Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 24, 1990 TAG: 9004240081
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Hass Landmark New Service
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
The Denver Nuggets were under new ownership and didn't have anyone to handle the basketball personnel duties. So owner Peter Bynoe and coach Doug Moe asked Bristow, an assistant coach, to fill in while keeping his seat on the bench.
"They uncorked something in me," Bristow said Monday. "When I started calling other general managers and working on deals, I had the same natural rush of adrenaline as I got on the sideline."
That natural rush changed the direction of Bristow's career and he began to consider going into management. He could have had the Denver job full-time. Instead he was hired Monday as the Charlotte Hornets' vice president of basketball operations.
Bristow was interviewed by the Hornets on Wednesday, accepted the job then and informed Denver officials on Friday. He will stay on with the Nuggets until they are eliminated from the playoffs.
Bristow, 38, is a native of Richmond, Va., and a former standout at Virginia Tech. He played 10 seasons in the NBA, mostly as a reserve, and has been an assistant to Moe for six years. One of the strongest lures of the Hornets' job was geography.
"The thing about this job was the location," he said at a news conference. "My parents and my wife's parents live in Virginia and I went to Tech. If you think I'm happy, you should see the grandparents. I think they've already got all the holiday visits planned for the next five years."
The Hornets have now restructured their front office since general manager Carl Scheer resigned to take a job, ironically, with Denver, where he will be in charge of marketing. Charlotte owner George Shinn divided Scheer's duties, hiring Tony Renaud to handle the business decisions and Bristow to handle the basketball decisions.
by CNB