Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 27, 1990 TAG: 9003270167
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DENVER LENGTH: Medium
Scheer resigned as president and general manager of the Charlotte Hornets on Monday to return to the position in Denver he held for a decade.
"There was something very unique about that experience," Scheer said. "I was very upset and disturbed that I had to leave a place I was very fond of."
Scheer said he is leaving Charlotte after two years because of his fondness for Denver and the opportunity to revive a struggling Nuggets team, and not over a dispute with Hornets owner George Shinn over the lack of a contract.
"Security is important," said Scheer, 52, who arrived in Charlotte on Jan. 1, 1988. "But it was more than that. I had plenty of opportunities to go where I could have had security, but Denver was the only one I was interested in."
The Charlotte Hornets led the league in attendance last season, and have sold out every home game this season despite having the worst record in the NBA. Attendance in Denver has slipped. The Nuggets rank second-to-last in league attendance despite having a team that has made the playoffs nine seasons in a row.
Scheer will become president in charge of marketing and business in Denver, and will have no role in the basketball aspect of the team.
Shinn, who said he will take over more of the team operations, said he was sorry to see Scheer leave and there was nothing he could do to entice Scheer to stay.
"At the last meeting we had, he said a contract wouldn't do it," Shinn said.
Scheer said he decided to accept the Denver job about 1:30 a.m. Monday, and "was up the rest of the night trying to decide if it was right."
Scheer said he will be involved primarily in marketing and promotions in Denver, perhaps his strongest asset.
Shinn said new Nuggets managing general partner Peter Bynoe called him and told him he needed Scheer more than the Hornets do.
"They need him right away. Carl created a demand for himself by doing a good job," Shinn said.
The Nuggets have been operating without a president and general manager. Three executives - Jon Spoelstra, Pete Babcock and David Checketts - have left in the past eight months.
Scheer, who served as president and general manager of the Nuggets from 1974-84, had no written contract with the Hornets, who entered the NBA last season. His resignation is effective immediately, but Scheer isn't expected to begin work in Denver until early April.
Bynoe said via telephone from Chicago that Denver made a "significant commitment" to Scheer, but did not disclose the terms of the contract. He said Scheer, 52, will be responsible for the Nuggets' business operations, including ticket sales, public relations and sponsorships.
Bynoe said he will retain control over player contracts.
Babcock left the Nuggets last month to go to Atlanta as general manager last month. He had been stripped of the GM's job in Denver after the change in ownership last year, then got the job back when his replacement, Jon Spoelstra, resigned earlier this year.
Scheer began his basketball career in Charlotte in 1970 as president and general manager of the American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars. During his four-year stint, Scheer hired Larry Brown, now coach of the San Antonio Spurs, as head coach, and Doug Moe, now the Nuggets' coach, as Brown's assistant.
Scheer took over as general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers after leaving the Nuggets in 1984. He returned to Denver in 1986-87 to become commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association, leaving the CBA to help start the Hornets.
by CNB