If fired by Bucks, John Hammond could be Pistons GM candidate, says Bucks beat writer

The Milwaukee Bucks franchise is in the middle of being sold, which could be finalized late next week, and with that, and the bitter taste of a 15-win season, are rumors that their general manager, John Hammond, is on the hot seat  -- similar to how some felt should've been the case for the incumbent Joe Dumars when Tom Gores bought the Pistons three years ago.

If Hammond is fired by the Bucks' new brass, and BrewHoop seems to think it's likely, Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times wonders if that will then make Hammond a candidate to take over his former boss' position as Pistons GM:

Hammond being rumored for Pistons job

There are a number of individuals keenly interested in becoming the new Detroit Pistons general manager, although I keep hearing former Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo and Boston assistant general manager Mike Zarren are at the front of the pack.

There has also been some chatter about the Pistons possibly bringing in an experienced GM and having him groom Chauncey Billups, the former Pistons star guard.

Could that be Milwaukee general manager John Hammond who, some league officials claim, is on the hot seat? Hammond worked in Detroit before taking the Bucks' GM job.

ESPN Insider relayed Woelfel's story in the form of a question, different from Woelfel's misleading way of presenting it as a rumor before speculating. It seems like Woelfel's creating the rumor, and with the Pistons aiming to keep the search under wraps, there's nothing else to do!

As you know, Hammond was Joe Dumars' right-hand man for several years before being plucked by Milwaukee in 2008. Hammond won the 2010 NBA Executive of the Year Award after the Bucks improved from 34 wins to 46 in his second season at the helm, an honor which spurred a crazy conspiracy theory that Hammond was the real genius behind all of Dumars' moves that built the 2004 champions and six-time Eastern Conference finalists. Hammond's lack of overall success in six seasons with the Bucks should officially squash any talks of that.

Maybe Dumars and Hammond simply worked well together, which is an argument that could make Hammond a legitimate candidate. As far as we know, Dumars is still on with the team as an adviser and we know Gores respects Dumars immensely. If Hammond's fired -- and this is me speculating -- Dumars could very well encourage Gores to take a look at Hammond, get the old band back together in a way, and I wouldn't put it past Gores to bite. That's not to say it's an ideal scenario -- it's really not -- but it's one.

What say you, DBB? Does the thought of Hammond returning to the Pistons make you cringe?

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