How the Golden State Warriors Almost Hired Stan Van Gundy but went with Steve Kerr instead

Golden State Warriors President Bob Myers was interviewed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on the Woj Pod, and they touched on a few things. One significant part of the interview came about the process of the hiring of Steve Kerr and how they almost went with Stan Van Gundy.

Myers mentioned they were re-evaluating Mark Jackson, who was head coach at the time. Myers was talking to Van Gundy for a bit, but Kerr came into the surface. Myers said that he was willing to reach out with Kerr and see where he was at, even though the New York Knicks was strongly keen to sign Kerr, giving him a lucrative deal being head coach and team president. But Myers didn’t hesitate and reached out.

We went to so Stan was certainly a candidate. And we we didn’t have a long list because, you know, Steve was a candidate too. But Steve had kind of maintained he was down the line with the New York because we were, you know, New Yorkers are talking before we could because they weren’t in the playoffs. So we had to wait to eliminated and wait until we’ve made the decision on mark. So we were a couple weeks to three weeks behind when the Knicks could start their search. And so obviously Steve has had an has a relationship with Phil and that was a real driver there. So we had him on our list but weren’t. We’re kind of hoping he talked to us. But we’re hearing from him that he that he was kind of wanted to see where the New York thing went. And then Stan was another guy, like you said, very congenial, really fun to talk to a lot of conversations with him prior to meeting with him, but but just prior to meeting with him, he because he’s such a good guy and has the integrity has he said, Look, I’m kind of down the road with another situation

Bob Myers

All of sudden, Kerr was more interested with the Warriors. Myers said, “I think he (Kerr) was way ahead of a lot of people analytically on on how he approached the game. But to his credit, again, he was kind of saying, I’ll talk to you guys, but I just I don’t really see a way things are going to change,” implying the Knicks was on top of his list.

Van Gundy turned down the position, and the next day Kerr called to express interest.

“Steve actually called my phone. It was kind of like we talk. He didn’t know we were meeting with Stan, I think he just had realized he wanted a chance to talk to us before he made a decision. So that all kind of happened at once. So in the course of it, we left and Stan basically told us after that meeting, that I’m gonna go, I’m gonna go in the direction I thought I was. And so then we were nowhere but in the course of that Steve popped back up and said, Hey, I might I might be willing to talk to you guys. So stuffs more interesting and truth and fiction. But that is how it happened. I mean, it’d be easy. He did call while we were meeting with Stan, which was kind of crazy.”

Bob Myers

Steve Kerr eventually became head coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2014 , and won three championships in five years. Kerr became NBA Coach of the Year in 2016.

The Warriors were fortunate to this piece of a championship team.

Here’s the transcript of the podcast.

Transcript

Adrian Wojnarowski
Welcome into Bob Meyers, the president basketball operations with the Golden State Warriors. Three time champion two time Executive of the Year. Bob, welcome in. Good to be back with you, man.

Bob Myers
Yeah, thanks for having me. It’s a interesting times. Interesting times.

Adrian Wojnarowski
It is. And I wonder Bob, you are across the country. You’re in Northern California. Now, the league’s return last night in Orlando. Assume you watched it. Watched at least some of the games What did it look like to you and you think about when all of this started and it started in Golden State when you guys were going to be the first team to play a game without fans and how quickly it all escalated to the league shutting down. What What were your thoughts? Were Watching this from across the country last night,

Bob Myers
more kind of proud of the effort, leadership sacrifice to players. I mean, people can say that players make a lot of money and coaches and everyone around the NBA is lucky. So start with that baseline. But beyond that, you know, not seeing your family for weeks, months, potentially at a time and they’re supporting the league. I mean, there’s 22 teams there. There’s eight that aren’t. So the fact that it happened, the fact that it was high quality basketball, good games, the fact that the players are really it. I think sacrifice is the key word though. I hesitate to say it because, you know, a lot of people are sacrificing in much bigger ways, but from the professional standpoint and part being part of our league. You know, you appreciate the culmination of a lot of hard work from the league side, do it as safely as you can for the player side to kind of give up a lot of their freedoms and things they’re usually able to do. So thankfulness really for all of it. It looks like it’s being done safely.

Adrian Wojnarowski
Bob, when you think back to the virus’s beginnings, in terms of its context with the NBA, and I think the league itself was sharing information with the teams on a daily basis all the way back in January. I believe it started maybe even sooner, but you’re dealing with local municipalities about the arena and fans. Steph Curry took a test. You know, prior to I guess, probably about a week prior. There were some questions of whether stuff might be positive for the coronavirus from your understanding of what might happen. How quickly did it feel like it escalated in your world?

Bob Myers
Yeah, look in the entire world of sports, but it escalated fast. It was, you know, the kind of the moment the headline I thought I’d never see was the NCAA tournament’s canceled. That was kind of the one that was wow, you know, this is pretty real. And I don’t know if that proceeded I think that was post Rudy Go Bears testing positive right i think that was after

Adrian Wojnarowski
it was Bob and it’s funny you say that because I was Rudy go bear had tested positive and the leak had shut down that night. The next day I went up to Bristol and I was in studio, which looking back I probably shouldn’t have done. But I was up in Bristol and I was sitting on the set of sports center. And rece Davis was they had a separate set for him and Jay Bellis was that it must have been the ACC tournament. And and I was getting ready to go on the next segment. And in that moment, when Reese was going to swing over to maybe Kevin Hogan there, say steel and I was waiting to talk about the NBA. They got word that the tournament was canceled. And then they stayed with that and I remember sitting there, I should have just left the set because they weren’t going to come to me because that was such a bombshell story. But boy, I remember sitting there looking around and trying to understand what I was hearing Because it went from Well, maybe some of the conference tournaments will play but they won’t have fans. And then all of a sudden for them to say the tournament was canceled. It’s funny you say that because even though the NBA you didn’t know, was it going to be a week? 10 days, two weeks and it’ll come back maybe? Or but the tournament cancelled is cancelled, then you’re right. That felt different.

Bob Myers
Yeah, I think it was the enormity of it. I mean, we didn’t know we work once through to go bear tested positive and they suspended our league. They didn’t cancel our league in that moment. They didn’t say the league is over. I think a lot of people thought we might come back in a few weeks. But once we had a better handle on things, but the tournament being canceled, you knew that it wasn’t something that could be recovered. Right. It was a it was a there’s a finality to it, and a loss to it kind of, whereas our seasons now continuing, yes, it’s different. It’s a different kind of season, but that tournament is never going to be played and you’re going to see in the history books 2020 NCAA champions It’s gonna be blank. And that’s, that’s that’s a whole new thing. And for some reason that part stuck with me, but as far as how fast it culminated to your question, really, really quickly, and even leaving in San Francisco was all of a sudden you’re not leaving your house. I mean, it was not just professionally, it was societal. You were very abruptly in our city in our market, it became sheltering in place. And there’s a lot of fear, a lot of a fear of the unknown and, and it was happening very fast.

Adrian Wojnarowski
It’s funny you talk about that the NCAA tournament, I remember. Maybe it was right after and I think I might have that you had an anniversary, didn’t you? Your UCLA team had your of your national title? I guess it was 25. No. 25 years. Yeah. And I remember right around then we started to show we were just showing all old NCAA Tournament games. That’s all we had the air and I’m watching Taya San Diego. To coast and scores, and there you are picking him up and you’re coming off the bench or maybe you’re on the floor but you, you came in grab

Bob Myers
me clear where I landed on the bench mislead the listeners here.

Adrian Wojnarowski
And then it ended up with Sports Illustrated cover, which was fitting it was you could see your arms wrapped around tie Sedney and sort of your torso, maybe your leg, but not your face. You were the guy behind the

Bob Myers
guy appropriately. So right. I mean that people say you’re the Sports Illustrated cover and I said, Well, that’s wrong. First of all, that shouldn’t have put any part of my body on there. But the fact they didn’t put my face was was right. It was the right whoever chose that picture. So let’s not get this guy. What does this have to do with anything? But now that was Those were the tournament. The hard part is in life. You know, having lived a couple of championships are fewer on the NBA side and one on the college side. If you knew how much it would matter Later in your life, you’d probably be so scared in the moment to play because these things actually grow in stature as time passes, I mean, that’s the last time UCLA won it, which I spent 25 years. You just never know in sports or life when you’re going to get another chance at winning and competing again in a championship. And what I tell people is we did have a zoom reunion, which is, which in one way is good because a lot of people can’t make it physically to reunion so everybody was on there. But, you know, the championship creates a lasting bond, and that’s what it does. And that’s where any championship does, you can instantly reconnect with those people that were part of that journey. And that was a lot of fun of and look, even if we had gone that far and lost in the finals, and championship game against Arkansas. It’s we’re not connected and that’s the brutal part of sports where second place or one second away changes a lot of The rest of your life which is it’s it’s a lot to process when you’re young.

Adrian Wojnarowski
The run you had with the Warriors, Bob,

Bob Myers
are we done? Is it? Is it kind of over?

Adrian Wojnarowski
Well run

the run, you

know, you tell me you’re the architect. Doesn’t the architect usually know before anybody else? You know,

Bob Myers
if the plans don’t work I just I just blame someone else in the foreman. Wave with subcontractors. Yeah,

Adrian Wojnarowski
yeah, that’s That’s right. That’s what you do in American leadership right now. Anyway, you blame somebody else. That’s not my fault. Yeah,

it’s not my fault.

Bob Myers
I’m blaming her for last season on the record.

Adrian Wojnarowski
The run of five straight NBA Finals and the multiple championships when you got to the end of it last year. Against Toronto. And my sense with you, Bob was you were pretty burned. You were pretty fried. After all of this, and what this past year has been like, is your perspective different on maybe how fragile and how I don’t know how fortunate you get to be to be a part of it when in the middle of it at times it felt more taxing then maybe rewarding.

Bob Myers
Yeah, look, I’d say all that and I kind of was asked this question a month or so ago and misspoke about, I think after our second third championship, how I was, you know, wasn’t as I was, I was fatigued, but I think it got interpreted that everybody was so let me clarify. For me if you’re asking about me, yes. And I think part of the reason is in my unique position in the organization, I don’t play I don’t coach. No GM, no president of basketball nobody. We try our best to Help and Support as the season goes on once all transactions are made, but it’s a very helpless feeling. And we all kind of, you know, a lot of people in my business, every GM watches games differently, right? I mean, you, if you could do if you could really tell everybody what we were all like, I think that’d be an interesting podcast.

Adrian Wojnarowski
Those are the miked up, those are the miked up television hits. I like their gems watching games miked up would be Yeah, that would be like a talk about second screen second screen experience. Yeah,

Bob Myers
unfiltered but I but I think I will maybe because that’s not my style, and that kind of externally frustrated and screaming and yelling, maybe I probably internalize too much. So for me, yeah, it was it was tiring. And you know not to compare us to what we saw with the last dance with the bulls because obviously they won six and three in a row. But It’s hard to say to people that it can be everything. It can be tiring, it can be amazing. It can be rewarding, it can be exhausting, it can be the best thing that ever happens. It’s not just one thing. So if your question is, were you tired at the end of it in my job? Yeah, for five years I was. A lot of people probably hear that and say, you know, what are you talking about, if I give anything for that, and that’s fine, too. So would I. But they would be tired too. If they’re being honest. Anybody would be and it’s five marathons in a row. I, I wish I could have, you know, I can’t compare to what it would be like as a player or a coach, I bet it’s better. And it should be. It should be for them because they got more on the line. I always view the players as the ones that put the most on the line in these things. And they just they get the most praise, they get the most criticism, and then the coaches are kind of next in line. And so someone in my position, we probably beat the hell out of ourselves for mistakes we made. As we assembled the roster If we come up short we look back on the things we could have done and could have done differently and I think that’s what wears you out. Because most gyms have that part of them where they’re just kind of always cycling through what they should have done and that’s that’s a hard thing to live with.

Adrian Wojnarowski
How about the element Bob of keeping the peace of everything every team has issues every single one who’s together they come in different forms they Evan flow with different relationships. You know, some of yours were very public You and I, and Dre mon habits, one of my favorite podcasts I’ve ever done. I’ve never had a dynamic of a team president GM and star player sitting and literally talking through some of those issues in real time that you hadn’t even talked about before. We did that up prior to last season, is that the part of it is the is trying to manage the relationships and keep everybody pulling in the same direction. Keep people together. Is that is that what takes it out of you? Is that a big part of it?

Bob Myers
Yeah, I would permit it is everybody does it differently but I feel a responsibility to try to mend fences and try to keep people connected in a very difficult environment even in success and it’s not people again, I think the misconception is that professional athletes celebrities, they don’t have any problems that but but if you just stop for a second and believe me on this because I was an agent I at least understanding from the professional athletes side, they have plenty of problems. And that’s not not more not less. Maybe it’s the same for the people listening you got problems to the differences is that there’s not a microphone in your face every night after dinner. Hey woge would you take a bad storm and off when you pick a bad storm and off because he wouldn’t eat his vegetables? Did you go Don’t know what the hell’s wrong with that shit. And then the headline is woge was dismisses his child after dinner. And it’s like, wait a sec, I love my son. He loves me. What are you doing here? And then it’s a sound bite, right? Or they catch a video of him slamming his bedroom door. And you go, but you go now he’s a really good kid got to get to know him. But that’s the thing that appeals to people. And I say one of my favorite stories I tell on kind of the sacrifices it takes. So when we I think I might have told you that before but when we signed gadalla Harrison Barnes would come off as his rookie year in a very good rookie year and so we had to figure out who to start because they both were deserving. So Mark Jackson, right and they started to gadalla more seasoned player hairs come off the bench. And we had a good season we lost to the clippers. I think we had we in the first round seven game series, and good game clippers really good. And then Then we had Steve after the season. And Steve, we talked and he said, look, I think I think I think we’d be a better team if Andre came off the bench. And I said, Yeah, I mean, look, you might get more to Harrison. I said, cuz he’s, it’s harder to learn how to come off the bench for a young player than he is a veteran. Not that it’s easy for anybody. So Steve said, I’ll talk to Andre. So here’s the example I use, I mean picture. So Steve goes to Andre and he says, look, we need you to come off the bench. And Andre and this is the part of Andre that’s so impressive. He says the Steve

Alright, if that’s if that’s what you think that’s for the team. Not only does he say that, he doesn’t then call the reporter off the record and say, This is BS. This guy’s never coached a game in his life. And he’s telling me to come off the bench, and I’m an Olympic champion, and I’m an all star and then goes to practice in hopes he doesn’t do any of that he authentically says and believes this the best for the team. So for people to really understand that I say picture you were the VP in your ranch as your organization, you were deserving of the role you had you had the corner office and they said, Hey, hey, john, look, you deserve this office. You deserve this title, but we’re going to knock you down to kind of an assistant, or director. And, by the way, it’ll probably be on sports center tonight. And just just just have a good attitude. All right, see you later. So, in any event, Andre comes off the bench, and it’s harder and people interview him after the game and they say, Andre, how does it feel to come off the bench? And he says, I this is what’s best for the team. And then the reporter turns off his microphone and says, really, I mean, this kind of sucks, right? I mean, you don’t want to do this. And Andre says, No, I, I will do this, right. This is what I’m supposed to do. He probably gets text messages from his friends. You should be starting. Don’t let them do this to you. So he waits all year long and comes off the bench. And we are the number one scene and we’re down to one Cleveland to the Cavs. And Steve says, Hey, I think I’m Started out. And I said, Well, you know, what do you think you’re going to get out of Harrison? And he said, No, I’m gonna start a good outlet for boat. We’re going to go small. So Andre doesn’t start all year, doesn’t say a word. We’re in the finals. And he says, Andre, you’re going to start now? And what does Andre do? He goes out and becomes MVP of the finals. Right? So that part if you want to talk about I don’t think any of it happens without that specific thing if you want to talk about it, because if Andre doesn’t do that, and he frustrated all year, in this day and age maybe he says I want out of here maybe Harrison says I want out of it. It’s just it’s it’s holding it together. But it requires everyone right? It’s not just me, but it’s maybe me checking into and Andre How do you are you are you know, are you just just having that type of dialogue. But when people look at sports, there is such pressure from the outside on these players that even the most well intentioned player after hearing 100 times for family and friends are the media that they should be getting this much money or they’re not getting appreciated, or they need to get out of there, wherever there is. They’re human beings. And I always tell people, you think these athletes aren’t human beings, you walk down the street, and I’ll be the guy that you don’t know that says, You suck. You were awful at work yesterday, and see how you feel and see what you do. I mean, and don’t tell me you won’t feel that at all. So I always say to your question of holding it together, you’re talking about people yeah, there are people playing a game and there are people that are famous, but there are people and I think that’s what makes when you win You’re so proud of that part. Because usually when you win there’s been some ups and downs but like my example is the difference in sports is there’s such scrutiny and even you For example, what if you’ve been covering the Celtics like sports recovered now and you wrote your burden McHale don’t like each other something a burden. Ange gotten to fight after practice. That’s step one. happened all the time. But it just wasn’t known and written and you wonder, with every team, you look back on they’ve had that stuff happen and but now if there’s a fight in practice, you better believe in you know this better than anybody you might find out if I’m not praying you might find out for I do if I’m trying to practice so it’s just one of those things where it’s hard, too hard to do.

Adrian Wojnarowski
Hey guys, Goodyear believes that movement drives us forward, that every mile traveled brings us one step closer to our goals. But Goodyear also believes in the importance of a rest stop and taking a breather to pause and reflect on the road ahead. Sometimes that’s all we need to keep going a moment to compose ourselves before we start moving forward again. So as you get ready to start moving again, Goodyear’s here to help visit goodyear.com to learn more Goodyear more driven Bob as you as you try to reshape this roster to try to win more championships and Get your guys back healthy this year. You’ve got to kind of you’ve had a couple chips to use. He made the DeAngelo. Russell, Andrew Wiggins trade. And now you go into the offseason, you see where you end up in this draft lottery potential to have a top three pick. And you have said you have said publicly, you’re going to be open to a trade to using that pick in a trade if a kind of an elite player becomes available, and that could kind of fit your timeline of your of your star players. Is all of that even more complicated as you try to evaluate it all. Because you can evaluate the draft picks the top. Now let’s say there’s four or five, however many you might say. Like, that’s a guy we really are. Are we giving up a superstar we want to make sure we’re not trading up as somebody who could be a real star. You want to know who they are, but you can’t you this is Not a traditional pre draft period, you don’t know the salary cap, you don’t know the where the numbers are going to live for a team like you that are going to be, you’re going to be paying you might be paying some historical numbers and luxury tax all of those things. Is it make it harder to even have a conversation that the conversations you have internally and then the conversations you might be having with other teams? Is it kind of all at a standstill right now as you try to figure out what it all might look like for you next year?

Bob Myers
Yeah, now you got me worried preface it like that. There’s a lot of variables. No, I just think it’s like you said it’s more variables. It’s it’s questions that might normally be answered that aren’t. And so, for me, yeah, there’s there’s trade scenarios that exists. Having a high pick, we don’t know what pic we have. We’ll find that out on the 20th. I don’t it’ll be interesting to see how they do the back room of the of the library. Now because they used to have people come in and take their phones and, and, you know, swear to secrecy as they announced it, and then they. So it’ll be interesting to see how we do that. But I think post lottery, things will heat up and I think GMOs are still going to move forward as they always have and try to improve their team. Sure, there’s things we don’t know. But you trust in the league that they’ll create an even playing field, whatever, whatever rules there are, they’ll apply to everybody. And so you, you navigate that and for us specifically? I don’t know it depends on like I said, What number pick we get in the question as to trades. Yeah, I mean, to be truthful, we’re not discussing trades with teams right now. So I don’t even know if we’re allowed, but but we’re not. And, and so, it’s, I perceive September for you to be busy reporting on whatever nuggets you have as far as potential trades and things like that, but it’s quiet in it. It’s gonna be interesting to see what does possibly alter in a new landscape. But at this point, it’s it’s almost not worth hypothesizing internally, we still just need to operate as if who’s the best fit for us? Every team is always looking at their economics. You know, will they change maybe, but right now, we’re not worried about that kind of information because we just don’t have it.

Adrian Wojnarowski
You talk about other gyms in the league, and it feels like as a group, I think by and large, the general manager business is probably similar to some others. It’s a little bit clicky. There’s guys who have relationships in history, and sometimes that helps a deal making history kind of shows people who know each other. You see some patterns of deals getting done. It feels like this offseason, by because of the corona virus and the shutdown and the amount of time You’re having to share information I wrote about this I guess earlier in the year talk to you and Tim Connolly had kind of started, you know, kind of gathering some guys together initially. And comparing notes and sharing ideas. Is there like a different camaraderie among that sort of everyone was sort of in the same thing together regardless big market, small market, you know, close friends or not close friends, that there was a little bit of a spirit of like, we could help each other here. We’re all in the same boat. And and did it maybe change Do you think maybe the dynamic is somewhere the overall relationships it might

Bob Myers
it might have? I think, I always say as an agent 10 years ago, I had many more conversations with gyms and got to know them better that I have on this side, a lot of my relationships were formed and strengthened from the agent side. That’s how I kind of got close to Danny Ainge and, and many other guys that need Maybe I would have never developed a rapport with because unlike coaches and players, and they use the word kind of their fraternity and family, I don’t know why we can’t cultivate that more, I guess it’s the innate competitiveness of our jobs. But coaches compete to players compete as well. You could argue they’re competing in a much more immediate and direct way. So

I don’t know I kind of regret that we don’t have a better relationship. And I do think to your question of this pandemic, that may be a silver lining is GM are cultivating relationships and, and trying to work together. I do think it has improved. I mean, everybody’s on the call. I mean, although we’re kind of there’s a party in the house and there’s 22 we’re I’m kind of on the outside the window. Hey, guys, I kind of don’t say much except for appreciate what they’re doing. And so yeah, I I think the reason why I wish it was more as it’s it only I mean, there’s a few people that understand what you do. Maybe a few in the world, but you do. There’s probably 29 people that understand what I do in basketball, and there’s other gyms and other sports, there’s a kinship with that, you know, talk to Billy Beane at times and other gems, I like talking to the john Lynch in the Bay Area, and, and the people around me because it’s an interesting position. And I think you have had you personally will have an interesting insight into what we do, and understanding of what we do more than most. If somebody, if somebody you could answer the question as close as best to anybody is what does a GM do? And you’d say, Well, let me know what you think. Let’s just put it that way. It’s not what you think. And then we’d all have our individual ways of moving through that and our weaknesses and strengths. But overall, when I’m talking to a GM, you know, for a GM, whoever is going to make the finals this year, I’ll know what that feels like. And as a president of an operation of GM, it’s Nobody else really does and it doesn’t but I don’t know what it feels like to be a player and and i think i guess that I wish those relationships at least yes they can stay competitive but like I said coaches compete players compete and they still have this kind of bond and gems we’ve had a harder time with that we don’t have a we don’t have a GM association that coaches and players we don’t have a way of kind of connecting outside of competing. So all the times we talk for the most part our competitive conversations and those aren’t the best ways to really build relationships you might build history, but but not real relationships.

Adrian Wojnarowski
I don’t think I’ve ever asked you about this Bobby they’re not on air but certainly not off here. I remember when it happened and then you moved. But But I was thinking about it last night watching Stan Van Gundy with with iron Eagle doing the New Orleans Utah game and stand so good on TV stands just stand a stand wherever you wear them is like How he is on TV is how Stan is he’s not a different some people you don’t even recognize them. When they’re talking on air Stan’s the same guy everywhere. You the Warriors had a pretty lengthy sit down with Stan before you hired Steve Kerr. I think there was some thoughts Stan was kind of going into the process was in a position to if not a favorite, a co favorite of getting the job. What was that day like with Stan, I think you met him somewhere in the Midwest, right? is a group and interviewed him.

Bob Myers
We went to so Stan was certainly a candidate. And we we didn’t have a long list because, you know, Steve was a candidate too. But Steve had kind of maintained he was down the line with the New York because we were, you know, New Yorkers are talking before we could because they weren’t in the playoffs. So we had to wait to eliminated and wait until we’ve made the decision on mark. So we were a couple weeks to three weeks behind when the Knicks could start their search. And so obviously Steve has had an has a relationship with Phil and that was a real driver there. So we had him on our list but weren’t. We’re kind of hoping he talked to us. But we’re hearing from him that he that he was kind of wanted to see where the New York thing went. And then Stan was another guy, like you said, very congenial, really fun to talk to a lot of conversations with him prior to meeting with him, but but just prior to meeting with him, he because he’s such a good guy and has the integrity has he said, Look, I’m kind of down the road with another situation. And and in a very, you know, he it was a good it was a great offer that he got it was it was a great offer. For his kind of to be the CO I think he was coaching president. The team, obviously was a lot of money. So to his credit, he said, I don’t know if you should worry about coming down here. I don’t want to lead john. Because I’m and I kind of said we’ll because at that point, we didn’t really talk to anybody. I don’t think so. Can we at least chalk talk to you because I’m of the mind You know, you always get some type of standard. And Tony, I still remember a lot of the good things he said, I think he was way ahead of a lot of people analytically on on how he approached the game. But to his credit, again, he was kind of saying, I’ll talk to you guys, but I just I don’t really see a way things are going to change. But if you want to fly out here, that’s why we met him near his house. Right? He wasn’t, you know, a coach wants a job, he usually comes to you for the most part, like he’s in the playoffs or something. So, and in the course of that meeting, the interesting part of the story is, Steve actually called my phone. It was kind of like we talk. He didn’t know we were meeting with Stan, I think he just had realized he wanted a chance to talk to us before he made a decision. So that all kind of happened at once. So in the course of it, we left and Stan basically told us after that meeting, that I’m gonna go, I’m gonna go in the direction I thought I was. And so then we were nowhere but in the course of that Steve popped back up and said, Hey, I might I might be willing to talk to you guys. So stuffs more interesting and truth and fiction. But that is how it happened. I mean, it’d be easy. He did call while we were meeting with Stan, which was kind of crazy.

Adrian Wojnarowski
It’s funny, especially when you had the success that your team had in the run, and you look back and there’s, we can all do this on our lives. Some decision, you made that at a time you were so sure was the right thing to do, and it fell apart on you and you’ve got it set in another direction. And you say, thank God, I didn’t. I didn’t do that. You had it with trades. You know, listen, we like the Kevin Love. discussions are well documented. You made a decision. You know, who knows how it turns out, but you certainly you look back and you go, Well, there’s never going to be a day in our lives that we regret keeping Klay Thompson but as the years kind of accumulate here, there’s a lot of those aren’t there in the NBA like, like trades and talks and things that at the time, seemed like That’s kind of a no brainer to do and you look back and go, holy cow. Why would we have ever thought of doing that? I’m not putting Stan in that category. But but but Steve, obviously, looking back Steve was the right coach at the right time for the Golden State Warriors.

Bob Myers
Yeah, but your point is well made and that if you want to go back and do revisionist history, there’s in any sport right not just basketball, there’s twists and turns to like I mentioned the gala thing. You know, there’s all these moments and there’s, there’s, there’s these you pivot so many different times in little ways during the course of a season sometimes big. But yeah, it is often written and said about what people almost do or the set but but you really are judged in your life on what you do do but if you wanted to look back and say like I almost happens to a lot of people, when they buy a house, they think they have the perfect house, they miss out on it, and two months later, they go they go Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t buy that you know, so it happens a lot, but in In the course of our five years, I mean, even our whether you look at the championships we won, you know, Cleveland, they said they had some injuries. The first one we won. We can say people use the dream on thing why we lost people. I’m sure Cleveland’s are. I mean, we could people say what they say about last year, it doesn’t matter. I mean, if you do it long enough, you’re probably going to get lucky in some respects, and unlucky and others. And if you bat a decent percentage in the draft and free agency, that’s about the best you can do. Because these decisions are made on the fly. You’re talking about people you’re talking about best guesses many times, talk about injuries, you’re talking about all these different things. So to get it right. All the time is impossible. But fans and they have the right to so it makes it fun. I mean, you can look like an idiot in my job pretty easily. Because, I mean, if you redraft it’s never going to go the way it did. And that’s it. obvious one where people pass on a guy and they just get destroyed. And you know what, that’s how it is. That’s what it is.

Adrian Wojnarowski
The challenge Bob of putting it back together and trying to again reshape the roster, you still have the elements of a championship core with Steph and clay and you know Dre Mon and bringing Wiggins into it and he didn’t have a didn’t have a great window of time with him but but I think you traded for him for because you saw how he fit with with your group. What’s he kind of get a second wind in the job where you go through these different phases? You know, the KD era, then KD leaves and you’re trying to do it again? Does it get you juiced up again to say okay, let’s, let’s see if we can do this again. Let’s see. And also maybe to the I think how you feel about Steph and how you feel about clay and Draymond Well there’s like a sense of responsibility of boy I owe it to these guys to do everything I can to give them another crack at it competing for a championship.

Bob Myers
Yeah, I think all that right i mean personally the trying to climb that mountain again is haven’t had to kind of get back up there again after kind of having a last year this year. So personally Yeah, trying to reshape things and understanding that Kevin was so vital to what we mean. I think people are people forget how great he is because he hasn’t played this season but they’ll remember when he when he plays again but it’s almost like letting the band go back on tour and you know, it’s the Eagles saying we want to go play again. We had some good songs and you say let’s do it. Let’s get back together and see what we can do. And there’s a nostalgia to it. There’s a you know, one thing I heard about the bulls last dance so much was all those players wanted to end it With losing, as great as it is to end with winning, you always, how can you not think that you would have kept winning when the last game you played, you won. So there’s, it’s the marathon runner that finishes with, you know, however many wins in a row and never runs again. And he says, I think if I were to run again, I would at least let me end with a loss. And I think for these guys, I’d like to see them and like to think that they deserve that shot, to leave it out there again, and kind of see where we could go with this group. And, and it’s, it’s unique to kind of have this. It’s kind of unique in sports, because usually when things end everything kind of falls apart, and you’re left with nothing. Right, you’re left with a total rebuild. You don’t get this hiatus time that we’ve had where everybody kind of, I use the band example. It’s like, we’re not touring this year. We’re tired, we’re done. We’re not doing it. But we want to go back out and see So it’s it’s, it’s it’s gratifying to try I don’t know how it’s gonna go I’m excited to see what happens with it. But those guys you have such good memories of all you know and Kevin’s in those memories of there’s so many memories in the playoffs that you create that you remember as as people going through it not just the scores and accolades, but the experiences and the connections that you make with people that that’s the part I enjoy the most. And they they’re honed in those really critical moments. They’re everything said, in a conversation with a player in the finals takes on exponential meaning. And so you really get to have some great dialogue.

Adrian Wojnarowski
I always got the sense, Bob, that when it ended with Kevin and Kevin decided to go to Brooklyn, that more than as much as anybody in your organization or as much as anybody I’ve seen in one of these scenarios. You were very, very determined that that it was not going to deteriorate into What often happens when the player leaves an organization? Whether it’s there’s acrimony there’s he wasn’t straight with us. He wasn’t that you were very determined to just thank Kevin and to have everybody around you in Golden State. just acknowledge how much he helped you when wishing well that you didn’t want to get sucked into that. It always felt to me anyway. Like that was something that was a priority for you.

Bob Myers
Yeah, I was. And he deserved that because look, the guy came to our team was MVP the finals twice, two championships three final, what do you want? I mean, what what do you want to happen? I mean, what do you expect that of a human being? I mean, what what is the problem with that and so but people would find it and seek it out. So for me, trying to just everybody’s so fast to look at what’s wrong with the team, and I was just so focused on and still am of what was right with all those things even in losing there was even in the effort that you make to win or lose. There’s, there’s great experiences there. And so for me, and it may have come from I just like the guy, you know, for all of them. You know, I think, you know, his authenticity and everybody would a lot of people that come in on him would say, he, you know, he shouldn’t laughter he should have done this. Everybody’s telling you how to live his life. And the way I think about Kevin is, I say just because you don’t understand, doesn’t mean he’s confused. You understand what I’m saying? Just because you don’t understand why he does what he does doesn’t mean he he’s everyone but but anyways. Yes, I think that we oftentimes in sports kind of and I would say that for all our guys, I’m In our, like I talked about earlier with a UCLA thing, those teams will always have a great, great bonds. And they’ll always be friendly with each other. And people may want to believe that or not, it will. It always happens. You’ve seen the story of these championship teams, they all it’s just too powerful to to erode in those situations. And so, yeah, for me, I don’t you know, and also players are allowed to do whatever they want to do. Whether it’s Tim or anybody else, they, they oftentimes don’t get in professional sports, you sign contracts, and when you’re free to do what you want to do. So you can’t you can’t credit criticize again for that.

Adrian Wojnarowski
I always remember Bob, your first exhibition game in Vancouver. with Kevin on your roster, you went up and played the Raptors in Vancouver. And it was the first time I saw Pascal siakam play and I was like, Who is this guy? Like, who is this guy? And I remember First Quarter I think Kevin, I don’t know he might have turned the ball over missed a couple shots. I remember you were sitting courtside. I remember texting you at the end of the quarter the half going, like this isn’t going to work out is it? I remember Oh my god, you really blew this one. Yeah, yeah. But what I really remember was we were talking about him after the game, and we were in coming out of your locker room. And I guess I was writing about Kevin that night. And I asked you a question about him. And you said, You know, I don’t really know him very well yet. Like, I’m not going to pretend that I know him very well yet. But I hope over time, that I’m going to get to that I don’t know the answer is about remember whatever it was, I asked. And it’s always interesting to me about how that relationship evolved. Because it felt like it just, I don’t know, by the end, you were probably as close to them as maybe anybody around there. Was that that? I don’t know, maybe he allowed you to see a side of him that maybe others haven’t gotten to see.

Bob Myers
Yeah, like, I mean, he’s I my favorite part of the job? Is that part whether it’s him or anybody, I’d say the San Diego Dallas like, say what’s Andre like? I said, Wait till you know you can’t know until you know for years. You can’t know him in a conversation you can’t win. And by the way, we don’t really know anybody in it. First time I met you, I think you were writing for the wet burger. What was the publication? What were you writing for? It

Adrian Wojnarowski
might have been the record. It could have been? Yeah. It could have been Yahoo.

Bob Myers
You were one of the first guys to cover kind of you were people. People want to say whatever they want to say about you. Which you know, the best thing I can say about you is I saw you working Then you’re the first guy down there in the green room, work in the draft room and nobody else was doing it. And I was kinda like, Who’s this guy? Trying to figure out what pic, somebody’s going and what’s he doing with that, but you had this way of disarming people and not taking all the time giving at the right times and professionalism. And over the last 20 years of knowing you, that’s my favorite part of you is you, you know, and we’ve had our times where you’ve called me and said, What the hell you’re doing, man? You’re upset with me about comfortable?

Adrian Wojnarowski
I remember I remember one. There’s one in Europe.

Bob Myers
I’m not sure this is a guy. I want to sit with me. But if you recall the conversation, I said what I said, and you were still upset, but you heard me and I heard you and we could go there and not break our relationship. We’re not gonna

worry I remember where I was when I took that phone.

Adrian Wojnarowski
I remember where I was when I made that call. We’re not going to talk about what it was over. I’m not gonna I’ve been in enough trouble. enough trouble this month.

Bob Myers
But let me Sorry. Let me finish. So to any of our players, Kevin, the players that have played for us and play now and stat, you know, step two, and all these guys. I’ve heard about talking about Steph Curry’s and watch them shoot threes, it’s getting on the phones and then talking about he’s got three kids. And I don’t know, if you don’t have that part. Then it’s all BS. Because if you don’t have that stuff, then the second player doesn’t play for you. Or can’t help you. You don’t talk to him. What kind of relationship is that? That’s not a relationship. If you I hope that when you stop at ESPN, I’ll still talk to you. I mean, if you want to talk to me, but I would want to you know, I I’d like I’d like to know who you are. Even though you do have the power to you know, do what you do. And that’s If you have a lot of influence, which you deserve, but I don’t feel like you use that. So that’s me getting to know you or anybody over 20 years. That’s my favorite part. And that’s where you talk about players. That’s I don’t know if I didn’t have that. I don’t think the job would be that enjoyable for me.

Adrian Wojnarowski
Yeah, yeah. No, it’s a it’s about this is a time where and I think part of it too is we’re not around each other anymore. Relationships all feel different because many of them are just virtual. Now we talk on the phone, you don’t have we there’s a lack of human connection based on how we have to live outside of our families. And the good part of it is we’re spending more time with our families than we ever have until of course, I came down to this bubble. And I’m I’m in day five of my quarantine, which is actually fine. I think I told you this the other day, Bob. It’s actually kind of startling. That just so you stay in your room quarantine here, right, Bob for seven days, so I go Sunday to Sunday. And it’s it doesn’t feel a whole lot different from my normal life. And I think it’s a real problem is a real problem, right? Like,

Bob Myers
that’s the friend I need to kind of step in and not you know, I see this is your cry for help. And when I look back and say he said it on the podcast and I didn’t feel anything that there let him just keep doing it. It’s

Adrian Wojnarowski
like I’ve got a TV I’ve got like the little remote TV camera. I’ve got my laptop. I got two phones. They dropped food off at your door three times a day. And you know, I’m on SportsCenter four or five times a day. We got countdown tonight. And it’s like, this is my normal life like I’m in. I’m in a room. I never leave it. I’m on the phone. And this is how I live. It’s like I live in Korea. I

Bob Myers
wake up from this when you wake up from this narrative you’ve created for yourself, but this is fine. Let’s play this back like in 10 years and you’re gonna look at yourself and say I was okay with that light.

Adrian Wojnarowski
Bob, it is always fun to catch up with you on the pot. We will. I won’t see as soon but I’m sure we’ll we’ll talk soon the best to the Meyers and your family. I know you’re off enjoying a weekend with your extended family this weekend. So thanks for doing it. And we’ll, we’ll talk again soon.

Bob Myers
Yeah, thanks for having me. And whenever we didn’t get into it, but I thought the the pregame solidarity was was pretty powerful from the league standpoint of all the players and I don’t know that image was powerful for me and everybody kind of coming together for for all the things that matter more than basketball and the racial justice. So I didn’t want to be on them without mentioning that the games were good too though. Games were good. Two really good basketball.

Adrian Wojnarowski
Games were great. And it’s a You’re right. It was a powerful it was a pretty unforgettable night given Come on where everything was for the league to happen. It to be able to piece this back together so far. But you know more to come games are going to be coming every night now. Bob, talk to you soon. Thank thank you again.

Bob Myers
All right. Get on the outside at some point. It’s fresh here.

Adrian Wojnarowski
I’ll try. I’ll try.

Bob Myers
All right.

Adrian Wojnarowski
Thanks for listening to this episode of the woge pod A big thank you to our guest Golden State Warriors president of basketball operations. Bob Byers, you can listen to new and archived episodes of the woge pod. Wherever you get your paws up. Be sure to check out the low post with Zach Lowe, the who collected with Brian windhorst the SVP pod and ESPN daily with Pablo Tory. He had a great interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday. We’ll catch you next time.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai