Tag: Bob Myers

Warriors react to the passing of NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern

Member of the Golden State Warriors weighed in on the passing of NBA Commissioner Emeritus, David Stern.

NBA Commissioner Emeritus, David Stern has died at age 77 on New Year’s Day from a brain hemorrhage that he suffered back in mid-December.

The NBA would not be the product it is today without the influence of Stern, his laundry list of accomplishments as commissioner is unprecedented for its time.

During Stern’s tenure, the basketball world launched things like the Draft Lottery, the G League, NBA TV, NBA Cares and the WNBA. Stern was influential in the NBA’s expansion to broader media markets, along with marketing strategies that launched the new wave NBA product that we know today. In his time, Stern turned the NBA from a basketball league to a global phenomenon.

After his passing was announced, several members of the Golden State Warriors weighed in on Stern’s legacy.

“I think David Stern probably made a bigger impact on the game than any non-player in the history of the NBA,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Coach Kerr said everyone is debt to Stern for the vision he had to set the league on the course to where it’s at currently.

“We all, everybody in the NBA—we all owe him a great debt of gratitude, for his service, for his impact and for everything he’s done for our individual lives.” Kerr stated in a video tribute.

Stern’s praise from the Warriors didn’t stop with Kerr, as President of Basketball Operations, and General Manager, Bob Myers spoke about the late commissioner’s influence on the NBA.

“He formalized and structured what we see now in the NBA,” said Myers. “He modernized the NBA—he had a strong sense of conviction—kind of a force of nature type personality to move the league in a direction where he wanted it to go.”

Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer, Rick Welts said it’s hard to imagine a world without Stern.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that he is the single most important individual in the history of the NBA,” said Welts. “His 30-year term as commissioner’s work before really created the foundation that we have enjoyed to this day, as this special NBA that we are.”

In a statement regarding the passing of Stern, the Warriors called the Hall of Fame Commissioner Emeritus and “icon.”

Stern is survived by his wife Dianne, their two sons, Andrew and Eric, along with the entire NBA fraternity.

Mark Medina: In a statement released by …

But Russell took the Warriors’ …

But Russell took the Warriors’ immediate $117 million max offer and a chance, however brief, to learn under NBA greatness, calculating that the extra cash and gained knowledge would be worth stepping into a storm of immediate trade chatter and a fourth possible NBA relocation. “I just don’t care (about the buzz),” Russell said. “Simple as that. I just don’t care. “When you say max contract to come in and learn from these guys as much as you can as quick as you can — because you don’t know when you’ll be gone, shipped out — that’s what I’m doing. I can’t control that. I can’t control if Bob Myers is like, yo, let’s go get such and such for this and make this pick. That’s his job. I can’t control it or say anything about it, especially if I’m a part of it. So I don’t waste energy worrying about it.”

Report: Warriors GM Bob Myers to scout LaMelo Ball, R.J. Hampton

Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers will reportedly travel to Australia to scout NBL Next Stars LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton.

While it is early in the NBA season, the Golden State Warriors are one of the few teams that can be certain of their outlook moving forward. Long-term injuries to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, nagging short-term injuries to Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell and departures of Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant has decimated the defending Western Conference champions.

All of that has added up to a league-worst three wins in the first 17 games. With a spot in the draft lottery a near certainty even in the opening months of the season, the Warriors have turned to scouting the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft.

In a piece for The Athletic, Anthony Slater reported that Warriors general manager Bob Myers will head to Australia to recruit the NBL’s pair of Next Stars.

“In the coming weeks, I’ve been told Myers is planning to make a trip over to Australia, where he’ll be able to scout LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton in person.”

Both LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton are guards, the latter considered more of a combo guard than the former. The Warriors already have a gluttony of guards in Curry, Thompson and Russell as is. While Russell has long been seen more as a trade piece than a part of the core moving forward, there are still two franchise guards on the roster.

The Warriors likely are using the opportunity to simply do due diligence and scout all of the young prospects atop the draft boards. Still, having a Ball brother become a Splash Brother is certainly an intriguing prospect.

Warriors GM Bob Myers reportedly to scout LaMelo Ball in Australia

LaMelo Ball is making a name for himself playing in Australia, and Warriors GM Bob Myers is taking notice.

In 2017, when Lavar Ball stated his proclamation that his son, Lonzo Ball, only a freshman at UCLA at the time, was better than two-time MVP, Stephen Curry, it felt like the start of a long-lasting rivalry between the Ball family and the Golden State Warriors.

Fast forward a couple of years, with the Warriors slated to have a high lottery pick, and Ball’s youngest son— LaMelo, expected to be at the top of 2020 NBA draft boards, a once silly rivalry could turn into an eventual partnership.

Anthony Slater of The Athletic is hearing Warriors president of basketball operations and general manager, Bob Myers will be heading down under under to watch Ball play live in person.

From the time Ball dropped his verbal commitment to play basketball at UCLA, and opted to play professionally overseas as a high school junior, his story has been widely documented.

Ball now 18, has spent time playing professionally in Lithuania, and Australia with the Illawarra Hawks. Ball’s thrived playing overseas despite his age and slender frame, making him a candidate to be selected at the top of the 2020 NBA draft.

The Southern California native is touted for his long-range shooting ability and flashy playmaking, but what makes him unique is his 6-foot-7 size for the point guard position. When the rock is in his hands, Ball plays with a frenetic offensive pace tailored for the modern NBA game.

Playing behind Curry and Klay Thompson, with assistant coach Ron Adams monitoring Ball’s defensive development, could be the perfect fit for the youngest Ball brother. The Warriors desperately need a wing-bench threat that can fill it up when Curry and Thompson are off the floor, making Ball an exciting option for the former champs.

Ball will grab most of the headlines, but he’s not the only prospect Myers will have his eye on in Australia. RJ Hampton of the New Zealand Breakers is another 2020 draft lottery candidate Myers will be scouting on his trip, Slater says. Hampton is a smooth scoring point guard that could fit Golden State similarly to Ball.

With the Warriors record sitting at a league-worst 3-14, Myers, and the rest of the scouting department are quickly, and smartly turning their attention to the 2020 NBA draft.