The honeymoon period is over for Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore.
Rodriguez, the ex-New York Yankees slugger, and Lore bought the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this year for $1.5 billion. With that came the right to hire and fire as they please. And that began Wednesday, with the team firing president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas.
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The move was announced by Glen Taylor, who’s in the process of completing the sale of his franchise to Rodriguez and Lore.
“As an organization, we remain committed to building a winning team that our fans and city can be proud of. We are committed to staying aligned to achieve our short-term goals and reach our long-term vision,” Taylor said.
Executive vice president Sachin Gupta was temporarily elevated to guide the basketball operations, Taylor confirmed in a separate announcement made about 2 1/2 hours later.
ESPN reports Lore and Rodriguez “had been evaluating Rosas’ performance this summer and had planned to relieve him of his duties at some point. According to sources, that process sped up the more they learned about the deterioration of his relationship with Gupta and after evidence was brought to them about a consensual romantic relationship between Rosas and another team employee.”
As it turns out, Rodriguez and Lore already may have an idea who they want to fill the job permanently, according to the Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer:
In wake of Gersson Rosas’ departure, word has circulated among league sources since Summer League that incoming Minnesota Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have communicated they are fond of Sixers general manager Elton Brand. A name to keep an eye on here.
As for dismissing Rosas, the move was a surprise to All-Star center and N.J. native Karl-Anthony Towns, based on this simple yet straightforward tweet: “wtf…”
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.