Warriors’ Bob Myers stepping down as general manager
Bob Myers tried his best to maintain composure throughout Tuesday’s news conference at Chase Center.
Everything considered, he handled his formal announcement to step down as the Golden State Warriors’ president of basketball operations and general manager with humanity and grace.
But when Myers, 48, spoke about his wife, his three daughters and all the individuals who guided him throughout his 12-year tenure with the team, the emotions he fought so hard to contain came pouring out.
The tears Myers shed at the podium made it clear that his decision to leave was not an easy one. His departure marks the end of an era for the franchise and launches it into an uncertain future.
The answer to why Myers opted to leave the Warriors at this time, with so many critical decisions to be made this offseason, was on everyone’s mind. His response was indicative of a man who was simply burned out from the day-to-day responsibilities of his post. He said he’s made plenty of money and he was offered a lot more by the Warriors to stay on the job, but it wasn’t about that.
“This is hard,” Myers said. “I have so many different things, emotions that I’m still processing. But the bottom line is, this job, the one I’m in, and I would say this for any professional general manager or coach, requires complete engagement, a complete effort, a thousand percent, and if you can’t do it, then you shouldn’t do it, and so that’s the answer to the question of why. I can’t do that to our players. I can’t do that to Joe (Lacob) and Peter (Guber). Really, I can’t do it to myself. And that’s the question I’ve been wrestling with.”
Myers became GM in 2012. Under his leadership, the team reached six NBA Finals and won four championships while winning 65.3% of its regular-season games and 67.9% in the playoffs — the best percentages in the league over that span. Golden State missed the postseason only twice with Myers at the helm. He was named NBA executive of the year twice.
Among Myers’ most notable transactions: the hiring of head coach Steve Kerr, the signing of Kevin Durant, the drafting of Draymond Green, and trades for Andre Iguodala and Andrew Wiggins. He made sure it was understood that the players were the backbone of his success, calling out Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Iguodala, Kevon Looney, Durant, Jordan Poole, Wiggins, Shaun Livingston, David West, Zaza Pachulia, Andrew Bogut and Leandro Barbosa by name.
Myers said Durant, who helped the Warriors to consecutive titles in 2017-18, called him Tuesday morning from Monaco to congratulate him on his decision.
Shortly after the announcement, Curry shared a heartfelt message on Instagram. “Before the trophies and the memories before this run, I remember I told you, ‘You better get right!’ And you did,” Curry wrote. “The general manager role was great and you did your thing, but forever grateful for you as a friend forever. (We) changed each other’s lives! Enjoy the next chapter, my guy.”
Said Myers, “It’s funny, I was talking to Steph a little bit, and I go, ‘I feel like you’re not really trying to change my mind.’ He started laughing. He goes, ‘No, it hurts,’ but he understands. The people that know me understand. But you can’t take away what we’ve done and what we’ve been through.”
Warriors owner Joe Lacob didn’t want to share his thoughts on Myers’ successor. He said there is a “good possibility” that Golden State’s next general manager will be an internal candidate. However, the franchise is focused on next month’s draft and free agency.
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Since Myers’ contract doesn’t expire until June 30, he said he will assist with the team’s decision-making at the draft in a supporting capacity. Vice president of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Kirk Lacob, Joe’s eldest son and an executive vice president of basketball operations, are two internal candidates who could potentially fill the Myers void.
“Well, Mike’s great,” Myers said of Dunleavy. “He’s as good a GM, if he wants it, it will be great, if that’s what he wants. But it’s his call. It’s Joe’s call. It’s not my call. But if that’s what he wants to do, he’ll be great.”
Myers is looking forward to uncovering the mystery of what comes next for him, but for now he is content with taking a break. As for the Warriors, he believes the future is bright.
“I think it’s in fantastic shape,” Myers said of the franchise. “I mean, I get more credit than I deserve. There’s people that work with me that deserve more credit and are going to get a chance to do more. They have already probably done more than people know. That’s the great thing about this in that it’s a team. It’s not me that does all these things by myself. It’s about my group and they are tremendous, and they deserve more attention and credit than they have ever gotten.”
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
