Steph's heartfelt Myers tribute perfectly portrays special bond originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The relationship between an NBA general manager and a player typically remains strictly business, but that wasn’t the case for Bob Myers during his 12-year tenure with the Warriors.
After being promoted to general manager and president of basketball operations in 2012, Myers and the Warriors made nine playoff appearances, six NBA Finals appearances -- five consecutive -- and won four titles together.
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Along the way, irreplaceable bonds were formed, too.
After Myers announced he was stepping down from his Warriors role on Tuesday, NBA superstar Steph Curry posted a flurry of photos with Myers on his Instagram story with a heartfelt message.
While speaking with Bay Area reporters in a press conference to announce his decision on Tuesday, Myers praised Curry’s leadership and is confident the team is in good shape despite his departure.
“Steph Curry is just -- you can't even begin to -- you can't overstate who he is,” Myers said. “When I talked to him, it's so rare for somebody of his caliber to be who he is. And I think people know him for what he does, but how lucky is this organization to have him as its leader?
“And for me to get to watch him be that guy for my whole time here, what a gift to me, and that's one I could never repay, ever. But it's great that he's saying. It's great that he's here.”
Myers said working with players like Curry is why he loved his job so much over the years, adding that “they are the reason for the success.”
"You know, some people say the GMs shouldn't be -- don't get close to the players," Myers said. "You might have to cut them, or you might get emotional and not pay them or pay them or whatever it is.
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"I kind of push back and go, what is the point of any job if you don't like and build relationships with who you go to work with? What is the point. Some would say to win. OK. But who are you doing that with, and what happens after that?"
While the players hate to see him go, they are understanding and fully support Myers.
And Myers hopes the relationships he built with them will continue even after he departs.
"It's hard. Those guys, you think about what you go through with people, and it's not all great," he said. "Most of it's been unbelievable. But I guess on those things, it's easier because I think I'll still talk to those guys. I mean, I want to. I think those relationships are real. So it's not goodbye.
"But it's more like, you know, you guys -- they are going to keep going. This is just my stop. The train is powerful. This thing is moving. It's just, I've got to get off. It's hard."
When Myers broke the news to Curry, though, he didn't get the reaction he anticipated.
"It's funny, I was talking to Steph a little bit, and I go, 'I feel like you're not really trying to change my mind,'" Myers said. "He started laughing. He goes, 'No, it hurts,' but he understands. The people that know me understand. But you can't take away what we've done and what we've been through."
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While Myers' departure feels like the end of an era, he assured Dub Nation that he has the utmost confidence in the team going forward.
"This team is in great shape," he said. "It's in great shape. [Warriors owner] Joe [Lacob] is not going anywhere. He has supported me.
"He has given me -- if there was a metric on cost per win, I don't know how good I would be, because we have spent a lot of money because he's so competitive because he cares so much. And to have an owner like that that puts his heart and his will and his money into winning; you can't ask for anything more, and that's not changing. You've got a fantastic coach. You've got arguably one of the best players to ever play and one of the best people to ever play in Steph Curry.
"So the future is unbelievably bright. I know that some people have said that I'm leaving because there's a lot of big decisions. Well, it's been a lot worse than this. There's been a lot harder summers than this when we started in the past. So I have great confidence in what's to come, and I have no doubt that much success will still be forthcoming."
