Atlanta Hawks: Danny Ferry hired as GM
Update: The Hawks today hired Danny Ferry to be the team’s president of basketball operations and general manager.
The Hawks signed Ferry to a six-year contract.
“My family and I are thrilled to join the Hawks organization and Atlanta community,” Ferry said in a statement. “There were many components that made this the right fit for me but clearly my confidence in the ownership group and their dedication to building a championship-caliber franchise was most important. They are committed to building with the right people and investing in critical areas for development; both essential elements if we want to create sustained success. “
Ferry succeeds Rick Sund, Atlanta’s GM since 2008. Ferry said he would work alongside Sund over the next month, after which Sund could remain with the organization in a some role. Sund has expressed an interest in remaining with the Hawks as a consultant.
Ferry said he would collaborate with Sund and the rest of the basketball staff in preparation for Thursday’s draft. Ferry said he hoped to reach a consensus on which players the Hawks would select but that the decision ultimately would be his.
Ferry, who played in 917 NBA games from 1990-91 to 2003-03, was most recently vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs. He was general manager for the Cavaliers from 2005 to 2010, where he was charged with building a roster around LeBron James.
Ferry had been in discussions with the 76ers about becoming their general manager with Rod Thorn stepping down soon.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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523 comments Add your comment
TMACfan
June 25th, 2012
4:46 pm
If the Hawks want to go anywhere this post season, we need to DUMP
Mrs. Marvina Williams
Najeh Davenpoop
June 25th, 2012
4:47 pm
Also, the book is closed on Ferry’s tenure in Cleveland. Given the average age of OKC’s core, it is likely only in its early chapters on Presti’s tenure in OKC. So yeah, while Presti has only gone as far as Ferry did (technically slightly farther since OKC won a Finals game and Cleveland didn’t), he has a lot of time to win a title.
TMACfan
June 25th, 2012
4:48 pm
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2012/06/25/having-hired-danny-ferry-the-hawks-should-be-taken-seriously/?cxntfid=blogs_mark_bradley_blog
THE IMMORTAL...I MUS WRITE
June 25th, 2012
4:49 pm
I Guess…. He was set to retire a few months ago- I hope isnt already retired on the job.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 25th, 2012
4:50 pm
And I do agree it is nice that Ferry is proactive, unlike Sund. I like Frank Wren better than most Braves fans in part because he is proactive and willing to make moves, even if some of them don’t pan out. Hopefully Ferry has the same mentality with better results (i.e. nothing equivalent to the Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami signings). I’m not trying to diss Ferry, just taking a wait-and-see approach, not overly excited.
Slimjr
June 25th, 2012
4:52 pm
This maybe the best hire in 18 years for this franchise….
Slimjr
June 25th, 2012
4:54 pm
You have to have a road map! You cant “wing” it like Sund has done for 32 years!
Sund cant kick rocks fast enough!
disgusted
June 25th, 2012
4:55 pm
No wonder no one wants to come play here! Half of the posts by these “fans” are so stupid as to defy
logic!!!!
It’s Danny Ferry!!! He is, from day one, the best GM the Hawks have had in an eon!
Hoops
June 25th, 2012
4:57 pm
YES!!! The Hawks are FINALLY making a positive move! Maybe there is hope after all! Move LD to the front office and go get a coach! Make some moves in this draft and trade somebody! Get these players attention!!!
Sugar Ray
June 25th, 2012
4:58 pm
“Neither “decisions” nor “work” mean as much to winning NBA championships as “talent”. …”
Are the Knicks “talented”?
donte080
June 25th, 2012
5:00 pm
northcyde,
How was Sund a perpetual loser? He traded for Jamal Crawford, which was unarguably a good move. He drafted Jeff Teague late in Round 1, an inarguable good draft pick. He also drafted Jordon Crawford, another good value pick later in the draft. Bad trade for Hinrich, I agree, but he also brought in our strongest bench (on a slim budget) in more than a decade.
Ownership forced the JJ contract on him, as well as Larry Drew. I can’t put that on Sund.
donte080
June 25th, 2012
5:03 pm
And for all the dummy naysayers…you wouldn’t know quality if it spit in your face. Ferry hire is on par with Falcons hiring of Dimitroff by Falcons….
Slimjr
June 25th, 2012
5:04 pm
The Knicks should win anywhere from 55-63 games next season…
They went 18-6[.750 clip] under Woody’s very short tenure and even made the playoffs without two starters who were injured[Lin and Amare']..
Yes the Knicks are talented alright! Yes they are….
Sautee
June 25th, 2012
5:12 pm
“Many NBA experts and analysts have said that LeBron James (essentially) took a bad Cavs team to the ‘07 NBA Finals and I agree with them on this particular assessment. ”
That team was 5th in the league in defensive points allowed. In the playoffs they were 1st.
Do you think LeBron covered all 5 players of the opposition? LMFAO.
GT Alum
June 25th, 2012
5:14 pm
Najeh -
Hawks already have their Lowe and KK. Their names are JJ and Marvin.
Grandad
June 25th, 2012
5:21 pm
High-Sider
You provoked this thought:
Had Red Auerbach schemed to get Chamberlain;
then Boston would have won all those Championships
-because-
of Chamberlain`s hard work;
and as Najeh said, chamberlain`s talent.
-because-
If you read Bill Russell`s book:
you might understand -How- the synergy created by
the ” Team ” of Russell & Auerbach worked for the greater good.
-or-
the interaction of elements that when combined
produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual parts.
Perhaps you have no understanding of the concept of Team.
-Why-
`Tis where human beings come together and work for the greater good.
I Corinthians 1:10;
‘`I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree with one another
so that there may be no divisions among you
and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought`’
-The Apostle Paul-
May I ask you sir;
do only black basketball players enter heaven ?
-or-
just black people in general ?
-also-
I have asked this before:
Do we – white folks – get to claim Shane Battier ?
Yawl can have Bibby ?
How about Joakim Noah ?
I seriously do not know about Blake Griffin ?
Then there`s Miles Plumlee; I mean look at how high he jumped ?
____________________________________________
If you dare to say any of my thoughts are assinine;
[intentional misspelling] then you are a hypocrite !
ryan
June 25th, 2012
5:21 pm
I will give Ferry a chance something new other than Sund but i am not getting my hopes up to high because the ASG still own Hawks .
Sautee
June 25th, 2012
5:22 pm
“So who is more important (between “Red” Auerbach and Bill Russell) when it comes the Boston Celtics championship dynasty?”
It doesn’t matter who one thinks is more important. They are totally different roles. Apples and Oranges.
Auerbach did his job, and acquired the talent that Najeh mentioned. Then he did his job and coached up that talent. Then Russell did his job and won 11 rings.
The GM’s job is to acquire talent. Auerbach gets an A+.
The Coach’s job is to coach. Auerbach gets an A+
The Players job is to win championships. Russell gets an A+
Don’t diminish that with ignorance.
newkid
June 25th, 2012
5:25 pm
The Chump has been dumped. So long to the Chump. As regards Ferry, we’ll see.
Ronnie
June 25th, 2012
5:30 pm
“Do you think LeBron covered all 5 players of the opposition? LMFAO”
Exactly, that’s like saying the Bulls are garbage without Rose. Uhh no, both are still a damn good teams and they consistently won without their best players because of great defense and depth. But we see people over rate these all-offense players who play no D yet always get knocked out in early rounds of the playoffs.
Margie
June 25th, 2012
5:33 pm
He is a DOOKIE
-UNC fan
Najeh Davenpoop
June 25th, 2012
5:42 pm
“Are the Knicks “talented”?”
Besides their top player, not particularly.
Grandad
June 25th, 2012
5:45 pm
When queried on was he prepared for the draft [as related to the Hwks]
Danny Ferry:
(1) always looking for shooters [shot makers]
players who can space the floor. r.e. San Antone
(2) players who play as a ‘`TEAM`’ … hallelujah !
Another question; about LD:
‘`I met with Larry – looking forward to working with him`’
-translation-
LD to receive promotion;
asst to the director of basketball operations [Danny Ferry]
1 year @ salary commensurate with [or same as] he is already makin`
Najeh Davenpoop
June 25th, 2012
5:45 pm
” Ferry hire is on par with Falcons hiring of Dimitroff by Falcons….”
Here we go again. How many playoff games have the Falcons won under the man who drafted Sam Baker and Peria Jerry in the first round? When are we all going to stop fawning over a man who has accomplished NOTHING in four years leading the Falcons?
I sincerely hope Ferry is a hell of a lot better than Dimitroff. We don’t need any more average GMs in this city.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 25th, 2012
5:46 pm
“Hawks already have their Lowe and KK. Their names are JJ and Marvin.”
Haha good point.
Grandad
June 25th, 2012
5:47 pm
Najeh
c`mon Naj
Grandad
June 25th, 2012
5:49 pm
Najeh
r.e. “Besides their top player, not particularly”
Najeh Davenpoop
June 25th, 2012
5:50 pm
Here’s a fun fact: in four years of drafts (not counting 2012 since those players haven’t played yet), Thomas Dimitroff’s draft picks have COMBINED FOR ONE PRO BOWL APPEARANCE.
ONE.
By comparison, the 2008 Patriots’ draft class alone produced two Pro Bowlers.
Something tells me they don’t miss Dimitroff much. If there is a more overrated sports figure in Atlanta sports right now I don’t know who it is.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 25th, 2012
5:53 pm
And if you want to tell me that he has only been four years, well, four years is an eternity in the NFL. Four years ago the Lions went 0-16. Four years ago Brett Favre started for the Jets.
Sorry, that ends my Dimitroff rant.
Mike
June 25th, 2012
6:00 pm
You know, I have a better question. Who is Ferry is going to bring with him to Atlanta for scouting and front-office matters?
Najeh Davenpoop
June 25th, 2012
6:03 pm
“Najeh
r.e. “Besides their top player, not particularly””
What about the Knicks outside of Carmelo strikes you as particularly talented?
If you remove the Hawks’ and Knicks’ best players and look at the rest of their rosters, I’d have a hard time picking Chandler, Lin, and a broken-down and declining Amare over Teague, Joe, Al, and company. And I don’t think the Hawks’ roster is oozing with talent either.
Maybe if you give me the Suns’ version of Amare, before the knee injury started catching up to him, my opinion would be different. But this current version of Amare is just another guy.
donte080
June 25th, 2012
6:08 pm
Dimitrioff’s draft picks one pro bowl…
Here’s a fun fact…falcons are now a perennial playoff team, something they never had before hiring Dimitiroff as their GM….
Nice job of data-mining….TD has only been falcon GM for 4 years, kinda hard to expect alot of his draft picks to be pro bowlers this soon…….except for last season when they traded up for Julio Jones (who will be a pro bowl player in due course) they have always picked low in the draft due to their successes on the field…not as easy to draft pro bowl players when you pick in the late 20’s every year….And Sean Weatherspoon will eventually be a pro bowl player…my guess is Peter Konz will too….
And every team…NE, NY Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers etc has some draft busts….it goes with the territory…
Try again, you’re barking up the wrong tree and just showing your ignorance dissing Falcons GM, he’s considered one of the brightest in the business…he’s put a competitive team on the field, it’s up to the players to win in the playoffs…..
Hawk-eye
June 25th, 2012
6:19 pm
GOOD HIRE,HE CAN’T DO ANY WORSE THAN KNIGHT AND SUND DID WITH THIS OWNERSHIP……….
Hawk-eye
June 25th, 2012
6:21 pm
THIS IS A ATLANTA HAWK BLOG,ISN’T IT ?????
Slimjr
June 25th, 2012
6:24 pm
Uh oh Najeh, you just smoked out a Fal-con Fanatic on the Hawks blogs! LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Fail-cons….
Word on the street, Mr Blanks is already looking for his next QB…..Dam……
Slimjr
June 25th, 2012
6:26 pm
[Mr Blank] shooting Blanks…
How long must we wait, how long Mr Blank?
Slimjr
June 25th, 2012
6:29 pm
It has just been reported on ESPN a few minutes ago that the Knicks and Miami are in the running to acquire the skills of said champion and greatest NBA 3pt. shooter of All times in Ray Allen!
donte080
June 25th, 2012
6:30 pm
You guys and your ‘word on the street’ BS are like a bunch of gossipy women….
Buddy Grizzard
June 25th, 2012
6:32 pm
“He is a poor rebounder. In fact there are a few guards in this draft that rebound better than Melo. He has no offensive game, he fouls a lot, and he has a low bball iq.” – cp
You forgot character issues.
cp
June 25th, 2012
6:35 pm
@Kevin I dont think Lamb lasts that long either but you never know. Some GM’s might overvalue some of these bigs and push Lamb down the board. I know you’re not a fan of Q Miller but I still think he will be a steal in the 20’s. Im hoping we can get another first or a early second.
Rufus1
June 25th, 2012
6:47 pm
Good article about the hiring process
http://www.foxsportssouth.com/06/25/12/Hawks-persistance-lands-Danny-Ferry-as-G/landing_hawks.html?blockID=751682&feedID=3703
Rod from College Park
June 25th, 2012
6:48 pm
If Marvin Williams is trotted out there again this year as our starting small forward, then the Ferry hire is a bad move. Any GM worth a grain of salt will realize that Marvin should not be starting and go from there. Amnesty Marvin, or make him a permanent fixture on the bench.
Astro Joe
June 25th, 2012
6:53 pm
Most of y’all love “tinkering”. Seems like Ferry was constantly tinkering. That is the first step. Doing nothing never works while trying to tinker with the roster may work.
The thing that struck me about the 2 interviews I heard today is that he talked about drafting players with a skill. So unless running fast and jumping high becomes a skill (doubtful) I think we’re most likely to see guys who can defend or shoot or pass or block shots or rebound or provide some clear and definitive skill set to the team. He doesn’t seem the type to draft strictly on athletic potential. Which makes me wonder what “skill” JJ Hickson had (or maybe Hickson taught him the valuable lesson of focusing on at least one demonstrated skill set and not athletic prowess alone).
Rufus1
June 25th, 2012
6:53 pm
It takes time and you don’t just bring in a lot of talent,” Willis said. “Atlanta brought in several big names over the years, all the way from J.R. Rider to Dikembe (Mutombo), but that doesn’t mean you’ll win a championship. Moses Malone and Reggie Theus — you could name guys all day long, but until the chemistry and the trust is built from the coaching staff to the players to trust one another, you can bring who you want in there, you still won’t win a championship.
“San Antonio, in my opinion, has written the book about that, bringing in the right players, the right guys who sacrifice, guys who want to win a championship, guys who have been superstars on other teams, but they come in and say, ‘You know what? For the betterment of the team, I’m going to sacrifice. Maybe I’m not going to play as many minutes. I may not shoot the ball as much. My role may change a little bit.’ That happens. I think Danny understands that and I think that’s what he’ll bring to Atlanta and he tried to do that in Cleveland.”- Kevin Willis
Ronnie
June 25th, 2012
6:54 pm
Only player I’d want from the Knicks is Chandler, you all can keep the rest.
Astro Joe
June 25th, 2012
6:55 pm
Rod, I don;t think a GM worth his salt decides which players start and which players are on the bench. A quality GM allows the head coach to make those decisions (and punishes/rewards as appropriate).
John
June 25th, 2012
6:58 pm
Finally the hawks make a movie I can feel good about.
Rufus1
June 25th, 2012
6:59 pm
Culture Change…
Ferry made the Hawks promise to change the culture if he was going to come….WOOOOW!
We all grow at a different pace…Maybe ASG has grown up.
Ronnie
June 25th, 2012
7:02 pm
“Here’s a fun fact: in four years of drafts (not counting 2012 since those players haven’t played yet), Thomas Dimitroff’s draft picks have COMBINED FOR ONE PRO BOWL APPEARANCE. ”
Ehhh… meaningless award. That’s like bragging about Joe Johnson’s All Star appearances, and I don’t see anyone doing that.
Bottom line for every GM in every sport is: Are you biulding a contender? Has the team improved from when you took over? That’s how I believe they should be measured. Sund, for example, leaves the Hawks with the team in worse shape than when he took over. If Dimitroff left the Falcons today, the team is in a much better place than it was when he took the job.
Just Joe
June 25th, 2012
7:04 pm
Let’s re-word what Rod said….it’s up to Ferry to either remove Marvin from the roster, or provide LD with a better option at SF.