The Golden State Warriors can’t replace Bob Myers. Sure, someone will succeed him as the Warriors’ president of
basketball operations — the head honcho in the front office. And perhaps that person can match Myers’ team-building aptitude. But no matter how smart, qualified and affable that person (or people) might be, they won’t come close to matching the soft skills Myers brought to his job. It was those soft skills that helped build a dynasty. It’s those same skills that are behind Myers’ exit on Tuesday. Myers is tired. Can you blame him? He has spent the last decade-plus building the Warriors into the greatest basketball dynasty of the 21st century and one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world. The Warriors — the one-time laughingstock — became the organization that all others want to emulate, no matter the sport. Myers did that with his people skills. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Related Articles Golden State Warriors | Bob Myers’ emotional farewell showed where his passions lay Golden State Warriors | Why Bob Myers decided it was time to step away from Warriors Golden State Warriors | Important offseason looms for Jonathan Kuminga — whether he returns to the Warriors or not Golden State Warriors | Kurtenbach:
LeBron James to the Warriors is a fun but terrible trade idea Golden State Warriors | What to know about the Warriors’ pivotal summer: Free agents, biggest need, key dates and more “Some people say the (general managers) shouldn’t get close to the players; you might have to cut them, or you might get emotional and not pay them, or pay them. Whatever it is,” Myers said Tuesday. “I kind of push back. What is the point of any
Job if you don’t like and build relationships with (the people) who you go to work with? What is the point? Some would say to win. OK. But who are you doing that with, and what happens after that?” Sure, Myers made some great trades and acquired some outstanding players during his time in charge, but his day-to-day job was to manage personalities on a team that boasted many in a league that sows constant conflict — a team that has been at the center of the NBA universe since 2015. A former agent, Myers can smooth over even the most jagged-edged scenarios. He did it time and time again over his 11 years as the Warriors’ general manager. But you can only do that for so long before you wear yourself out. The Mark Jackson saga. Signing Andre Iguodala. Draymond Green’s NBA Finals suspension. Signing Kevin Durant. Durant’s final season. Going from five straight NBA Finals to the NBA’s worst record. Green’s punch of Jordan Poole. The Andrew Wiggins “situation.” Success on levels never seen. An entire sports world hoping for your downfall. Oh yeah, there was a worldwide pandemic in there, too. Myers was constantly tested, yet his soft skills never hardened. His standing as the most liked man in the NBA never lessened. When news of his decision broke Tuesday, Myers said Durant called him from Monaco. Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers laughs with Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant (35) and Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) after their were named the KIA NBA Western Conference Players of the Month for games played in January before their game against the
Chicago Bulls at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) You don’t make a call from a vacation in Monaco unless you really like someone. In a league full of egos, Myers was — and remains — truly egoless. But now he has to look out for himself. Related Articles Golden State Warriors | Bob Myers’ emotional farewell showed where his passions lay Golden State Warriors | Why Bob Myers decided it was time to step away from Warriors Golden State Warriors | Who will replace Bob Myers as Warriors general manager? Golden State Warriors | Bob Myers will resign as Warriors’ president, GM Golden State Warriors | Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame: 49ers’ Patrick Willis adds another honor on path to Canton This past season, in particular, was brutal for the Dubs’ chief conciliator. Green’s practice punch of Poole, and the leaked video of the incident, cast a pall on the entire season. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said earlier this month that the punch impacted the “trust” vital to winning well into the playoffs. Add to that Myers’ trade of James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons — a big move, politically, among the Warriors’ brain trust; the return of Gary Payton II, who turned out to be more injured than the Portland Trail Blazers disclosed; and Wiggins’ leaving the team for two months, and you had a hot, spiraling mess of a season. Kerr stole a line from one of his mentors, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, that’s no doubt on Myers’ mind as he walks away from his childhood team and his dream job: Fill your cup. June 1, 2022: General manager Bob Myers and head coach Steve Kerr talk to each other during media day prior to the start of the NBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) It means that when you’re away from basketball, you not only physically rest but also do things that bring you positivity and joy. You reset mentally, so when you re-engage with the grind, you can give it all you have. After 11 years as the man in charge of the Warriors’ basketball operations — a role that became a 365-day-a-year job where the public focus never relents — it’s time for Myers to fill his cup. “The hardest part is I love the people at my work, and I won’t get to see them as much. I won’t get to help them as much as I can. That’s a tough thing. But I also know that they deserve the parts of me that I’ve got to be able to give,” Myers said. Bob Myers, Warriors President of Basketball Operations / General Manager, left, and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr joke around as Kerr walks in for the start of the Warriors end-of-season press conference in Oakland in 2019. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) He said Tuesday that he doesn’t know what’s next. I believe him. But because of his success with the Warriors, he can do whatever he wants. The shame is that whatever that is likely won’t be around here. Media? He’d be great at it. He’s already pretty good in his opening foray: a podcast with
ESPN called “Lead By Example”. Big business? That could offer even more money than the Warriors, who reportedly offered to make him a part-owner of the team to keep him. And if Myers wants to return to an NBA front office after a sabbatical, he’ll have offers from a third of the league. The Clippers might even keep their president of basketball operations job open for the next season to lure him to the Southland, where he lived and worked during his agency days. Bob Myers announces he is stepping down from his role as the the Golden State Warriors president of basketball operations and general manager during a press conference, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) I don’t expect Myers to do much of anything for a while. Instead of stressing about the draft or playing politics at Summer League, Myers will spend the summer with his wife and three daughters. Good gig. And whether Myers’ vacated power is vested to Warriors’ CEO Joe Lacob’s son Kirk Lacob, current vice president of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. or a combination of them and others, it’s impossible to predict how significant Myers’ exit will be to the health of the Warriors’ operation. And it’s impossible to imagine anyone doing the job any better.