Ex-agent Myers promoted to be GM
In a move that appeared on the surface as merely an inevitable title shift or organization shuffle, the Warriors promoted assistant general manager Bob Myers to GM on Tuesday and made former GM Larry Riley the team’s director of scouting.
In Myers’ introductory news conference, however, the 37year-old made it clear that the move indicates some bold philosophical changes. The Warriors no longer will make unfulfilled promises, and the GM office no longer will have multiple voices.
“I’m not going to promise anything, but I saw this quote: ‘You cannot ensure success, but you can deserve it,’ ” Myers said. “I’ll tell you that we’re going to work to deserve to be successful. We’re not going to stop until we get there.”
Co-owner Joe Lacob has taken some heat for promising that the Warriors would be in the 2012 playoffs, among a number of erroneous predictions. Head coach Mark Jackson joined the big-talk parade when he was hired in June.
Lacob was right about his forecast regarding Myers. The owner targeted the then-player representative last year and hired him from the Wasserman Media Group last April. When Myers took the assistant GM job, Lacob thought he’d develop into the head man within three years.
The process was quickened
by Myers’ ability to communicate with agents, GMS and players; understanding of player evaluation; and grasp of the salary cap. Most of all, Lacob likes Myers’ tireless work.
“Frankly, I didn’t need another year to figure it out, and we wanted to give him every opportunity to succeed next year by starting the job this week,” Lacob said. “He texts me night and day and calls me at 11 p.m. He works 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He’s always thinking about how to improve the Warriors.”
By promoting Myers this week, the Warriors will have a clearly defined head of basketball operations for the players’ exit interviews this weekend. It makes it obvious to other GMS whom to call about potential draft-day trades and cleans up communication lines within the Warriors’ organization.
During Riley’s mentoring season with Myers, the former GM talked about his office as a group. Riley included Myers, director of player personnel Travis Schlenk, director of basketball operations Kirk Lacob and executive board member Jerry West when discussing any decision.
Myers said his tenure will be more authoritarian. He said he’ll still listen to the advice of his basketball-operations and coaching staffs, but said he’ll make decisive recommendations to Joe Lacob.
“When the general-manager title sits next to your name, you’re responsible for making the decisions,” Myers said. “When you’re the owner, you certainly have a say in those decisions. I’m going to recommend to Joe what I think this team needs to do with the counsel from the team we’ve put in place to advise me. At the end of all of the counsel and discussion, I’m going to make decisions.”
Myers negotiated more than $575 million in contracts during a 14-year stint in athlete representation, working for Wasserman and SFX Sports after beginning his career under the tutelage of power agent Arn Tellem.
Myers graduated with a degree in business/economics from UCLA, where he played basketball on the 1995 national championship team. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in 2002.
Myers grew up in Danville, and his first NBA game was in Oakland. He was emotional when talking about living out the dream of working for his boyhood team.
“It’s a great day for me, but a better day will be when we get this team to a place when it’s playing beyond the regular season and competing for a championship,” Myers said. “It’s great that my love for the NBA started with this team. For me, it’s more than just a job.”
Riley’s role is yet to be defined. He’ll be heavily involved in college scouting, but he’s open to continuing in some advisory role for Myers.
“He’s one of the most decent people and one of the highestcharacter individuals that you’ll ever meet,” Myers said of Riley. “To sit beside him and to learn from him was a thrill and an honor.”