DETROIT -- Jeff Bower is returning to the NBA, this time to join the front office of the Detroit Pistons. Detroit announced Tuesday that Bower had been hired as the teams new general manager, part of an off-season overhaul in which Stan Van Gundy was hired last month as the coach and team president. Bower was the coach at Marist College last season, but he resigned that position Monday. "Im excited to join the Pistons organization and play a role in helping this franchise build on its great basketball tradition," Bower said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Stan, his staff and everyone in the Pistons organization to put together a team that the community can support and be proud of. Im also excited about ownerships commitment to winning and their demonstrated commitment to the community." The Pistons called a news conference for Wednesday to introduce Bower. Bower has been a general manager and coach in the NBA, holding both those positions with the New Orleans Hornets in 2009-10. "Jeff brings great basketball knowledge and NBA experience to our organization and hes enjoyed success in building teams," Van Gundy said. "Hes a great evaluator of talent and Jeff will bring solid leadership to our front office." Bower was the general manager of the Hornets from 2001-03 and again from 2005-10. Marist went 12-19 this past season under Bower, which was a two-game improvement from 2012-13. "I have a lot of respect for Jeff and the job he did in his time at Marist," athletic director Tim Murray said. "He laid the foundation for the program moving forward and I feel that this is a great opportunity for our next head coach. I wish Jeff the best of luck as he leaves Marist for a very specific and compelling NBA opportunity." The Pistons went 29-53 last season, missing the playoffs for a fifth straight year. That was the end of Joe Dumars tenure as team president. Van Gundys coaching is well respected -- he went 371-208 in seven-plus seasons with Miami and Orlando -- but now hell have the added responsibility of handling personnel matters. Its rare for one person to have that much control in the NBA, so Bower may play an important role in shaping the franchises future. Wes Martin Jersey . Amaro broke the NCAA all-time record for receiving yards in a season for a tight end with 1,352 during his junior campaign, eclipsing the mark of 1,329 set by Rices James Casey in 2008. Charley Taylor Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. http://www.cheapredskinsjerseysauthentic...art-monk-jersey. -- Novak Djokovic benefited from an erroneous call and claimed he didnt realize he had broken the rules. Sean Taylor Jersey . The international synchronized skating competition takes place from January 31 - February 1, 2014, and features 39 teams from 10 countries, in senior, junior, and novice. John Riggins Jersey . The St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to arrive in Boston in time for a workout on Tuesday afternoon. Much of Mondays discussion focused on Bostons lineup considerations as the series progresses, specifically when the venue shifts to St.MELBOURNE, Australia - At an Australian Open marked by upsets and new story lines, Rafael Nadal will play Sundays final against a man often called the "other" Swiss tennis player. Now, after a stunning run in Melbourne, Stanislas Wawrinka has a new nickname: The Stanimal — a tribute to his gritty, fight-until-the end style of tennis. Fittingly, perhaps, the name was apparently coined by none other than Roger Federer, in a tweet of support for his friend which quickly caught on earlier in the tournament. Now that Federer is out of the running — he lost to Nadal in the semifinals — the 17-time Grand Slam winner and long-time ambassador for Swiss tennis has joined those cheering for Wawrinka to win his first Grand Slam final. It is a match that holds historical significance for all three players. If the No. 1-ranked Nadal wins, as the odds suggest he will, the 27-year-old Spaniard will become the first player to win each of the majors twice in the Open era. It would be his 14th Grand Slam trophy and bring him one step closer to Federers all-time record of 17. If No. 8-ranked Wawrinka beats Nadal to win his first major title, he catapults to a career high of No. 3 in the rankings. Just reaching the final assures Wawrinka of the No. 5 spot, meaning for the first time he will pass Federer, who is now ranked sixth. On the eve of the final, Wawrinka said he was still shocked by his success. "Its insane. Its incredible," the 28-year-old Wawrinka said Saturday, speaking to reporters in English and in his native French. "I never imagined that one day I would be here, playing in the final." After a breakthrough year in 2013, Wawrinka is playing the best tennis of his life in Melbourne. He knocked out three-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic inn the quarterfinals and beat No.dddddddddddd 7 Tomas Berdych in the semifinals. He knows how tough it will be to beat Nadal — hes tried and failed 12 times. "Ive played him so many times, and lost so many times, but Im going to try again," Wawrinka said. "I know what I have to do. I know that I have to play aggressive, serve really well, and try to always push him." "Im playing my best tennis here," Wawrinka added. "Physically, Im ready.". Nadal says hes ready, too, for a breakthrough at what he calls his unluckiest Grand Slam. Nadal won in Melbourne in 2009 but in subsequent years struggled with injuries during or before the seasons first major. He missed the 2013 Australian Open during a seven-month layoff for illness and a knee injury. He returned to win the French and U.S. Open last year but reaching the final in Melbourne holds special significance. "After missing last year for me its really, really emotional to be back on this court, Rod Laver Arena, and to be able to play another final," said Nadal, who has known Wawrinka since they were teens, playing junior tournaments in Europe. "Hes a good friend, a gre