In a move that "appeared on the surface as merely an inevitable title shift or organization shuffle," the Warriors yesterday promoted Assistant GM & VP/Basketball Operations Bob Myers to GM and made former GM Larry Riley Dir of Scouting, according to Rusty Simmons of the S.F. CHRONICLE. At his introductory news conference, Myers "made it clear that the move indicates some bold philosophical changes." Warriors co-Owner Joe Lacob "targeted the then-player representative last year and hired him from the Wasserman Media Group." When Myers came to the team, Lacob "thought he'd develop into the head man within three years." Lacob said, "Frankly, I didn't need another year to figure it out, and we wanted to give him every opportunity to succeed next year by starting the job this week." By promoting Myers this week, the Warriors will have a "clearly defined head of basketball operations for the players' exit interviews this weekend." It makes it "obvious to other GMs whom to call about potential draft-day trades and cleans up communication lines within the Warriors' organization." Myers said that his tenure "will be more authoritarian." He said that he will "still listen to the advice of his basketball-operations and coaching staffs, but said he'll make decisive recommendations" to Lacob (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/25). Lacob said, "I'd say the one thing that we probably learned is, when you call the Warriors, it's a little confusing. A lot of voices, and I think some people pointed that out. So I think this cleans up the lines of authority, the lines of communications, a little bit. He has proved he's very capable of doing that job." Myers said that he "doesn't plan on bringing in any new members to his staff" (AP, 4/24).
SURPRISE RENEWAL: In DC, Carla Peay notes Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld "was candid" yesterday when asked at a news conference if he "believed he deserved an extension given the Wizards (18-46) have the second-worst record in the NBA." Grunfeld said, "I’ve been doing this job, a job like this, for 22 years, and I think we did some good things. The important thing is Ted (Leonsis, team owner) felt that (I did)." Grunfeld held the team's top posiiton since '03 and has been the "chief architect of several incarnations of the perennially struggling franchise." Grunfeld: "Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do. This is Year 2 of a three-year rebuild, so we’re moving to a direction where we want to be more competitive next year." Peay writes Grunfeld's extension "comes as a surprise to many Wizards fans whose patience has been tested for years" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 4/25). YAHOO SPORTS' Kelly Dwyer noted Grunfeld has "built very good teams, before." He has "built playoff teams in three cities, which not a lot of current NBA GMs can say about themselves" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/24).
BIG APPOINTMENT IN BIG APPLE: In N.Y., Frank Isola notes Knicks Owner James Dolan "removed the interim tag from" GM Glen Grunwald's job description yesterday. It was a "great moment for Grunwald and potentially a great one for" coach Mike Woodson, Grunwald’s former college teammate at Indiana Univ. Grunwald "worked the past 11 months as the interim GM after serving under" former Knicks President of Basketball Operations Isiah Thomas and then Donnie Walsh. Grunwald is "well-respected and well-liked around NBA circles." Isola notes Grunwald's appointment "also bodes well for Thomas, who gave Grunwald his first NBA job in Toronto and then hired him" in N.Y. Thomas "remains an unpaid adviser to Dolan" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/25).
