But not only that, you better be thinking like he is. He’s not just a guy that runs up and down the court. He thinks the game on both ends.

The Athletic

Chris Mannix: Buzz Peterson--a longtime confidante of Hornets owner Michael Jordan--is expected to retain a significant front office role, source told @YahooSports

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Kupchak will keep assistant GM Buzz Peterson in a front office role, and ultimately add own personnel changes to the management and scouting structure, league sources said. Jordan and Kupchak have had a longstanding relationship built around their ties to the University of North Carolina and late coach Dean Smith.

ESPN