http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1088582471127890.xml Reed cites experience, relishes return to state Wednesday, June 30, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer 'I can help this team get better. I can help Byron Scott get better. I can help you get better.' -- VP of Basketball Operatons Willis Reed, to Hornets owner George Shinn. .................... A month ago Hornets owner George Shinn went searching to hire someone for his front office -- for someone to provide input on all basketball-related decisions, preferably with Hall-of-Fame credentials. The search was tougher than Shinn expected. He got plenty of interest, but most of it came from ex-NBA stars who weren't interested in working regular office hours. So Shinn sought help from NBA commissioner David Stern. It wasn't long after Shinn contacted Stern that his problem was solved. On Tuesday, the Hornets introduced Hall-of-Famer Willis Reed as the team's vice president of basketball operations. Reed will have input on all personnel, scouting and trade decisions with General Manager Allan Bristow and Jeff Bower, the director of player personnel. Reed, 62, was selected as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players and he helped the New York Knicks win NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. "He's from Louisiana and it just made sense, so I went after him," Shinn said. "I spoke to him. I could see it in his face and eyes that he wanted to be here. He told me 'I can help this team get better. I can help (Coach) Byron Scott be better. I can help you get better.' The more smarter people you have around to help make decisions, the better those decisions will be." Reed will be involved in his first basketball operations meeting today as the team prepares for the free-agency period, which begins Thursday, although no signings can occur until July 15. "I know the NBA pretty well because I've been around, and I know the talent level," Reed said. "In terms of free agents and our own players, I can make suggestions to (assistant coach) Kenny Gattison with the things he can do with center Jamaal Magloire to help make him a better player. "I'm here to be that type of guy to do those things. The other side of my job is to help the New Orleans Hornets become a more significant name in the community. I will be involved in the (league-wide) Read to Achieve program and with corporate sales. It's kind of a multiple job." Reed said it will be his final job, and the lure of returning to Louisiana made it attractive. His mother, Inell, is recovering from a stroke, so now he can make more trips to Bernice to visit her than he was able to do while working in New York. "I'm glad to be back in the state; this is a great time in my life," Reed said. "I've lived in California, New York, Nebraska, and I finally said when it's all over, I want to be in Louisiana. I just love the state and I'm an only child, and my dad passed away in 1983. My mom still lives in the same house I had built for her in 1969." Reed is eager to get started. After his introductory news conference Tuesday, he talked about the search to find a player in free agency capable of providing immediate help. Reed also said it's important to have forward Jamal Mashburn return next season healthy, although the possibility remains that he could traded. "The Hornets are a much better team with Jamal playing," Reed said. "We know when Mashburn steps on the floor, we know the level of talent he brings to his team." This will be the second time Scott has worked under Reed. They worked together with the New Jersey Nets, and Scott confided in him often. "He's been around this game as long as I can remember, and having him in the organization is a big plus for us," Scott said. "In New Jersey he was a person I was able to talk to, and he kept a smile on my face. He would tell me all of the things going on, but he would say 'keep smiling and keep working.' That brought a sense of pride and reassurance that everything was going to be all right." Reed played 10 seasons with the New York Knicks. He is best remembered for limping through the tunnel and emerging on the Madison Square Garden court to play with a knee injury in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Reed played 27 minutes to provide the Knicks with the inspirational lift they needed. "That will be always etched in my mind," Bristow said. "He was a lot of people's hero at that time. There's no doubt that Willis was the ideal candidate to join our basketball operations staff and help take our team to the next level." . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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