Damon Bruce of KGMZ-FM

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Additional terms apply. You can check out his YouTube channel, Damon Bruce Plus, and also make sure you listen to the Damon Bruce Podcast. That, of course, is Damon Bruce. Damon, how you been? Is that good to talk to you, man? Been very well out here, and you're right.

There's never a dull moment. Well, let me start you off with the Warriors. I have my theory. Why do you think we... I know this is not a surprise to anyone. It's been talked about the entire year, but why do you think Bob Meyer has actually resigned the other day? I really think it's burnout. It's legitimate burnout from 12 years of just, you know, intense scrutiny, huge peaks and mountains of success with incredible valleys of lows. And, you know, it's just been a long 12 years, I think, for a guy who is, you know, I was talking about this today on the show that, you know, Bob Meyers' greatest business weakness might be how well adjusted of a human he really is. You know, to be great at sports, you have to be obsessed by it. And Bob was obsessed by his job, and I think did it to the highest of successful calibers throughout the last dozen years. But what he also appreciates is time with his family. I think being a semblance of a normal person with a normal schedule who isn't talking or taking phone calls from Joe Lacob, who is the Warriors owner, and Zach, he's not a type A personality. He's a type A plus personality. You know, I mean, Joe Lacob, I think, is a tough guy to work for because the expectations are so constantly high, and he's very involved.

So I really think more than anything else, it's burnout. And he realizes, you know, he's got enough money made to step away. He's got a reputation that takes his opportunities basically to infinity in any direction. Go to Barbados with your family for a couple months.

Come back, enjoy yourself for a little while, enter your 50s in a new opportunity, work through your retirement somewhere else. And I think more than anything else, he's really smart, and it's always good to be the first person off, not the sinking ship. The Warriors are not a sinking ship. But they have reached the apex, the zenith of the dynasty, and I think he realizes that it's not going to get much better, so maybe it just is all things considered the right time for him to leave. You talked about how demanding Joe Lacob can be and his personality. There's also a lot being made about his son's role. What's your understanding of that and how that factored into the Bob Meyers decision? So I really don't think it played much of a factor, and I'd be very surprised to hear Kirk Lacob be named the next general manager of the Golden State Warriors. It's going to take a little bit more of someone who has done this or has achieved more, and I think that all the good political capital that Joe Lacob has earned with Warriors fans would just get spent on that one decision.

It would be wildly unpopular. And to be completely honest, if I were Kirk Lacob, I'd like to be involved, but I wouldn't want to wear the moniker of these are my decisions. I wouldn't want to be the GM in training.

I'd want to be the future owner in training. So to me, you're almost promoting yourself by saying I want to be the next general manager when you're in line to be the next owner of the Golden State Warriors. Damon Bruce, my theory on this for a while has been we know how tight Bob Meyers has been with this core. I think he just didn't have it in him to be the guy to tell Clay or Draymond that they're no longer wanted there because he had to know down deep no matter what he said publicly that there needed to be some serious changes.

They wanted to further expand this championship window with Steph still being an elite player. So of all the this might be the reasons I would say that that carries a bit of actual credibility to it. I don't think Bob wants to be the bearer of bad news to the players that he has hung four banners with and has an incredibly unique personal relationship with.

I'm not saying that he's not the kind of guy who can't deliver the hard message, but why be that guy? And I do think that maybe there is a little something to it. And if he's really looking at how his burnout would become a total crash and burnout, maybe that's what he saw on the horizon.

I don't think you're completely unfounded. I don't think it's the key, but I think it's an element of why he made that decision. So with Bob Myers out and they'll have a new general manager and we'll see who that's going to be, the next person you turn to is Steve Kerr. How much longer do you think Steve Kerr is going to want to do this? As long as Steph is there? I would say that the two of their careers are linked together.

I would be surprised to learn anything other than that. But look, Bob Myers is the first domino to fall. And now the question of really who will be the last man standing between Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Steve Kerr.

It's going to be fascinating to watch it all play out. I think we know who the last two guys in the room will be, but who will then be the last guy in the room between Curry and Kerr? I wonder, we've been talking about how being career warriors would be just feathers in the cap of Steve Kerr as a coach and Curry as a player. And to not go on to have the Michael Jordan, Washington Wizards phase of his career, to be a career Laker like Kobe was, to be a career warrior. I think that carries incredible value to Steph's overall legacy, especially when he's always measured fairly or not against LeBron James and all the bouncing around that LeBron has done. It would be just one other thing that those who would argue Steph Curry is the more influential player of his generation would be able to throw into the argument at the end of the bar. Well, he never left the Warriors. All the great players had to come to him.

He didn't go anywhere. And I think Steph sees the value in that. I really do. But we do now absolutely know that Bob Myers leaving doesn't make this thing stay together longer than it should.

I think it makes it come apart maybe a year or two earlier than it might have. And it will be fascinating to see what Kerr and Curry do, either together or independently. I know he has a player option. Do you think, Damon Bruce, that Draymond Green is back on the team next year? Well, his relationship with Bob Myers is a very special and close relationship. And I wonder if Bob's decision has any effect on that decision.

I'm going to say and vote no, it doesn't. I think again, Draymond is prescribing to the being a career warrior or remaining with Steph Curry is the best thing for my career. And I do believe that he has been such a key to unlocking Steph Curry's greatness. I mean, the two of them play so well off of each other. Draymond can see Steph no matter where he is on the floor, whether he can see him or not.

They have a feel for each other. So Zach, I think at the very least, he exercises his player option to come back next year. And if the news is Draymond Green has opted out, I would say that the headline after the reaction to, oh, Draymond has opted out might very well be agrees to a three year deal with the Golden State Warriors.

Ops back in at a better price for a longer deal. I could see that happen. Now, if you tell me he's going to be a Laker and that's the way it's going to go down now because he's upset to Bob Myers isn't in the room.

I mean, maybe Zach, I don't know. I can't get into anyone's head here, but I I think that there's, you know, these guys, whether they're right about it or not remains to be seen. They still believe they have work to do here together in Golden State. And with Clay Thompson having a $46 million contract and this is last year, I think there's going to be a sense of urgency to if there can be a return to the NBA finals.

It's it's got to be now. I also think they got to get rid of clay. Like, I think they got to get rid of either Clay or Draymond because you look at it.

Neither of those guys, in my opinion, are number two in a championship team anymore. Well, you know, I don't know if Draymond ever wore that matter for a moment. Clay Thompson, it was a sign to him.

I don't know how comfortably or naturally he wore it because I just, you know, I don't. Clay needs to understand what he has become and the evolution of a player coming off of two catastrophic injuries. The Achilles, you know, the ACLs are tied together like broken shoelaces these days. But that Achilles injury was a massive one for Clay. And the fact that he's come back from it with very similar careers, career splits and shooting splits than he had before.

It is very, very impressive. But he's not the defender that he used to be. He can't burn gas quite like he used to, Zach. And I really think that, yes, a redefined role for Clay Thompson is the best way to extend a career.

And every night to guard in the NBA is just I don't know if he's cut out to be that. I will also say whenever you want to start doubting Clay Thompson, he'll rip off maybe one of the best months of his career. And that's what he did this very past February. He had one of the best months of his entire career. It is still within him.

He just cannot summon it on a nightly basis in ways that he used to. Has there been a name, Damon Bruce, that Dubs fans have kind of rallied around so far? Like you hear all the trade speculation of a Jaylen Brown or maybe a Damian Lillard. I don't know how you actually make that work, but has there been a popular name floated out there that you go, OK, that's the guy you move on from some of these other guys that have won championships to pair up with Steph to try to extend that championship window?

People keep using the name Pascal Siakam. I mean, I think that LeBron is a bridge too far. And based on just, you know, luxury tax implications right now, the hamstrung nature of what the CBA is going to do. I mean, the Warriors don't even have the room to add a mid-level exception coming up this year.

It is going to be the core is it remains and then people playing for minimums around them. It is going to be an extraordinarily difficult job for the next general manager to come in and piece together how this is all supposed to fit into a championship picture. Is there a big I mean, look, Damian Lillard, having grown up in Oakland, he's the kind of guy whose loyalty I actually think is it's a wonderful quality, but it might be working against him at this point. Let's see what the trailblazers do on the draft on the 20.

What is it? The 22nd, I believe the draft is. So, you know, here's the thing, Zach, you know, with the with the draft coming up in a matter of weeks, the Warriors before they do anything, before they consider a trade, before they consider who they're picking, they need to get this next general manager installed. I don't think you can leave this to Bob Meyers to do. And he even joked around that he was never particularly good at drafting. And I think that was a little tongue in cheek in his goodbye press conference. But there's also some evidence that, you know, when he had the biggest bull's eye to hit in his drafting process, he selected James Wiseman. And obviously that did not work out for the Golden State Warriors. So I think that they need to move speedily on this replacement. Mike Dunleavy Jr. going outside of the organization is something I mean, they have to have the quickest no stone left unturned search for a general manager. I think in recent NBA history, because you want the next guy making this decision, not the outgoing GM. If you're right, Damon Bruce, that Draymond's back on this team this year, does that mean Jordan Poole's definitely off of it? I wouldn't say that. I know that there's a lot of, man, he had a terrible playoffs and Jordan Poole went from bellow the ball to kind of wearing a dunce cap within two off seasons. Well, two post seasons of each other.

And but, you know, here's the thing. He's a 24 year old kid who can get you 20 a night and he's a homegrown talent that they drafted. I do not think that internally they want to move off of Jordan Poole as much as some fans have brought up, as much as some conspiracy theorists between the Jordan Poole, Draymond Green incident want to suggest.

I don't think there's nearly the amount of drama there that is sold to people. And I know that that's bad for sports talk radio. And I'm sorry that I said that on the show, but I really think the cooler heads are going to prevail in the Jordan Poole experiment. I think he's a warrior for at least one more year. Damon Bruce, let's go to the 49ers and then I just want to bring up one point on the A's.

I was talking about earlier. It's incredible because the 49ers have been so successful and the roster is incredible. And as bright of an offensive mind Kyle Shanahan is, he still has not been able to crack the code in the starting quarterback position. You know that it's going to be Brock Purdy whenever he's healthy. And Lynch gave the encouraging update today. What do you expect out of Brock Purdy this year? Because I know he played really well down the stretch of that limited sample size. But yet again, it was a limited sample size.

It sure was. I mean, I don't know what you can really expect from someone who has not even started a dozen professional football games. I don't know if you can really enter with an expectation, but what he does is he provides the element of yes chef that I really think Kyle Shanahan wants in his quarterback.

Like a French kitchen, the only thing the head chef wants to hear anyone else in that kitchen say is yes chef. And I think that Brock Purdy can deliver an accurate ball and he is a 3-5-7 step drop quarterback. And he is going to yes chef Kyle Shanahan and only improvise when running for his life is now part of the equation. I think that Kyle almost talked himself into the illusion of wanting more than he really wants when he made the draft pick of Trey Lance.

Who showed up raw, was behind the actual ability to see a football field. The number one missing ingredient from his resume was playing time. And then it became, remained I should say, a missing ingredient as Jimmy Garoppolo stayed. And then right when they hand the reins to Trey Lance in week two, he breaks his ankle after playing in a monsoon in Chicago.

And the whole thing is just a really bad start to his career. Now I think that the Niners legitimately think that Trey Lance could be a player, whether a player for them or a player to be traded. I think that there has to be concerns of Brock being able to repeat what we saw which was high caliber quarterback execution in Kyle's offense. And remember Kyle's offense, the entire thing operates in a 17 yard box. It's 15 yards down the field and 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

That's where the whole offense takes place. And I think that Brock Purdy is more cut out to execute it. And I'll just tell you right now that Sam Darnold has never been in a good football situation and he now is. Let's see if Kyle's always wonderlust quarterbacking eye doesn't eventually settle on Sam Darnold. Especially if Brock's elbow were to take a step backwards from it being surgically repaired or there is a hiccup along his development of coming back. I think we might hear from Sam Darnold before this is all said and done.

I'm telling you that's not going to end properly. I understand what you're saying about the environment and it's the best roster that he's had. I've never seen Sam Darnold give me 5 tangible moments that ever suggest to me that he's going to be this great quarterback. I'm talking about in the NFL. That's fair.

I've never seen a 49er quarterback in the last 5-6 seasons put 5 healthy weeks together. The amount of things that we haven't seen for this position is still a very long list. Last thing I'll ask you, give me the fan perspective out there on the athletics and I know that it is just a bad situation. They're going to Las Vegas. I understand why you want to go to Vegas right now but what does the Oakland Athletics fan feel right now? The Oakland Athletics fan feels abused by the single worst owner in the history of North American sports. John Fisher is beyond their elective duty. He is a no talent son of a billionaire who wouldn't be able to feed himself if he were having to do that on his own. This scumbag owner of the first degree has literally run the playbook from the movie Major League where he is so screwed over his own fans, made sure the stadium was hospitable as humanly possible and has fielded a team that isn't even reminiscent truly of a minor league baseball team, much less a major league baseball team.

It is disgusting. It is nauseous that a guy like this is allowed to function as an owner, that he is rewarded with new opportunities in what could be more fertile soil, while a guy like Steve Cohen gets punished for spending as much as possible because he wants to win. Now, neither exactly is getting the season that they thought they were going to get. Well, I can't say that because this is what John Fisher wanted. This is not just dying on the vine.

Not only are the grapes dying, but John Fisher came back and salted the soil to make sure that the grape vines died as well. He is the worst thing that has ever happened in Major League Baseball from an ownership standpoint. And if he does get his stadium in Las Vegas the night before it opens, after everyone is left at the grand opening party, I hope the place burns down on him. Screw that guy. He is the worst. That's what's wrong with the Oakland A's. John Fisher.

How about that? Damon Bruce joining us on the Zach Gelb show. Make sure you check out his YouTube channel, Damon Bruce Plus, and the Damon Bruce podcast.

Subscribers going up by the second. Damon Bruce, thank you. Appreciate it.

Hey, you send that Gelb army my way. I'll be just fine. Thank you very much, Zach.

You got it. What a finish there by Damon Bruce. Holy smokes.

I know the athletics man clearly is not happy when you are taking the team out of Oakland and going to the Vegas strip. But man, he did not beat around the bush there. He was very, very direct. Do not let the door hit you on the ass on the way out and let the entire thing burn down with you. Yeah. Oh my goodness gracious. That was something at the end.