Bob Myers post-trade deadline Q&A: Oubre, Klay, two open roster spots, Stephen Curry x winning vs development, Minnesota pick
Plus Wiseman & culture (why Kerr is good at it)
Here are notes & quotes from the post-trade deadline Q&A with Warriors general manager Bob Myers. Atop this article is a clickable video on Kelly Oubre and his impending free agency situation this off-season (Myers has already talked with Oubre’s agent, as he should).
Below is another video on Klay Thompson attacking rehab; more videos to follow on our YouTube channel:
MYERS:
Waiting for Bob, Warriors PR says ATL last team to play at Chase, Pace Mannion will be at game tonight, he finished career at ATL, and no word yet on Draymond, will know at about 515p or whenever he shows up.
- interest in Oubre? “High level, he’s a good player…a lot of people thought he might be available (due to media blowing it up)…you can tell a player to take it as a compliment but it’s not me or you…he handled it very well. I think our actions spoke to how much we want him.”
- retain as FA? “evaluate everything after (season)…I can’t per the rules promise anything…it takes two…down the line.”
- FA Oubre? “What the player wants, what the team wants…agree financially, vision-wise…this is a time for Kelly to focus on basketball…two sides have to agree on many things, again that’s a conversation that will take place later.”
- two slots: “If something comes along immediately…buyout…we’ll look at all of it…we looked at our guy in Australia…we’ve got the DPE…we have some players on our roster that we can convert…make a decision in the next week or so.”
- Jessup? “A lot of things would have to align…considering his development…put it up on the whiteboard and everybody has a say on it…one of many things.”
- two-way, Juan, Nico? “Long-term deal…reward some of the guys and it’s a statement toward our future plans…we’ll look at that and make the best decision in the next couple of weeks.”
- vision at trade deadline: “every deadline you have some kind of goal or vision…short and long term success…in previous…let’s push it all in and try to win a championship…it’s a lot of different things that we run in parallel…do what you think is best in the moment, I don’t want to get into what could’ve happened…we wanted to keep this crew…but at the same time look towards the future…everybody is on a different timeline (in the NBA).”
- Wiseman: “everybody’s evolution to what they become and on the agent side watching some great players…everybody has to run their own race…there’s some things that he clearly needs to work…it’s all of the above…when it culminates, everybody’s different…we’ll see…it’s gonna be a road and he’s gonna have to be an active participant…he cares…he’s gotta learn how much to care…he wants it…he does put the work in…consistent success, that’s the mark of a really really good player.”
- fuse two eras? “Yeah, well, it’s tough…it was a young Klay…we joked the other day…his progress…it’s hard but it’s the NBA…it’s no different than the challenge many teams face and we have to meet that head on…biggest challenge (not an excuse) would be Klay’s absence, it doesn’t matter (though, no empathy).”
- vaccines: “look, it’s per the CDC and state guidelines…it’s an individual choice…out and about in the world maybe more than others…that’s their individual choice.”
- Poole: “it’s been nice…we have this system called Noah…tracks your shooting, time spent in the gym…watching your arc…Steph kinda breaks the model…but Jordan put in a ton of time on this, you like stories like this…I don’t think Jordan thinks he’s kind of done or made it…good to see hard work pay off.”
- selecting Poole: “head criticism all the time…we have a deeper lens, it’s not fair (for media to know)…that might give you a little more information…you might say, wow, this guy is getting better…we do see the work…you alone know that…what’s changed is the patience level even for us, it’s not just us, it’s society, it’s fans…more of a pressure on players, they hear it…can’t imagine being 20-21…it’s like day trading.”
- vaccines/fans/Chase: “we hope so, we’ve had conversations with the city…publicly known our owner is committed…but we have to follow those guidelines…we hope in the near future or at least by the end of the season…especially us having the fans we have…how much we miss their energy…I can tell you from the players…we’re starving for fans, I would even take getting booed…you want that passion.”
- Klay next season: “we have to find what they are (the ramifications)…he has a focus that I’ve never seen before…he’s attacking the rehab…somebody reported his holding Draymond accountable, we need that leadership…there are leaders off the court…when you’re not playing, it’s hard to step into that role…those three have a pretty darn good success rate…I can’t answer specifically because we don’t even know.”
- MIN pick? “Any pick in the top ten is popular because the hardest thing to find is a young player on a rookie contract…that was asked about quite often, the way it was asked you see the value.”
- committed to pick? “You gotta be open to anything but it would take a lot to part with it…we don’t even know…it has value in a trade and it has value by itself…we’ll know a ton more when we know what it is.”
- Draymond, vaccine? “Yeah idk, maybe. I don’t want to answer for him…everybody came in to test this morning, I didn’t see him.”
- see how it works with baseball? “our city council has weighed in…we also pay attention to indoor events, you see what happens in Minneapolis…we wanna get as many as we can, as safely as we can…it’s all information.”
Warriors PR: “we hope to have some guidelines from the state…in the next week or so.”
- win vs development? “Yeah I sent him that text today (Kerr), I did, I said this is tough, man…every roster needs refining…I’m not gonna sit here and not have empathy for the balance he’s trying to strike…I want to win too…we’re not the first organization to try to figure this out…you look around some organizations where they’re not throwing in the towel…but recognizing there’s a future.”
- Steph on win vs develop: “wasn’t like he just walked in the NBA and everything was perfect for him…he’s got a great grasp…even at superstar status there’s pressure on a guy like that…it’s something that he has and you just watch him walk around…in Memphis…jumping up and down…how come you can have so much fun?…he hasn’t lost that…he has a great way of seeing the small picture and the big picture.”
- Oubre future/starting? “I talked to his agent the other night…I’m not gonna bother Kelly…but he knows…we had that conversation privately…he’s informed…I like what he said, he should want to start…(Iguodala) probably liked it when Kerr said hey I’m gonna start you in the Finals…we’ve had some rosters where we could’ve had 6 or 7 starters…I’m sure Nico Mannion wants to start.”
- FA? “Who knows…that’s a good conversation to have (later)…we don’t know what pick we have…as you know as you cover the NBA, things happen so fast now…player movement…organizational shifts…be nimble enough to make changes…there’s so many unknowns…but we like him…we’ll have that conversation when FA gets here.”
- Success? “We need Steph for sure…compete for the playoffs…make it in the play in, do you make it past the play in?…clearly we wouldn’t be satisfied…we’ve won championships…when we got here success was making the playoffs…we thought that season was unbelievably successful (2013)…Finals…get into the playoffs…seeing growth…tough balance to strike.”
- challenging part of your job? “Yeah hmm, yeah I think the challenge always win or lose is to maintain your culture…you don’t want to lose that, there’s probably never been more pressure…the amount of information everybody on this call is aware of…when I grew up as a Warriors fan I didn’t even know who the GM was…keeping your competitiveness, keeping your curiosity…what your long term success is…the number of people you manage…up, down, so that’s probably the hardest part…you never get it perfectly right…internally…watch your organization kind of deteriorate from within, that’s what Steve is good at.”
/end
Thanks for posting. Is there any more context on that “watch your organization deteriorate from within” quote? It didn’t seem to fit.