Myers: ‘It’s a new dawn’ for Warriors
GM says youth movement came about suddenly
For the first time in years, Warriors general manager Bob Myers was able to sit down on the Fourth of July and enjoy a beer.
That’s because the frantic pace of this year’s NBA offseason had all but been completed by the holiday, with the Warriors having overhauled their roster with eight players, including seven younger than 26 years old.
The Warriors’ brass had to scramble to shift the franchise toward a youth movement after Kevin Durant was sent to the Brooklyn Nets for D’Angelo Russell in a signandtrade deal that also mandated trading Andre Iguodala to Memphis to create enough cap room to sign Russell.
Myers said Monday after
noon that he visited with Durant for an hour or two in New York, talking mostly about life after the twotime NBA Finals MVP revealed his desire to start a new chapter in Brooklyn as he recovers from Achilles surgery.
Resigning Klay Thompson and Durant were the Warriors’ top priorities in free agency, but Myers said he doesn’t think the franchise could have done anything different to keep Durant. In fact, Myers is at peace with Durant’s decision.
“To me, I think it was a blessing that he came. He wanted to be a part of us. This is a guy who can move in any direction he wants, because of his talent. He came, and he delivered. He was everything we could have asked for,” Myers said, in what is expected to be the last news conference held at the Warriors’ downtown Oakland practice facility before moving into Chase Center in San Francisco. “I’m at peace about it, personally. I hope our fans can (be), too. Just in the annals of Bay Area sports, he’s one of the best athletes we’ve seen come through our city.”
Along with bringing in Russell, the 2015 No. 2 overall pick whom Myers said the franchise doesn’t intend to trade right away, the Warriors signed two players who were lottery picks, center Willie CauleyStein and guard Alec Burks.
The team also took a chance on Glenn Robinson III and Omari Spellman and inked three draft picks ( Jordan Poole, Alen Smailagic and Eric Paschall), leaving it about $219,000 under the hard cap and unable to sign anyone else, except for a twoway contract.
“There’s been a lot of change. There will be a lot of new challenges. It’ll be different, but I think we’re excited to see what happens,” Myers said. “There’s an awareness that it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be different. But, change was coming at some point. …
“It’s a new dawn for us, but it’s OK.”
Myers said the franchise hasn’t discussed resting Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in what is projected to be a gap year as Thompson recovers from ACL surgery. The plan is to shift toward developing the young players, even as the team tries to compete for a playoff spot in the increasingly loaded Western Conference.
With the roster shakeup, the team’s continuity will have to come from the coaching staff, which will be tasked with fitting the new pieces together and figuring out the most effective style of play for the new personnel — a game plan that might swing from consistent ball and player movement to more pick-and-roll actions.
“It’s early. I don’t know,” Myers said when asked about his expectations for the 201920 Warriors. “… Not that the regular season didn’t matter before, it did, but it takes on a new meaning. Every game is probably going to take on a heightened meaning, which is fun. …
“Hopefully, if we’re healthy and we compete, we can make some noise soon.” Kuzmic update: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Ognjen Kuzmic,” Myers said Monday.
The former Warriors center was seriously injured with head and chest injuries in a car accident Sunday, according to multiple Serbian media outlets. A 29yearold 7footer, he was drafted by Golden State with the No. 52 pick in 2012, and was a member of the 2015 NBA championship team.
“I don’t have all the details, but it sounds like a very serious thing,” Myers said. “We’re thinking about him. … Hopefully, he emerges OK, but that’s something that was on our minds.”