Myers leaving as Warriors GM after 4 titles, 11 seasons
SAN FRANCISCO » Before the trophies, champagne showers and championship parades, Stephen Curry turned to Bob Myers and told him, “You better get this right.”
Eleven years, nine grueling playoff runs and four titles later, Curry can proudly say Myers did just that.
Myers, the architect of four championship teams and a two-time NBA Executive of the Year, announced Tuesday that he will step down from his role as the Warriors' president of basketball operations and general manager, marking the end of an era for Golden State that might never be replicated.
“There's a lot of things to be proud of,” Myers said Tuesday afternoon. “It's a hard job. It's hard to win. Somebody's going to win a championship in two weeks. It's not us, but we know what it feels like to win the championship and lose one. ... But I'm proud of what I did and I'm proud of what we did.”
Myers and Warriors ownership discussed the possibility of a contract extension throughout the season, including a deal that sources said would have made him among the highest-paid executives in the NBA. But Myers maintained he wouldn't make a decision until after the season ended. The Warriors' playoff exit in the Western Conference semifinals gave him time to mull over what he might do next. He ultimately decided that it was time to call it quits because he wouldn't be able to commit the necessary energy and attentiveness needed to be successful at the job.
Myers, who stressed his decision to leave had nothing to do with money, will stay with the team for the remainder of his contract, which is set to expire at the end of next month. His departure could cause a domino effect within the team.
“It's going to be hard to adjust,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said Tuesday. “But we'll figure out a way to do it.”
Myers' successor will have to find solutions to a litany of problems, from a skyrocketing payroll and luxury tax ramifications to creatively retooling a roster with championship aspirations as long as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson are around. Not to mention there are also concerns about the team's long-term outlook: Green has a player option for next year, Thompson is up for an extension and coach Steve Kerr has only one year left on his contract.
Lacob declined to comment on who he plans to pick as Myers' replacement. He said there's “a good possibility” it could be an internal candidate.
Vice president of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. has been rumored to be in line to succeed Myers. He's served as Myers' right-hand man for several years now and has subbed in for the team's top executive numerous times. Lacob's son, Kirk, is the team's executive vice president of basketball operations and could also take on more responsibility.
“I'm not going to comment on who is a candidate, who is not a candidate at this point,” Lacob said. “Going to keep you all guessing.”
Known for his leadership skills and cutthroat drive to win, Myers was a sports agent before he made the move to front office executive more than a decade ago. The Bay Area native and UCLA grad was hired as an assistant general manager in 2011 before being promoted to general manager a year later.
He led the construction of the roster that won the Warriors' first championship in 40 years. Three more titles along with five additional trips to the NBA Finals would follow, including last year's improbable run.
In his 11 years as general manager, which ties the longest stretch by a lead basketball executive in franchise history, the Warriors have posted a .653 winning percentage (571-304) and made the playoffs in all but two years. Golden State's 108 playoff wins during that span are the most in the league.
Part of what makes Myers special is his ability to recognize talent, manage egos and get deals done to improve the team. With Myers at the helm, the Warriors selected Green in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft and signed Andre Iguodala to elevate the Warriors and create the core of the 2015 title team, then pushed to get Kevin Durant to join Steph Curry & Co. in the Bay Area via free agency in 2016. Myers also traded D'Angelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins, who played a major role in last year's championship run.
It was also Myers' call to replace Mark Jackson in 2014 with Kerr, who helped guide the Warriors to six of the last nine NBA Finals.
“He has been an incredible partner over the period. Not only the success we've had but what you guys don't see, what you don't know — the amount of stress, the amount of pain, the amount of tension,” Lacob said.
“There's just so many things that happen if you're all together, as we have been, in trying to build something, from where we were to where we are now.”