The Golden State Warriors General Manager Larry Riley was on the Murph and Mac show on KNBR recently to talk shop with the guys. Riley talked about the NBA playoffs, his contract extension, the hiring of an assist GM, and the future of head coach Keith Smart and the Warriors as a whole. Riley will have a full plate this offseason, and delved into some of the things he's been doing and is going to do over the next few months.
Riley talked about the playoffs and how the Thunder could win with just two big scorers, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. It made me think in a roundabout way was talking about Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, and how they function as a majority of the W's offense. Riley discussed how no one ever is untradeable, but they really want to keep them both together and build up some size and defense around them. He has confidence in Ekpe Udoh, but knows that the W's need more of a defensive presence, especially around the rim. Riley spoke candidly about Andris Biedrins and his disappointment in his lack of production this year. He in essence said his career has gone backwards, and would like to help him get his confidence back. But they need to "establish a plan" with him and likely won't try to get rid of him, probably because I don't think many teams would want him right now.
Riley also talked about how the hiring of Bob Myers as assistant GM is a great asset for the team. Riley feels he fits in nicely with the organization and could definitely be the GM of the future being groomed. From his legal background as an agent and his basketball background (won NCAA title with UCLA as a sophomore) it's a great situation for both Myers and the W's. The organization needed some new blood for sure, and Myers is a great addition to the team.
Riley's officially unofficial statement on Keith Smart's status as head coach was that he had a nice improvement with the team compared to last year, but it's not enough. He explained how he and Joe Lacob are going to go through a detailed evaluation process soon although nothing has been decided yet, and sit down with Smart and figure out the best course of action for both Keith and the organization.
It certainly sounded like Riley isn't going to be taking much vacation this summer because the Warriors have some serious work to do before next fall.