Draymond Green said it himself on Thursday at the championship parade in Oakland.
“Can Bob Myers get some more f—— credit?”
Dub Nation should be bowing down to their president of basketball operations. Myers’ role in landing Kevin Durant was always undervalued. His flier bets on Zaza Pachulia, David West and JaVale McGee won big money at the roulette table. He drafted Patrick McCaw, who is already one of the best rookies from the 2016 draft class.
While the rest of the Warriors crisscross the country on various well-deserved vacations, Myers and his personnel department are locked back in at the Oakland Marriott. It’s crunch time for Myers, and the Warriors could look entirely different off the bench again come October. With that in mind, here are the five biggest priorities for Golden State this offseason.
1. Re-sign Andre Iguodala
A report Monday morning from The Vertical will cause the Warriors to start thinking about life after Iguodala — a scary proposition. Kevin Durant swung Game 3 of the NBA Finals with his scoring, but Iguodala changed the outcome down the stretch with his defense on LeBron James. His wing defense is still among the best in the NBA, and he might win the sixth-man of the year award this weekend. Even at age 33, Iguodala is irreplaceable. The punishing Hamptons 5 lineup would cease to exist.
So how does Myers convince this key piece to stay? Besides the championships, what’s in this for Iguodala?
He’s very hard to read, but a good starting point would be to convince him of his worth. Iguodala probably wants to be wooed. It would be unwise if Myers didn’t lean upon his players again for their recruiting services. An organized pitch from Draymond, Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Steve Kerr should be in the cards. There are only certain teams that go down forever in basketball history — Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Spurs and now the Warriors. The rest of the team needs to put pressure on Iguodala to make him realize what he would be giving up.
If Iguodala’s decision comes down to money, the Warriors obviously can’t match what their opponents are offering — reportedly up to $20 million a season, and up to a four-year contract. The rest of the NBA is about to start pillaging Myers’ roster. Other teams want to sell tickets using former Warriors, but they also want to weaken Golden State. This will become the new normal.
Even if it’s just a one-year deal, the Warriors have to figure out a way to keep Iguodala. Losing him gives LeBron and the Cavaliers an opening to attack. It’ll put way more defensive pressure on the rest of the roster next June. The Warriors can win rings without him, but they’d have to change how they play without the steady hand and mind of Iguodala.
2. Start targeting the next group of ring chasers
You can bet Myers has his Christmas list. You can also bet he’s assuming most of his free agents are going to cash in elsewhere (Iguodala, McGee, Shaun Livingston, Ian Clark and maybe even Zaza Pachulia). There are plenty of others around the league who would take $1.2 million for the chance at greatness.
I’d start with Zach Randolph, who has already earned $175 million in salary during his NBA career. Memphis isn’t in a position to contend in the Western Conference because of the Warriors. Randolph, 35, is still very serviceable (14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds per game last season), can play center and could theoretically dominate on offense with the open looks he’d get in Golden State.
After that, there’s Nene, who has earned $125 million in his career. The 34-year-old is often dealing with pain and did suffer a season-ending thigh injury in the postseason. He averaged 9.1 points per game in 17.9 minutes last season for Houston. In limited minutes off the bench, Nene could provide a spark in this lineup.
If Myers is really feeling greedy, the Warriors should court Tony Allen. He hasn’t made nearly what he’s worth in his NBA lifetime ($39 million), but at 35, he might be ready for one final run. Allen’s been with the Grizzlies the last seven seasons and definitely misses the taste of winning he had with the Celtics. He’d fit in tremendously as Steph Curry’s backup point guard and a defensive matchup specialist.
There are other names to consider. Ty Lawson and Darren Collison both had a decent year with the Kings, and could replace Livingston. David Lee and Andrew Bogut are once again free agents, but both suffered season-ending injuries last year. There’s 40-year-old Vince Carter, who adapted his game to become a solid role player in his final years. Mo Speights will also be a free agent, as will Jared Sullinger, as will Spencer Hawes. There’s a surplus of big bodies for Myers to choose from.
3. Give Mike Brown a contract extension
Maybe this task isn’t high on Myers’ priority list at the very moment, but there are several reasons the Warriors should make this happen. First of all, Brown deserves it. No matter the roster he inherited, going 10-0 in the postseason is a sign he knows what he’s doing. Other basketball programs, college and pro, are taking notice. Ohio State was reportedly interested in Brown. What’s stopping a hapless franchise like the Nets from firing their coach tomorrow and going after the Warriors’ lead assistant?
Second of all, Steve Kerr’s battle with his health means Brown isn’t your ordinary assistant coach. Kerr has every intention of coaching the Warriors for the duration of their dynasty. But he’ll be the first to tell you symptoms could arise again next season.
It’s worth pondering whether the Warriors should give Kerr planned rest during the regular season. When he originally returned to the sidelines in January of 2016, Kerr coached 149 games in a row including the playoffs. That’s a ton of stress. Brown has proven his worth enough to handle an East Coast road trip. Just like the players, the bottom line is that the Warriors want Kerr healthy for the postseason. If Kerr and his doctors determine all the travel could be a part of the reason he isn’t feeling great, the Warriors are a strong enough team to handle instructions from Brown for a few games.
4. Buy back into the NBA Draft
Patrick McCaw is living proof it’s worth taking a gamble come Thursday for the annual rookie selection show. Kerr managed McCaw’s minutes perfectly during the regular season, giving him enough confidence to produce some big-time buckets in a closeout Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Why exactly do the Warriors need to buy back into the draft? Well, they aren’t exactly a young team anymore. Depending on if Ian Clark leaves, the Warriors really only have two players under 27 with a bright future (McCaw and Damian Jones). Myers’ job is to always have one eye on tomorrow. Expect the Warriors to have at least one rookie receive a decent amount of playing time in 2017-18.
5. Enjoy the time off
A year ago, Durant received so much scrutiny for joining the Warriors, he didn’t leave his house. Then he, Draymond and Thompson immediately hopped onto the Olympic team. The basketball part wasn’t stressful, but the time commitment was.
A week after winning a title, no Warrior should attempt a shot for the next three weeks. Take a mental break. Go enjoy the world. Basketball will be waiting for you when you come back.
