Tag: Bob Myers

Former Warriors GM discusses Steph Curry’s genius

Bob Myers recently shared his thoughts on Steph Curry’s ‘genius’ during an interview with JJ Redick.

Steph Curry is undoubtedly one of the best point guards in history. He’s unequivocally the best shooter in history, too. Therefore, it’s no surprise he’s been at the forefront of the Golden State Warriors dominance for more than a decade and continues to spearhead the franchise’s championship hopes, despite being 36 years old.

During a recent appearance on JJ Redick’s “Old Man and the Three” podcast, former Warriors GM Bob Myers shared his thoughts on Curry’s genius and what makes him such a special player, both on the court and in the locker room.

“Playing at this level, so much emphasis is put on winning a championship, and when you’re in it, you realize that you have to make that sacrifice,” Myers said. “It’s not fun, and it doesn’t have to be fun, but Steph, the genius of Steph is he can make winning fun. … Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, the reason they’re so revered, applauded, and beloved is that they had fun doing it. Genuinely, it wasn’t fake. Everybody wants to love playing a sport. I never said I laughed a lot when I played basketball. … So you got Steph doing that, what that does is through the hard parts of the season or a playoff run, Steph keeps it light. Not an agenda, it’s who he is.”

Curry’s style of play makes him a unique threat to other teams. His relentless movement when playing off the ball and his limitless shooting range have ensured his presence within Golden State’s rotation has struck fear into the heart of defenses throughout the league.

Earlier this season, Curry noted how he hasn’t ruled out playing into his 40s. If he can still find and spread the joy within the locker room, while continuing to make a positive impact on the floor, there’s no telling how long he will remain in the league. Furthermore, it’s highly unlikely he would ever leave the Warriors; he means too much to the franchise and its fans.

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Bob Myers explains his role for the Commanders at the 2024 NFL combine

Bob Myers gives some excellent insight into his time at the NFL combine.

Everyone was confused when Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris announced in January that he was bringing aboard former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers. Myers and former Vikings GM Rick Speilman were hired as consultants to help Harris search for a new head of football operations and head coach.

After all, for as brilliant as Myers is and was in building the Warriors into a dynasty, what did he know about building a football franchise?

The answer was always easy. You don’t get to the top of a professional sports franchise and remain there without being brilliant. For Myers, it wasn’t about 40 times or 10-yard shuttles but about relationships. Myers knows how to build organizations, choose winners, and build an organizational culture.

Harris raised some eyebrows when it was revealed he attended the 2024 NFL combine and was in on the interviews with the top quarterback prospects. It was much ado about nothing. Why wouldn’t Harris want to sit in and listen on potentially meeting the next potential face of the Washington franchise?

Myers also sat in with Harris on the interviews. However, general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn led the meetings. Harris and Myers were present but reportedly just to listen and learn.

Myers explained his role at the combine.

“Meeting with Dan, meeting with Adam about free agency,” Peters said. “Meeting with Josh, spending time with him while he was there. Just honestly being aware that there was a lot I didn’t know. Asking questions in areas that I might see commonality, I would offer, ‘This is the NBA’s version of how we approached free agency.’ Sometimes, when you ask questions, it helps the leaders of the Commanders find answers themselves.”

Myers referenced the 15-minute formal interviews all 32 NFL teams had at the combine.

“Sometimes we talked a little bit about these interviews, these 15-minute interviews or these short snapshots,” Myers said. “Sometimes, you overreact to a good or bad interview, realizing that’s a mistake. That’s not smart. It’s making a determination on a big decision in 15 minutes is never smart. So just sharing ideas like that, sharing experiences, because the NFL and NBA combine have a lot of common threads to them, they have a lot of similarities.”

This is really good stuff from Myers. Harris values critical thinkers, which is why they are both outstanding leaders. Myers wasn’t there to step on Peters or Quinn but to give them an extra sounding board. For instance, if someone came out of one of those interviews believing that the player was their guy, Myers was there to remind them that a 15-minute period isn’t enough to make a complete determination.

Leadership isn’t an issue for the Commanders anymore.

Steve Kerr and Kyle Shanahan recommended Dan Quinn to Commanders

Dan Quinn received some high-profile recommendations before landing the Commanders’ job.

“It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”

We’ve all heard this numerous times in life. Sometimes it is meant as a negative complaint that some people receive jobs when they actually aren’t qualified, but know someone who helped them obtain the job.

Other times, it is referenced because two or more candidates for a job might seem to be so evenly matched, but when a certain person vouches for one of the candidates, that is a good thing, and you feel confident in choosing them for the job.

John Keim, ESPN Washington Commanders insider, reported Saturday that during the Commanders’ recent coaching search, NBA Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recommended Dan Quinn for the Commanders’ job.

Keim wrote that Kerr, a four-time NBA champion head coach for the Warriors, had begun a friendship with Quinn. Apparently, their agents work for the same company. As Kerr and Quinn interacted and became better friends over the years, Kerr began to believe in Quinn.

Thus, knowing Bob Myers was on the Commanders advisory committee, Kerr texted Myers: “He’s your guy; you’ve got to hire him.”

Richard Sherman, who played for Quinn in Seattle, texted newly hired Commanders GM Adam Peters and Kyle Shanahan, Quinn’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta, highly praised Quinn to Peters as well.

Keim reported, “Perhaps the biggest endorsement came from Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Blank, who fired Quinn in 2020 after six seasons with the Falcons, reached out to Harris unsolicited on Quinn’s behalf. ‘To have Atlanta endorse Dan was powerful,’ one person involved said.”

Championship coaches like Kerr can recognize certain qualities or beliefs another coach may or may not possess. And working under a coach, as Shanahan did, provided an opportunity to hear how one may have expertise in their field. The recommendations from Sherman and Shanahan might, more importantly, reveal how one exercises their power rightly or wrongly.

Apparently, Kerr, Shanahan, Sherman, and Blank confidently affirmed their belief in Dan Quinn as a leader, coach, and human being.

Commanders’ advisor Rick Spielman likes Drake Maye ‘a lot’

Spielman believes all three of the top QB prospects will be successful in the NFL.

When Josh Harris announced on Jan. 8 that he had fired Washington head coach Ron Rivera, he also announced an advisory committee that consisted of Harris, some of his minority owners, and two outside executives: Former NBA two-time executive of the year Bob Myers and longtime Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman.

The purpose of the advisory committee was to help Harris find his next general manager and head coach. Within one week, the Commanders found their GM, Adam Peters.

After interviewing eight candidates, Washington landed on Dan Quinn as its new head coach. Since then, Quinn has hired an impressive coaching staff.

Now, Washington’s front office and coaching staff are examining the roster ahead of free agency and the 2024 NFL draft.

With the coaching search over, what is Spielman’s role? He isn’t involved in the day-to-day operations of the Commanders. Peters is over personnel. But we do know the former GM loves projected No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Spielman called Williams a “franchise-changing quarterback” in an October interview before he took on the advisory role in Washington.

The Commanders have the No. 2 overall pick, and if, as expected, the Bears take Williams as No. 1 overall, they’ll be deciding between Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.

Who does Spielman think is the next-best QB behind Williams?

“I like Drake Maye a lot,” Spielman said on the PFF NFL podcast recently. “I had the ability to watch him play live down in Miami last year. And his size, I think he is very athletic, I think he has arm talent. I think he’s another one; he didn’t have the same talent around him this year. He made some poor decisions turning the ball over or forcing the ball over where he probably could have kept it.”

What does he think of Daniels?

“Jayden Daniels is an incredible story,” Spielman said. “Coming from where he started at, at ASU, Arizona State, where he was still developing. You could say, “God, this guy will never be a first-round pick.’ But when he transferred to LSU and the strides he made from last year to this year. And how much better he has improved. I think all three of these are going to very successful quarterbacks in the league. I think there is a drop-off into the next tier.”

While Spielman will not be making decisions on which quarterback the Commanders will take in April, he’s likely had a conversation or two with Peters about each of the top passers in the 2024 draft.

WATCH: Commanders’ advisor Bob Myers at the NFC Championship game

Bob Myers was on the sideline for the Lions and 49ers on Sunday.

The Washington Commanders are in the middle of a search for their new head coach. On Sunday, a key figure in Washington’s search — advisor Bob Myers — was in Santa Clara for the NFC Championship between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers.

Why was Myers in attendance? The former two-time NBA Executive of the Year with the Golden State Warriors is from the Bay Area and has been to many 49ers’ games over the years.

But Sunday was a bit different.

Myers was a part of the committee that helped bring new Washington GM Adam Peters to the Commanders. Of course, Myers helped build the 49ers, who will be playing for the Super Bowl in two weeks.

On the other sideline was Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Johnson is considered by many to be the frontrunner for Washington’s head coaching position.

While it’s doubtful that Johnson was able to meet with Myers or Peters over the weekend, his first-half performance in charge of Detroit’s offense was the perfect audition. While the Lions lost, Johnson solidified his stock as a top head coaching candidate.

With the Lions and Baltimore Ravens eliminated from the playoffs, Washington should have its head coach named later this week. Will it be Johnson?

Josh Harris’ advisors played key role in Commanders landing GM Adam Peters

Josh Harris’ search for a new GM was “thorough and rapid,” and his advisory committee

Thorough and rapid. That’s how Washington Commanders managing partner Josh Harris described his search for a general manager last week.

Harris met with the media last Monday — the day after Washington’s season-ending loss to the Cowboys. By Friday, he had hired San Francisco 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters as the team’s new general manager.

Over two days last week, Harris and members of his advisory committee, Bob Myers and Rick Spielman, met with five assistant GMs from other franchises. After the initial set of interviews, Harris narrowed the list to Peters and Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham.

Peters and Cunningham would undergo another interview, with Harris and his advisors meeting with minority partners Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, and David Blitzer to finalize their decision.

In his weekly column for Sports Illustrated, Albert Breer highlighted the impact of Myers and Spielman in the process of hiring Peters.

Breer noted that Spielman began working with Harris on the weekend of Week 16. That’s the week when the Commanders played the New York Jets on Christmas Eve. However, it was Myers, a longtime friend of Harris from their time in the NBA, who first reached out to Spielman to gauge his interest in meeting with Harris.

Harris made it clear no decision had been made on head coach Ron Rivera’s future, but he wanted to have a list of candidates ready if he moved on from Rivera. So, Spielman, the longtime Minnesota Vikings general manager, accepted Harris’ offer to join his advisory committee, along with Myers, Harris, and his minority owners Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, and David Blitzer.

Spielman went to work on creating a list for a new head of football operations and a head coach.

Spielman’s work through the final two weeks of the season was done quietly. He made calls but didn’t tell folks who he was working for, gathering information discreetly. Then, the Monday after Week 18, once Harris let Rivera go, Spielman drove to Miami and got to work talking with folks such as former Arizona Cardinals GM and Fritz Pollard Alliance exec Rod Graves, former New York Giants GM Jerry Reese, former Jacksonville Jaguars exec Michael Huyghue and former Pittsburgh Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, all whom worked in the league for decades, and attended last month’s accelerator program.

He was on the phone from 7:30 a.m. to about 11 p.m., checking every box on the five guys he’d identified, all of whom carried assistant GM titles: Peters, as well as Kansas City’s Mike Borgonzi, Cleveland’s Glenn Cook, Chicago’s Ian Cunningham, Philadelphia’s Alec Halaby.

Breer’s column included more, detailing the impact of Myers and Spielman on Washington’s search.

Washington fans were concerned, even upset, throughout the season when Harris chose not to fire Rivera. He was correct all along. What would firing Rivera in Weeks 10, 12, or 15 have done for the Commanders?

Instead, behind the scenes, Harris was ahead of the curve, preparing for the most important offseason, arguably, in franchise history.

Josh Harris is using relationships to rebuild the Commanders

Josh Harris is making all the right moves.

When the Washington Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera last week, owner Josh Harris released a statement that he’d hired outside advisors to assist with his search for the franchise’s next head of football operations and head coach.

Joining Harris and minority partners Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson and David Blitzer on Washington’s advisory committee were former two-time NBA Executive of the Year Bob Myers and former NFL Executive of the Year Rick Spielman.

There was some initial confusion as to why Harris — a longtime NBA owner — would bring on an NBA executive. It didn’t take long to realize that you didn’t need to be an NBA fan to see Myers’ accomplishments. He’s a team builder. He’s a program builder, and he’s all about relationships.

Spielman spent 32 years in different front offices around the NFL, including a stint as general manager of the Minnesota Vikings that ended in 2021.

Shortly after Harris’ statement, the Commanders requested permission to speak to potential GMs and head coaches. They began the interview process on Tuesday and, by Friday, had hired San Francisco 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters as the franchise’s new general manager.

Peters was the most coveted executive available, and Harris and his partners interviewed him on Tuesday, and by Friday, he was Washington’s GM.

What was the connection here? It was Myers.

While Garofolo’s initial report was incorrect — the pair didn’t go to the same high school — they are pretty friendly with one another. Both are natives of the Bay Area, and Peters accepted a position with San Francisco in 2017. At that time, Myers was GM and president of the Golden State Warriors, roles he stepped away from last May.

Myers had been to several 49ers’ games and built a friendly relationship with Peters over the years.

What about Spielman? His younger brother, Chris, a former NFL standout linebacker, is a special assistant to the Detroit Lions’ President/CEO.

What does that have to do with Washington?

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is reportedly the Commanders’ top target to be their next head coach.

Johnson joined the Lions in 2019, while Spielman returned to the franchise in his role in 2020. Of course, Spielman would know Johnson well.

Well played.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Johnson will be Washington’s next head coach. Johnson may seek another job, or the Commanders may be blown away by someone else in the interview process, such as Texans OC Bobby Slowik or Rams DC Raheem Morris.

You never know.

However, Harris is one step ahead. Could you ever say the same about former owner Dan Snyder? It’s a refreshing change for Washington to be a desirable place.

Commanders adviser Bob Myers and 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters have a long history

Could the Commanders lure Adam Peters away from the 49ers?

Do the Washington Commanders have a favorite in their search for a new head of football operations? Washington has requested interviews with several candidates, with San Francisco assistant general manager Adam Peters among those names.

And according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, that interview will happen — and soon.

This is significant. As Breer noted, Peters turned down opportunities to interview with the Titans and Cardinals last offseason. It could mean two things. First, Washington’s head of football operations position is extremely attractive.

Secondly, could this be Peters essentially pushing the 49ers into giving him a promotion? San Francisco promoted John Lynch from GM to president of football operations after he received a contract extension earlier this season. Interestingly enough, Lynch’s current title is what Commanders owner Josh Harris titles the position that Peters will interview for in Washington.

Lynch still holds the title of GM, but that could be dropped and given to Peters if he chooses to remain in San Francisco. Peters came to San Francisco in 2017 after eight seasons with the Denver Broncos, working as one of John Elway’s top personnel guys.

Peters is a California native attending Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, Calif. He is also a graduate of UCLA.

Do you know who else is a UCLA graduate and California native? That would be Bob Myers, hired Monday by Washington as an adviser in its search for a head of football ops and head coach.

Myers, the two-time NBA executive of the year and four-time NBA champion, is the architect of one of the NBA’s most dominant teams in recent years, the Golden State Warriors. He’s also been to several 49ers’ games recently.

Myers is from Monte Vista High School in Danville, Calif., which is around 50 miles from where Peters grew up. There is an existing relationship, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network.

Garafolo was incorrect about the two attending the same high school, as we noted above. But does that existing relationship help the Commanders in luring Peters away from the 49ers?

Peters interviewing with Washington so soon could also be good for its prospects. The Commanders would like to wrap up this process so the team can turn its attention to the coaching search. There are others Washington wants to interview, such as Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, but it’s clear Peters is among the early favorites.

Former Commanders coach Ron Rivera issues statement, thanking fans, owners, players

Ron Rivera thanks fans, players, coaches and new ownership for his time in Washington.

After four seasons, the Washington Commanders move on from head coach Ron Rivera on Monday morning. Rivera’s time in Washington is done. He finished his time with a 26-40-1 record.

Shortly after firing Rivera, Washington requested interviews with several prominent head coaching and general manager candidates. Owner Josh Harris assembled an advisory committee to assist with his search, which includes former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers and former Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman.

In the meantime, Rivera issued a statement through the Commanders, in which he mentioned the fans, Harris, his players and coaches, expressing gratitude for his time in Washington.

Here’s the statement.

This is classy from Rivera. While there’s no doubt he failed as a coach and general manager, he also dealt with tremendous adversity in leading the Commanders through very difficult times. As we’ve said before, Rivera was the perfect leader at the perfect time for Washington.

With Dan Snyder gone and the Commanders finally under new ownership, it was time to move forward in a new direction.

The Commanders hired ex-Warriors exec Bob Myers and fans were so confused about his role

Myers is a two-time NBA Executive of the Year.

During a very busy morning in the NFL, the Washington Commanders made a splashy hire to bring in former Warriors executive Bob Myers.

The longtime Golden State president of basketball operations and general manager was a four-time NBA champion and two-time NBA executive of the year while with the franchise.

Myers was hired by Josh Harris, who led an investment group to purchase the Commanders in 2023. Harris is also the managing partner of the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA and the New Jersey Devils in the NHL.

After parting ways with two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year recipient Ron Rivera on Monday morning, Harris and the Commanders are in the midst of a coaching search.

As part of his new duties with the Commanders, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Adam Schefter, Myers will “assist his ownership group” with searches for a new head of football operations and head coach.

“Myers, the architect of four championships with the Warriors and a current ESPN NBA analyst, and Spielman, a 30-year NFL front-office executive, will work with Harris and his limited partners Mitch Rates, Magic Johnson and David Blitzer as part of an advisory committee designed to reshape the Commanders’ front office and coaching staff, team officials told ESPN.

In a search that will commence immediately, Myers will take a lead role in identifying and coordinating interviews with candidates for the top football operations and head-coaching jobs, with Spielman set to work closely with him, officials said.”

Myers will reportedly continue his role as an NBA analyst for ESPN.

While he is potentially not a full-time hire, fans had mixed reactions (some positive and some confused) about Washington bringing him in to help usher in this new chapter of the franchise.