Former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers has been a key consultant of Josh Harris (owner of the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and the expansion Philadelphia WNBA team) since he left ESPN last year. While he first took a more active role with his NFL squad, Myers has made a more direct return to the NBA. At a team press conference following the firing of general manager Daryl Morey, Myers was not only present to talk to reporters but will clearly be heavily
involved shaping the team going forward.
“What (the new head of basketball operations is) going to get, and our fans are going to get, is them plus me,” Myers said. “I won’t be on a day-to-day level, but on the high-level decision making, which is being here at the draft, being here leading up to the trade deadline, being available for free agency discussions, free agency meetings, things like that, I’m going to be involved at that level.
“And I can tell you that I imagine – and this isn’t, I’m not saying this lightly – I’ll be communicating with that person daily, if not five out of seven days a week. … I want to hire somebody that I can work with. I want to hire somebody that Josh can work with. And most importantly, I want to win. And I think that I have had some experience in this space, and if I have something to say, it’s harder for me not to say it than say it. But that’ll be my role, and obviously continuing to work with Josh on all this very high-level stuff.”
Myers’ comments frankly walked a thin line. The Sixers want to be an appealing destination for top execs around the league, but feeling like Myers will have the power to undermine or overrule a general manager might make the job far less intriguing. Myers’ reputation as a cooperative leader who desires a collaborative leadership environment should dampen those concerns, but it will be interesting to see what direction Philly ultimately lands.
