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Cunningham: Hawks Director of Pro Personnel Steve Rosenberry "expected to join Rich Cho's staff."

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Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on Twitter that the Hawks' director of pro personnel Steve Rosenberry is "expected to join Rich Cho's staff in Portland." Update: Cunningham now writes... --------------------------- Word is Dave Pendergraft, Atlanta’s assistant general manager, is a candidate for Phoenix’s GM job under Lon Babby. And Steve Rosenberry, Atlanta’s director of pro personnel/college scouting, is expected to join Portland’s staff, where GM Steve Cho is looking for assistants. Rick Sund confirmed the interest in both guys today. --------------------------- Here's a portion of Rosenberry's biography on Hawks.com... --------------------------- Rosenberry’s background includes two different stints with the Sonics, most recently as the team’s Director of Scouting before spending last season as a consultant with the Milwaukee Bucks. Following the reorganization of the Bucks’ staff, he spent the past few months working out potential NBA draft picks in Philadelphia. A veteran of the NBA scouting circles, Rosenberry started with Seattle in 1985-86 and was there for six seasons before joining Dave Twardzik’s staff in a similar capacity in Charlotte. After three years with the Hornets, he rejoined the Sonics and then-GM Wally Walker and later, Sund, and worked for 13 seasons on his second time around – the last four as the team’s Director of College Scouting. --------------------------- More Seattle ties and another scouting voice. More details on the front office configuration as they emerge. Presumably Rosenberry will be one of Cho's two Assistant GMs. Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated wrote about Rosenberry in 2005. -------------------------- As head scout for Seattle, 49-year-old Rosenberry has helped the young team get off to a surprising start (24--8 at week's end). And as national director of team basketball for And1--another full-time position--he has helped the sneaker company grow into a $175 million entity. Three years after retiring from the CBA as a 6'2" guard, Rosenberry took his first step into the shoe business in 1983 by selling Adidas to college coaches and their teams. His connections proved appealing to the Sonics, for whom he has been scouting since '85 (except for a three-year stint with the Hornets). "He has more access to college coaches and trainers than you would normally see," says G.M. Rick Sund. "It works great for us, and it's satisfying for Rosie because he obviously has an eye for talent as well as an understanding for the business end of things." -------------------------- Here's another piece by SI's Marty Burns on Seattle's 2005 war room. Rosenberry recently debated the relative merits of John Wall versus Evan Turner for Philly.com as well. Rosenberry has been called "the tannest person in the NBA" and it's easy to see why. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter