Fresh off a historic season that ended in disappointment, the Golden State Warriors have shuffled the decks to make another run at a title.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers is taking a level-headed approach to a team that has changed several aspects of the make-up that brought it to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances.
Changes to the team
The addition of four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant is surely an offensive upgrade from Harrison Barnes. But there was a high price.
With signing Durant comes a depleted bench with players signed for the veteran's minimum and a team synergy that is no longer the same. Departures from the team include Leandro Barbosa, Marreese Speights and Festus Ezeli.
“I think a lot of people think we signed Durant and everything is great, which in reality, that is a really good thing,” Myers said on KNBR 680 Wednesday, according to CSN Bay Area.
“But we have a lot of new parts. This is not a team like last year's team, where we could just hit training camp in stride. As much as we like our roster, it's gonna take some time to evolve.”
Bob Myers' realistic expectations
The signing of one of the top players in the league will always generate controversy, but to potentially have three or four All-Stars on a team will turn a great team into a villain.
“Even though we're happy with the offseason, I do think we're gonna have some turbulence,” Myers said. “Because the other thing is, I think the scrutiny on the team is gonna be so high that any loss, anything that happens in a negative way, is gonna be exaggerated. It's just gonna be, ‘I can't believe they lost a home game,' or ‘I can't believe they lost two in a row,' … people might write or say, ‘Well, they're not as good as last year,' so there will be some challenges and incorporating a really, really good player into our team.”
While there's plenty of new faces on the roster, Myers feels confident on how they've put the roster together and the communication he and head coach Steve Kerr have had.
“It takes time to develop chemistry,” Myers added. “And that doesn't happen in one day, or one week, or one month. It's exciting. I think it's gonna be a great process to watch unfold. But I do think because of the expectation level … when you have that level of expectation, that's where you want to be as an organization, but it also magnifies any adversity or any stretch of losing. So it's good, it's fine, but you have to be aware of it, and not be shocked when it comes.”
Bob Myers' rapport with players has been excellent since his hiring in 2011. His realistic approach to possible situations during the season will be key to keeping the ball rolling in the Bay Area.
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