With champagne raining down from the San Francisco sky, Draymond Green had two simple words for the Warriors faithful.
“Winners win.”
(Photo credit @warriors)
One of the ways Golden State has been able to win is through an incredible scouting department. This scouting department drafted Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole, among others.
Every Warriors fan has complete faith in the front office, something that is rarely said for a fanbase in today’s sports world. That faith carried the Bay Area through Kevin Durant coming and going, Thompson’s two year absence and a 15 win season, followed by COVID.
But, with all of that faith comes great responsibility. Owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have built a front office that assembled one of the greatest dynasties in basketball, and sports, history. Following their fourth championship in eight years, Bob Myers still has a tall task in front of him: Keeping the Band together.
Keeping the Band Together
One of the most difficult things for the Chicago Bulls in the 90’s was the shaky relationship between their stars and general manager Jerry Krause. By the end of their run, it was so bad that Phil Jackson refused to speak to Krause, and players openly berated Krause on the team bus on numerous occasions.
On the flip side, Bob Myers has not only maintained incredible relationships with the Golden State stars, but his front office deals have been incredibly successful as well. Since Kevin Durant left the Warriors, Myers has made moves that include:
-Trading for Andrew Wiggins and a 1st round pick (Jonathan Kuminga)
-Singing Gary Payton II over Avery Bradley or Kent Bazemore
-Drafting Jordan Poole at 28
-Signing Otto Porter Jr. who was left for dead by the NBA
-Brought back Andre Iguodala
-Refused to deal Poole, Kuminga, James Wiseman or Moses Moody to win now
In the era of super teams, the Warriors have ironically shifted away from that storyline. The majority of the core players on Golden State’s 2022 championship team were drafted by the Warriors. Not only is it hard to be that successful in the draft, but it is very difficult to develop AND keep all of those players in house.
They have been able to do that, because of the ownership's willingness to spend “every last dollar” to compete and win a championship. Buying rings? No, they earned those rings.
The Future
What Bob Myers has been able to do as an NBA general manager is nothing short of incredible. But, what is even more exciting is the future of this team in the next four years.
The core that the Warriors have under contract. Already returning next year are Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Green, Wiseman, Poole, Kuminga and Moody. The only main contributor left to bring back for the 2022-23 season is Otto Porter and/or Kevon Looney.
Even looking after 2023, the Warriors will have to make free agency decisions on Poole and Wiggins with the Splash Brothers entering their elder years. But, what a position to be in, right? The Warriors have two of the greatest shooters of all time under contract, exciting young talent and have to try and find a way to lock up a former #1 overall pick and the hottest rising guard in the NBA? Darn.
Will Bob Myers have to make some hard decisions after next season? Absolutely. But, basketball is a business. It was hard to move on from KD, just like it was hard to move on from Bogut and Harrison Barnes. But Myers has been able to do what many dynasty GMs have not been able to. Win now, and plan for the future.
Obviously, what Krause and the Bulls were able to do was incredible and historic. But what happened after the 6 rings? Chicago was a desolate place for years until Derrick Rose came in 2008 to save the city and the franchise.
Bob Myers said it himself at the parade. “We’ll make an effort to keep the team together. It’s a good balance of young, old and in the middle.”
Who knows what will happen with Golden State, but as long as Lacob and Myers are at the helm, don’t expect a rebuild to come anytime soon, and expect another ring or two be captured in the next few years. Because hey, as long as the greatest point guard and the greatest shooter of all-time suits up for Golden State, anything can happen.