Alright, welcome back to the show.
Incredible,
is that word again? But this is, this is actually, actually
was incredible piece in the athletic
and why the Warriors are in danger of losing Bob Myers. You
NBA fans know, Bob Myers, former agent, but is
the general manager
of the Warriors
and a general manager who has done some pretty fantastic
stuff.
It's time in the Bay Area
has presided over
the current Dynasty, the Dynasty's. I know there's, it's
a dynasty. The Warriors Dynasty. He's brought in some
key players.
He has the respect of those key players,
but Bob Myers might be out the door. And Anthony Slater is one
of the Riders who put this piece together and Anthony. I'm
wondering why? Okay, let's just start right there.
Welcome to the show. And why is Bob Myers going to be out
potentially?
I think it's a multitude of reasons
which we kind of had to lay out and deeper context, but, you
know, as most things starts, I think it starts with money. He
is not the highest paid GM in the league even though you
could pretty easily argue. He's been the most successful GM
over
the last decade and he, you know, Lake a Joe Lake of
the owner contends that he's top three
you know, the other side contends. He's not top three,
you know, I think there's some incentives and base salary
disputing within that. So that's kind of at the heart
like, you know, pay me like I am Bob Myers
in a sense, but also
direction of the franchise. I mean, I think
anyone that follows the warriors, on even a semi-regular basis
can see this to timeline Clash, that's going on. And,
and, you know, ownership kind of having this Vision to Pivot
off the, you know, Dynasty era to the next era. And I think
Bob deciding do I want to be a part of that. And, you know, am
I the one that maybe
is going to have to act some very popular heads in the next
year or two? And also he's just,
you know,
I think at the point where he's also thinking about, what's
next for him? He's super successful. He's you know super
well like not even just in the NBA Community but you know
Silicon Valley all that. So I think that's all coming to
a head.
I thought it was a fabulous piece that you guys did as a,
someone who was born in San Francisco. Someone who is
a lifelong Warriors fan. Someone who attended games as a kid and
actually someone who was there last night at the game and to
be around people and talk about him.
I thought it was a tremendous job. You guys did in terms of
pulling back the curtain on some of the stuff that's going
on.
I'll ask you this
the dichotomy in terms of
What the Warriors are trying to accomplish in terms of winning
a championship with this core group. And at the same time,
developing these young players.
Where does that come from?
Why, why has it been so difficult to choose one path or
the other?
Well, the guy that pulls the, you know, most powerful lever
in the organization, Joel, a cab does, and he stated this
public, he's been pretty transparent about this. He does
not want an extended rebuilding period. He has. Referenced the
Lakers from, you know, basically, WE Post Kobe are
they had like six straight years out of the playoffs. He's
like I'm not doing that. I don't want to do that. He has
built this sparkling Arena Chase Center which sounds like
you were in last night which is a
very nice Arena.
He does he wants
at least relevant teams within that
so he's trying to plan for the Post Steph Curry era
but Steph Curry doesn't want to plan for the post to have Curry
era and has proven last season that they can still win
a title. They did want a title, you could see them contending
for a title this season,
but they've added even more you Youth onto the roster this
season, they got they bought a second-round pick, they took
a guy 28th overall mostly just project type players and in
a lot of ways that's weighing down the current roster and
that's where I think just like this tug-of-war
is is coming to a head in a lot of ways.
Is a term primarily between
it's a tug-of-war primarily between Myers
and lekha
or there are other parties involved in that. Yeah, I think
it's there's a lot of parties. You know, the one thing about
the Warriors is there's a lot of powerful people within
the words to players. Hold a lot of power within the Warriors. And
I you know, I'm talking
step, I don't Draymond Green,
you know, powerful personality Andre with dollies play three
games this season but he carries you know wait in
the organization Steve Kerr outspoken coach
Myers and a
Front office which includes two of Joel, a cub sons and then
Joe who's very out there as an honor, you know, you'd almost
compare him, you know, Jerry Jones, Mark Cuban, like that
level of just like, you know, front facing
and there's just motives everywhere and I think, you
know, like Bob has made some of these draft picks and I think
Bob has it somewhat agreed. Hey if we're using these Graphics
like we need to go swinging high up side like you know
number two overall pick
go for a you know high level town. Instead of just like a 22
year old that can help. Now commingled actually looks like
a very good.
I'm sure you saw him last night. Looking pretty good. So
you know but I think the big thing is when they really put
this plan into place was a few years ago, they just got 15 and
50. There were the worst team in the league
got Wiseman and even the next season they didn't make
the playoffs. They're playing. There was a lot of doubt that
they could ever get back
here. And so they put the plan in place, like this are on,
might be kind of dying. So let's get all these pics for
the next Heir and then step through a Mall Clay proof. No,
we can still win. Now and that's where it's been like,
It's kind of hard to Pivot off something that you know,
like they honestly didn't believe they were going to win
the title.
They're great. You know agree. Hey
Jim I'm looking at
we had a text chain going last night
and I'm looking at
it was a passage from the piece
and I told Gary and Natalie
Anthony I said this is one of my favorite passages said one
has to wonder how the face of the franchise. Come on Steph
Curry would respond to losing the face of the front office.
Us
whose signature moves for Andre Iguodala? Kevin Durant and
Andrew Wiggins were pivotal
to winning rings. I just like the way that was really
you really set it up nicely. They're like okay there's this
there's this parallel thing here. This tension going back
and forth between this camp and that camp all under
the Warriors. I'm Briella
and
what really blew my mind though. I was seeing that
Joe Lake of studies the draft weighs in on Personnel
decisions.
I just don't like this. I don't like, I think there's an art to
it and I understand you spent a lot of money on a franchisee
like was mine.
So don't tell me I can't do this.
And with that model that model doesn't tend to work. What I'm
getting at is this, that's okay. I'm not trying to mess up
your access
and your media privileges here.
Anthony
is Joel a kebab.
Is he doing too much as an owner? Well, he always say this
about Joe, Laker. He came in, he making a cup of tea.
He so he buys the team from, you know, Cohan who is
as, I'm sure, Jim knows like, was it horrible
at me. Like, I'd run the Warriors into the ground
and he gets there, and he makes a very controversial trade at
the time trading Monta, Ellis to Milwaukee, to get Andrew
Bogut and he was booed relentlessly in Oracle Arena
like his first real public appearance.
And he was adamant then
that like look, Coming to change the culture and I'm
going to like, we're going to be a sparkling brand franchise.
We're going to build, you know, this, this Grand Palace and
we're going to win a bunch of titles and that seemed absurd
at the time
and he's been proven correctly, like it is so hard to build
the building and then San Francisco that they did. So he has in his
life. Always,
you know, any like what we're all saying and critiquing him
I think rightly for, in a lot of ways. He's always like, prove
people, wrong. And like, look, you said, I couldn't, you know,
turn the Warriors into a dynasty and build this, you
know, Palace, And I did. So I think part of him right now
he's just had like he just has such an ambitious approach of
like,
no, I will contend forever
and history says no, like you're gonna have to go through
a rebuilding period. You can't just draft the next Steph clay.
Draymond they don't exist. Their unique people and figures
but he thinks he can but I'm
alright I get that part. What I'm saying is
why him? I mean like if you got Bob Myers is he is he
essentially, is he trying to be Bob?
I got that. He has his vision good for him, a lot of business
people are I like that. You said I can't do it. I did it.
Look, I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps, why, but
we got ya. What I'm saying is, is he getting in the way
of the general manager? Is that the problematic piece here,
that Joel a kebab is trying to be the executive of the year.
Not the owner of the year.
Yeah. I think that they are like somewhat collaborative in
the sense of like, hey, we are using the second overall pick.
We're not trading it for future
assets to help. Now, like we need to build for the Future.
Let's Go. Go to our big scouting department, they have
a very large scouting department and Bob's involved.
And I do think like, a lot of the actual draft picks were
pretty,
you know, consensus,
but it's more Vision, you know, vision of like, you know, not
to move off the young, guys. Not to move off this next era
that, you know,
he's just, he also liked the guy just loves basketball. He
plays it a lot.
You know, like I said, rat, he's in these draft workouts,
which is very rare and it's just You know, he has his
opinions and
I mean
like Jim, you were talking about something the NFL owners
earlier like they keep their their own bosses, they can if
they want to be heavily involved in part of why they
spent so much money on the team and it's tough to say. No, you
can't be
as we sit as Michael and I'm talking about, Marty
Schottenheimer used to say ownership has its privileges.
But here's my thing.
If you want to go down that track that you're going to use
these draft picks
on these young players and whatnot. The only way players
Is develop
is by playing
and the reality is Steve is not playing these young guys.
You know, the minutes that are required for them to develop.
And that's why I say that this organization something has to
come to a head. And if you're not all pulling in the same
direction,
you don't have a chance. And look, I'm the big, Michael
knows this. I'm the biggest Warrior honk, one of them out
there, all right, maybe behind that may be behind Natalie
and what I saw last night and what I have seen this season
and Pains me to say it.
They're not winning a title this year,
with the way that this is going there. Not the chemistry is not
right? The roles are not, right?
And when you have this sort of division about what direction
are we, are we going? You got to be all in.
You can't, you can't have your dip, your toe in the water,
you know? And say,
basically, you know, we're going to try something out. You
got to be all in on what you're doing, and
You see the frustration from Step last night, even you know,
which ejection, why? Because they keep making the same
mistakes
in the press conference. After the game. What Steve Kerr say
when he's asked about turnovers? Yeah, we bring
the guys in and practice. We watch film, we go over it, we talked
about it and then we go out and do it again.
And then we go home, we watch film and we talk about what not
to do and what not? And why we go out and we do it again.
It's this team just doesn't feel right and this story which
was again, phenomenal, I would recommend Everyone read it.
I think highlights some of why this just doesn't feel
like previous years with this club
and maybe you think I'm wrong, but that's just what I feel.
No, I agree. Look there, 24 and 24.
48 campus is the large sample in the NBA
and it's surprise some people, you know, if you if you go back
to the summer. So they just won the title which gives you, you
know an exit. Yeah, well I guess level of confidence in
your processes and
everything their I
was like look you know Moses Moody's ready, Jonathan can
make his ready. Wiseman is good enough to be a backup center.
You know. Maybe they'll be some bumps early on but like we'll
come back and you know their belief was like it's a more
talented roster. You know you Otto Porter. May have helped
win a title more than
a commander or Wiseman could have, but the upside is there and
they just I think have been surprised by the lack of
development,
you know? So honestly, I when they went three and seven early
in the season and had some really bad losses that's just
Like rocked everything because suddenly there, 10 games into
an 82-game season, which they usually take almost like
an 82-game preseason and suddenly Steph Curry's. Like, no, we
knew. We need to win tomorrow night. Like which means
that two-way player over there? That's 24 years old. He needs
to play over the 20-year old that you pick second overall
and that's where it just like to me. That's where it started
kind of going haywire.
Well, well, what struck me real quick about last night. What
struck me real quick about last night. Think about this
Steph Curry use the word desperate.
They were desperate for a win last night. Yeah. I mean, we
haven't even got to the all-star break and he's saying
desperate. Not because they're playing Memphis,
which obviously is an up-and-coming team in a threat
in the west, but because they can't get their stuff. Right,
you know, so when I heard that and you hear clay, say the same
thing,
it's a big game because we got to get, right?
I'm like man, this is not good.
Well, I'll tell you think that's not good.
Yeah,
I was just gonna say like the
if you talk to people, you know, the major figures, you
know about bigger picture views of this. It's like
it was like, dynasties always end number one and dynasties
always an ugly, like the bowl is one, did you know the Lakers
one dish at Kobe like Breaking Up Is Hard, right?
And there was always going to be an end and honestly it is
extended longer than most people predicted, including
themselves in some ways. Maybe not Steph, clay and Draymond.
But,
and and you're just, I think. Seeing that, you know,
the early
writing, the early story of how it kind of
you know kind of started to dissipate and
part of that is just it's obvious like Clashing of
motives, you know. It's just like do we care about all?
We're all in on this season or do Four Seasons from now
matter.
Well that just depends on who you ask in the organization.
And whereas three years ago, four years ago, everyone was
all in on the now because they were all in their Prime and
they were all winning and Durant was around. Like you
know,
this was bound to happen is what a lot of people. SA.
Well, Anthony,
thanks for thanks for. I know, Jim.
Thanks for coming on the show. We appreciate you. Great work
on this with the athletic. That's What salute to
that ejection last night was BS. He shouldn't have been
a ejected
context matters officials, no, not true. Not true.
A bit of ejected and three. Should I tell you what is true?
I'll tell you what's true
gym and Anthony.
If the Warriors played a round robin with Memphis and Boston,
They would win the title,
they're different team against oh those teams
they played in,
they actually make sense against the Grizzlies and
Celtics when they got to have it, they usually get it against
them.
I don't know. Everybody else on the road.
Not so much.
What do you mean? He shouldn't have been a ejected Trotter
what I'm talking about? No, he shouldn't do it.
He should have been good as a Baseline.