The Warriors expected Thursday to be a celebration of their present and their future.
Instead, it was a somber day after MRI results showed Klay Thompson had torn his Achilles tendon and will miss the upcoming season, throwing at least the current roster into disarray.
Having their introductory press conference under that cloud was surely difficult for No. 2 pick James Wiseman and second-rounder Nico Mannion, both just 19 years old. And general manager Bob Myers did his best to address the elephant up on stage outside of the Chase Center with him and the newest Warriors.
Wiseman and Mannion even showed off their multilingual skills to try to break the tension — Wiseman in Mandarin and Mannion in Italian. Still, a pall hung over the proceedings.
Here’s what Myers, Wiseman, Mannion said (in English) at that introductory press conference:
Bob Myers
On Klay’s injury:
For him to have to now not be able to play basketball, that’s the pain. That’s the pain we feel, the pain we feel for him, being here from day one, since Klay showed up nine years ago or however many years ago it was, watching his journey and growth.
Nobody deserves this. Like I said, nobody deserves anything like this that befalls them. But this is a guy that loves basketball, bleeds basketball. We talked today and I told him, “Klay, (I) feel like basketball is for you air and water, you have to have it.”
And he just told me, “I’ve never not played basketball” — since 2000 or since whatever, however many years ago, he’s always played basketball. And it’s very hard for an athlete. Sometimes you get to stop playing on your own time and on your own terms.
And Klay’s going to keep playing, but when it gets disrupted like this for an athlete of his caliber, it hurts. And it hurts us that care about him. I’m sure our fans that follow us feel the same way we do…
I think people feel bad for us, but the league doesn’t stop for us. We need to try to do what we can to get ready for next season. It’s an Achilles tear. Prognosis for full recovery is good. I’m sure I’ll talk to the doctor who saw him and at some point talk to our trainer…
I’ve watched him grow into a man. I’ve watched him win championships. I’ve watched him lose. I’ve watched him hurt himself in the NBA Finals. I’ve watched him rehab. Watch him rehab again.
Watched him break the NBA record for 3-pointers in a game. That’s how you get to know somebody. So, yeah, it hurts. It hurts the longer you get to experience life with people, the more pain you have. That’s why you get invested in these relationships. That’s why it’s special.
That’s why over here maybe there will be a statue of that guy. But I lean on our owner. I lean on our coach. I lean on our players. We called Steph Curry and Draymond Green. It’s pain. But these are the same guys you hug when you get the trophies, too.”
On sharing the news with Steph Curry and Draymond Green:
“You know, I’ve learned in life sometimes words don’t do it. It’s not news you want to break on the phone. But that’s how it was done. And a lot of silence. I was with Joe and Steve and Kirk and probably what you’re hearing right now, nothing. What are you going to say?
Those guys have been in it more than I have with Klay. There’s no better bond than players with players. So I can’t experience it from their standpoint. I know it hurts.
On filling the starting shooting guard spot, specifically asked about a reported Kelly Oubre trade:
We’ll keep looking at what we can do to fill that position and get the best player we can. Nothing is done as far as what you suggested or anything yet, but we’ve got to look hard and look fast. And probably shouldn’t even be up here — I should not even be doing this right now, but I’ve got some great guys I work with that are working right now on what we can do.
And so we’ve got to fill that position and give our fans and our organization and all the people that support us the best chance to win next year that we can.
“You gotta know somebody, you gotta go through the battles with them, to feel what we feel as an organization.”
Bob Myers discusses Klay Thompson ahead of today’s press conference with the 2020 Draft picks. pic.twitter.com/MghWII6Jwp
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 19, 2020
On what Klay means to the Warriors:
I’ve never met anybody that doesn’t like Klay. I talked to somebody today, opposing coach just called me — who I really admire and respect and called and said, “I’m very sorry about Klay.” And I said, “I think there’s two players in the NBA that everybody likes and respects.”
Without a doubt. And I’m going to say the other guy’s name. I don’t think I’m going to get in trouble. I don’t think I’ll get in trouble but I’ll say the other guy’s name. I think it’s Klay Thompson and Derrick Rose. Those two guys, I think, are universally beloved.
How your peers feel about you in life I think says more than anything else. And I really believe that. And I think that he is admired within. He’s admired without. And you can’t put in words what he means to our team. What he means to our fans, our coaching staff, his teammates…
By the way, there’s more to come. There’s more Klay memories to come. And more great moments. But no, I can’t do it justice.
On meeting James Wiseman for the first time:
My favorite part of James was we went to a very socially distant outdoor, safe meal with him. And he showed up by himself.
And I liked that. I think these guys are going to — they’re young, both of them. But they’re in a man’s world now. And they’re going to have to grow up. And I feel like now — I’m a parent of three daughters. The best thing can you do is let your kids — they’ve got to be on their own sometimes.
And he handled himself well. We got up from that dinner, we said, “What a pleasant young man.”
On what he sees in both Wiseman and Mannion:
I see a seriousness, a seriousness and maturity about the game. They’re coming to go to work. We’re going to need them. And it’s going to be fun. I’m excited to watch them grow and embrace them into our family and our culture. I think we’re lucky to have them and they’re lucky to have us.
On what the rookies should expect from Draymond Green:
James, you’ve got to understand when he yells at you or Nico, he still loves you. He wants to win so bad. Don’t take it personally. He’s yelled at me. I don’t think he’s yelled at Joe. He’s yelled at Steve for sure. He’s yelled at all our teammates. Yelled at Steph. May have yelled at the media. That’s just who he is. But he wins. So if you want to learn anything from that guy, he’s a winner.
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Rookie center James Wiseman
On tears he shed on draft night:
Just me going through adversity this past year, me not able to play in college really brought me down because I text my teammates every day. So really just that focal point really just kind of settled in a little bit. But just knowing my mental toughness how far I came just putting in the work this past year really has brought me down to that emotional breakdown. But I just found myself and just was an exciting moment and this is a phenomenal moment for me. I’m just blessed to be in this position.
On attending Steph Curry’s camp as a high schooler:
He taught me a lot of guard skills, skills like that. Just taught me, gave me advice, gave all the campers advice, stay dedicated to the game, don’t take it for granted. I learned a lot from him just from that camp.
On a player he wants to emulate:
I’ll say Kevin Garnett, just his versatility, him being able to use agility for his size and space the floor out. Just being able to run, rebound and block shots, and watching his tenacity for the game really improved my mental and made me work harder to get to that point or to that pinnacle.
On the last 24 hours:
It’s great for me and my family. It was a whirlwind as soon as I got drafted. I had a two-hour media session and after that I was celebrating with my family.
Just coming out here and just witnessing the great atmosphere and the great environment. I fell in love with it as soon as I walked in the door. So, I can’t wait to play, I can’t wait to work and I can’t wait to have fun with my teammates.
On his jump shot:
I feel very comfortable and confident in my jump shot. I’ve been working on my jump shot since college, since high school. I’ve been using my strengths a lot because that’s what you’re supposed to do as a basketball player.
But I’d say my jump shot has most definitely gotten better. It’s gotten way more consistent and I feel very confident about it.
Rookie point guard Nico Mannion
On his experience playing for the Italian national team:
I was lucky enough to go over to Italy and play U-16s and play with their men’s team the year after. And those experiences were great for me. I learned a whole lot. And it’s a different style of basketball over there in Europe. I kind of tried to just learn that style and incorporate it and bring it back to the U.S., just to have more in my game.
On a player he wants to emulate:
“Of course my pops (former Warrior Pace Mannion). I got to see some of his clips. But the player I looked up the most, watched the most film on and studied the most is probably Steve Nash just because of his IQ, the way he sees the game and plus the kind of person he is off the court. So I’d say Steve Nash alongside my pops.
On the exciting part of joining the Warriors:
Coming here and playing for Coach Kerr and playing with Steph Curry. I think there’s just a whole lot. It’s another world. I’ll be able to learn a lot. And that’s just really what I’m looking forward to the most.
“Excited to be here!”@BigTicket_JW & @niccolomannion flex their multilingual skills real quick during today’s press conference pic.twitter.com/CbuPHdjc8A
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 19, 2020
