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Duke Great Mike Dunleavy Named Golden State GM

What an opportunity this is for Dunleavy and what a rapid rise

By JD King
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NCAA Final Four X Dunleavy
Duke Blue Devil Mike Dunleavy vs. Xavier in the 2001 Final Four

Duke great Mike Dunleavy is now the General Manager of the Golden State Warriors. Although he takes over at the end of a dynastic run built around aging stars Seth Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors are a stable, professionally managed franchise which means it’s a major opportunity.

Dunleavy, who played a key role in Duke’s 2001 national championship, has had a great run with the Warriors so far. He started as a scout in 2018, was promoted to assistant GM in 2019 and now takes over the GM spot as Bob Myers steps aside.

He has a lot of work to do - the draft is in a few days and the Warriors are trying to maintain an elite status with, as noted, an aging core. Golden State has the 19th pick in this year’s draft which will probably mean a good-but-not great player.

Will he be bold and swing for the fences, perhaps trading up? Or will Dunleavy move more cautiously?

This is obviously a huge opportunity and a rapid rebuild is not impossible. Red Auerbach rebuilt the Boston Celtics twice after Bill Russell retired in 1969, winning championships in 1974 and 1976 and three more in the ‘80s. Jerry West proved to be an amazing GM with the Los Angeles Lakers, with a killer instinct for trades that ended up with immensely valuable players and/or draft picks.

No one knows if Dunleavy will be in that class, but the guy is a lifer and, at 42, already has decades of basketball knowledge. This is going to be exciting to watch.

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