Thorn talks Bynum

Former Sixers president Rod Thorn opened up to David Aldridge of NBA.com on Andrew Bynum and what went wrong in Philadelphia.

"We went for the stars when we went after Bynum. And it didn’t work out," Thorn told Aldridge. "And we gave up a ton of assets. Not only players, but we lost (Andre) Iguodala, who was a terrific player. We lost (Nic) Vucevic, who was the second-best rebounder in the NBA. We lost (Maurice) Harkless, who has a chance to be a very good player, and we lost a future first, probably.

"We had accumulated assets. We made a major move, and it didn’t work out. Bynum never played a minute for us. And now he signs with Cleveland, and we gave up four major assets. That’s tough to overcome."

Thorn also discussed how Sixers owner Josh Harris  took the debacle and how Thorn, who landed on his feet as the NBA's new president of basketball operations, responded:

"Obviously the ownership was upset about the way the season went for us, and they got other people. It’s (not) a personal thing. They treated me great. I don’t have any problem with them at all. They wanted me to stay in an advisory position.

"But, whether it’s pride or whether it’s ego or whatever, I just don’t like the way it ended. I’ve been in the league 50 years. I’ve done some pretty good things; some other things, not so good. But I’ve done some pretty good things. And I’d like to end it up on the right note. And that’s what it is for me more than anything … knock on wood, I’m relatively healthy, and I think I can help them in some ways. I’m looking forward to it."