DETROIT -- A person with knowledge of the talks says the Detroit Pistons and Jeff Bower are nearing an agreement that would make him the teams general manager. Fake USA Soccer Jerseys . The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal was not yet final. The Pistons hired Stan Van Gundy as their coach and team president last month. Bower was the coach at Marist College last season, but he resigned Monday. Athletic director Tim Murray said in a statement that Bower was leaving for "a very specific and compelling NBA opportunity." Bower was previously a general manager and coach in the NBA, holding both those positions with the New Orleans Hornets in 2009-10. USA Soccer Jerseys 2019 . Listen to the Rangers vs. Kings live on TSN Radio starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. You can also stream the post-game press conferences live on TSN. USA Soccer Pro Shop . -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres.ATLANTA -- Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin is joining the Atlanta Hawks ownership group, which hopes he can raise the profile of an NBA team that has struggled to draw fans or lure big-name free agents. The Hawks announced late Sunday that Koonin would take an ownership stake, serve as chief executive officer, oversee all business operations and represent the ownership at league functions. Koonin comes to the Hawks after 14 years with Turner Entertainment Networks, where in his most recent role he led the division that included TNT, TBS, TruTV and Turner Classic Movies. He previously spent more than a decade as a marketing executive at Coca-Cola. "Steve Koonins reputation as a game changer in both marketing and media makes him the ideal leader to usher the Atlanta Hawks into a new era," said Bruce Levenson, the teams majority owner. "He has created a legacy as an expert in sports marketing, television, branding and digital media." The Hawks clinched their seventh straight playoff appearance this past weekend but perennially rank among the worst teams in attendance. The team is hoping Koonin can change that after his stint at Turner, where he was involved in programming and media rights acquisition with both the NBA and the NCAA. At Coca-Cola, he served as vice-president of sports and entertainment marketing. Koonin is a lifelong resident of Atlanta, headquarters of Turner and Coca-Cola. "My family has been a parrt of this city for nearly a century," Koonin said in a statement. USA Soccer Jerseys China. . "We have a lot of work to do, but I believe my professional experience, my passion for this team and the NBA, as well as the Hawks great existing executive talent ... make this organizations future very bright." Under general manager Danny Ferry and first-year coach Mike Budenholzer, the Hawks are in the midst of a major rebuilding effort. Only two players, centre Al Horford and point guard Jeff Teague, have been with the team longer than two years -- and Horford missed most of this season with an injury. Koonins focus will be off the court. Heading into its final home game Monday night, the Hawks were averaging crowds of 14,400 a game -- 28th out of 30 NBA teams. The actual turnouts are generally much lower, with thousands of empty seats a trademark of games at Philips Arena, where capacity was actually reduced by curtaining a section of seats at the top of the upper deck. Over the past decade, the team has never ranked higher than 18th in attendance and is largely overlooked in a market that also has the NFL, Major League Baseball and a passion for college football. "I have known Steve for more than two decades and based both on firsthand experience and his stellar record of accomplishments," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "He is one of the very best executives and creative minds in the entertainment industry." ' ' '