Atlanta Hawks: Danny Ferry and Mark Cuban seek similar paths
Each time Hawks GM Danny Ferry does an interview, the recurring theme is how he’s being “opportunistic.”
As in, after trading Joe Johnson and clearing the books after 2011-12, the Hawks now have the flexibility to take advantage of pretty much any opportunity that comes along.
That’s true, but now what?
The Hawks already missed out on one opportunity when Dwight Howard was sent to the Lakers before Ferry could even measure Dwight’s feelings about returning home. Next summer Ferry probably will get another crack at Howard (though the Lakers will own Howard’s Bird rights) and any of the other star free agents set to hit the market.
Financial flexibility is good, and there will be other opportunities, but how to turn that potential into a superstar player(s) that is (are) essential to competing for championships?
“Read an article about what Mark Cuban is doing,” Ferry said.
Cuban struck out with his plan of clearing cap space to acquire star players last summer. He’s since resisted the urge to double down on payroll because he believes that, eventually, teams with financial flexibility will benefit from specific CBA rules that kick in starting in 2013-14.
“I just think there’s a different approach,” Cuban told CBSSports.com. “You see what’s happening with teams that are up against the financial limits and it’s impacting their behavior. But we haven’t seen what’s going to happen with the trade limitations and things like that — not being able to do sign-and-trades, all that kind of stuff.”
The more punitive tax rate is just one aspect of the rules meant to curtail the big spenders. The rules also stipulate that teams with payrolls more than $4 million above the tax line can’t execute sign-and-trades, can acquire less salary in trades than non-taxpaying teams, and have a smaller mid-level exception and no bi-annual exception.
Cuban is betting those rules will lead to high-payroll teams being unable to acquire superstars, leaving those with cap space in a stronger position to make deals for those players. Ferry is predicting the same.
“It’s the same path,” Ferry said. “We don’t have [Dirk] Nowitzki but we have more assets. We have good players. [The Mavs] are piecing things together to keep flexibility to stay competitive. On some level, we are in a similar mode as what Dallas is doing.
“With Josh [Smith] and Jeff [Teague] and Al [Horford] and flexibility around it and draft choices ahead. I think we are positioned well to be opportunistic whether that’s trade [or] whether that’s free agency in the future. It’s not an exact path. It’s about having a situation where you can be opportunistic.”
There are reasons to believe the Hawks are in a better position than Dallas. The 2012-13 Hawks, on paper at least, are comparable to the 2012-13 Mavericks. Smith and Horford may be more attractive trade targets now than Nowitzki is 34-years old and owed nearly $44 million over the next two years. The Hawks also have multiple draft picks.
The counter to those arguments is that the Mavs under Cuban have a much better organizational reputation than the Hawks. That means that, theoretically, they have a better chance of landing superstar free agents or keeping them for the long term after trading for them.
Now that Ferry has gained the flexibility he coveted, the next step is trying to make the Hawks the kind of franchise where the best players want to work.
“I’m trying to build well from the inside out,” Ferry said. “We need to build an organizational pride from within. We are not hinging our program on cap space or anything like that. We are hinging it on building a good program and having flexibility to make a trade or do free agency or do whatever.
“To get centric on cap space, [focusing on] would a free agent come here, that’s not what we are doing right now. That’s not the mode we are in right now. We are in a mode of, ‘Let’s build on an organizational pride and build an even better run machine as an organization.’
“From there, pride will grow and I think the opportunities that are out there, we are in a good position to be in the game, whether that’s a trade or a free agent or whatever that is.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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118 comments Add your comment
EmirS.
August 14th, 2012
7:48 pm
@ Bane
August 14th, 2012
5:40 pm
Co-Sign.
It’s alright to not want him on the Hawks.
But to call him overrated and not a winner is absurd. We should be happy he is out of the Eastern Conference. I think every single team is overjoyed…besides everyone in the West not named the Lakers.
Buddy Grizzard
August 14th, 2012
8:07 pm
“But of all of the parties involved, only one will be making $16M+ over the next few seasons.”
This is chump change to the DeVos family, which helped found Amway. Bob Vander Weide, who resigned as Magic president after allegedly drunk dialing Dwight, is married to the owner’s daughter, who is in line to inherit the team and Rich DeVos’ fortune. Seems pretty obvious that Vander Weide was the one who was whispering in Van Gundy’s ear, hoping for an incident exactly like what happened, to hurt Dwight’s rep the way Dwight destroyed Vander Weide’s.
jase
August 14th, 2012
8:14 pm
get a life Kevin Williams. we dont need lame fans like you
The Truth
August 14th, 2012
8:56 pm
“I liked Jordan during his draft year. he seemed like a guy with good potential” – AJ
“With potentially one roster spot (although that has not been cleared up, who has the 14th contract), I’d rather see an SF added than a 4th center (while good ole Petro stays on the roster)”. – AJ
Agreed, adding a SF should be a priority. But the Hawks are still frigile in the paint. I see nothing but good things comming out of a camp invite for Jerome Jordan. If the Hawks have Benson in their sights for a roster spot, Jordon could compete and may the best man win. The winner gets rewarded a non-guaranteed contract. If Jordan Williams continue to look as bad as he did during the summer league and gets out played by Jordan, then the Hawks should cut him (or buy him out) and give that spot to Jordon, develop him. As a 7 footer, he could have some trade value or be a keeper.
If Ivan is signed, I see very little PT for Jordon William as a PF anyway since that is what he’s listed at. If he’s a marginal player, it’s a wasted spot anyway behind Ivan especially since Benson maybe a more versatile C/PF option.
If Jordon William shows potential as well as Jordon with more seasoning, then that’s a nice problem to have.
The Truth
August 14th, 2012
9:01 pm
“But the Hawks are still fragile in the paint”
The Truth
August 14th, 2012
9:05 pm
“If Jordon William shows potential as well as Jerome Jordon with more seasoning, then that’s a nice problem to have.”
Melvin
August 14th, 2012
9:17 pm
Hoopsworld predicts the Hawks will finished behind the Nets and above the Knicks….LOL, Slimjr is going to have a heart attack….
http://www.hoopsworld.com/lets-rank-the-nbas-eastern-conference/
The Truth
August 14th, 2012
9:19 pm
Up Close With Jerome Jordan: After spending last season with the New York Knicks, big man Jerome Jordan is currently an unrestricted free agent. Jordan was traded to the Houston Rockets as part of the Marcus Camby trade, but was waived by the Rockets several days later. Now, Jordan is working out at Impact Basketball in Los Angeles and waiting to see what his future holds.
“It was kind of tough, especially because it was my first time being traded,” Jordan said. “I was looking forward to going to Houston and playing, but then soon after I got waived. The only thing I can control is working hard. I’m just going to keep working hard and be ready when the next opportunity comes.”
“I’m just waiting. I know my agent is talking and working for me. I’m trying to wait it out and just keep working. I want to be in a good position to play and compete for a back-up spot. I’m going to keep working hard and show teams that I can play.”
Jordan’s stint with the Knicks allowed him to improve as a player. At Impact, he was scoring at will and dominating pick-up games. He didn’t look anything like the raw center who spent time in Serbia and the D-League before earning some minutes with New York last season. He credits the guidance of Tyson Chandler, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, as well as hard work, for his development.
“I’m definitely better,” Jordan said. “At first, I played overseas and I learned some stuff over there, but there’s no place like the NBA. Playing in the NBA, learning from those coaches and playing with guys like Tyson, Melo and Amar’e really helped me in my first year.”
http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-can-dwight-howard-repair-image/
Hawks should invite
Section 303
August 14th, 2012
9:36 pm
Sorry, guys, but I stand by it….Dwight Howard is overrated. As Chris Rock would say, “I SAID IT! THAT’S RIGHT! I SAID IT!”
LA can have him. Good luck to ‘em when DH decides not to play hard.
Life will go on just fine without him.
Jay
August 14th, 2012
9:49 pm
Honestly, anything is better than the status quo from the past couple years. We needed a new team desperately.
Calculus
August 14th, 2012
10:07 pm
We finally have a GM with drive, vision and a aggressive mindset. He has proven to be smart and fearless. Joe had to go. Period. An elite contract with a good player that had no desire to be elite. There are possibly only 15-20 players that deserve a max contract. Those are reserved for them. And please send my thanks for trading Marvin. Clearly he hadn’t proven anything coming off the bench and I believe mostly injured as a freshman at N.C. outside of “the landlord”, our worse pick in 10 years.
JOSH IS BEAST
August 14th, 2012
10:17 pm
good bye old… hello new ..!!” Welcome to Atlanta where history will soon be made ..sooner than later..championship coming soon ..sooner than later:)
steven a smith
August 14th, 2012
10:23 pm
New Sherrif in town! Danny “The Sheriff” Ferry. This mass exodus, or house cleaning, if you will,is major in the eastern conference. I ENJOY going to espn.go.com and seeing Average Joe’s name on the Brooklyn Roster. Also seeing Marvin “the scrub Butt ” Williams name on the Utah Roster. If we could only move Big AL Horford, that would complete an excellent Basketball summer. CAN WE SEND AL TO UTAH ALSO???
Sam
August 14th, 2012
10:37 pm
Fans, we’ve got the right man in charge with the Hawks now. Let’s pray the ownership will continue to leave him alone and let him build this franchise the way it should be built. God bless, Mr. Ferry.
JSS
August 15th, 2012
12:15 am
I said it along, the poison pills in this CBA are two years away… The Knicks, the Lakers, and a few others are going to have make some hard choices… Still, depending on what Dr. Buss decides to do with Jeanie Buss and whatever estate planning he’s going to do regarding the the Lakers is a key… He’s been transferring big heaps of his holding to her while the tax climate has been favorable… However, he still is holding the seat on the Lakers. Strictly business, it is going to interesting to watch… Kobe and Pau’s contracts could about the same time and then she’ll have to figure out how to retool that team with Mitch with all of that expiring money except Howard if he decides to sign there…
Najeh Davenpoop
August 15th, 2012
1:47 am
Wow, Hoopsworld thinks Toronto is the team that will make the leap into the playoffs in the East. Gotta admit, haven’t seen anyone else hype them up for this year yet. I see they are also sleeping on the Wizards.
Slimjr
August 15th, 2012
8:58 am
Friends and Country men, its time to wrap our minds around positive minded BS!
Now where do we begin this morning? Excuse me while I grab a cup of Hot Java.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 15th, 2012
9:50 am
Buddy Grizzard is not the only blog regular with his own blog, apparently. Looks like Marvin’s grandma got her own blog too.
glw
August 15th, 2012
10:14 am
Well not everybody likes what the Hawks have done this summer.
http://www.nba.com/reportcard/summer/2012/hawks/?ls=iref:nbahpt1
Check out the coaching grade though….lol
Freeman Johnson,Jr
August 15th, 2012
10:29 am
The Atlanta Hawks need a Center, Let look overseas for a this Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol came from Spain. Let not put all our franchise hope on getting Dwight Howard. Mr. Ferry you have made some good decision for the Atlanta Hawks team. Golden State Warriors have a lot of center Ezeli is strong to compete with the Miami Heat we have to have inside presents.
pointguardslim
August 15th, 2012
10:37 am
Phuck. I wanted Ezeli. I think Jenkins will be a 3 point dynamo but his lack of defensive ability will spell losses or let people right back into games after his 3s bust the game open.
Unless you can hide him on defense which will be a night to night adventure.
But he should have lots of trade value and thats what DF was hoping for. Flexibility. We’ll see.
Buddy Grizzard
August 15th, 2012
10:37 am
Najeh, did Marvin’s Gramdma really say:
“The Hawks lost their best player from last season, Marvin Williams, and their fourth best, Joe Johnson and received no player that can make up such a difference.”
You’re sure this isn’t some kind of prank?
Buddy Grizzard
August 15th, 2012
10:38 am
“I wanted Ezeli”
Me too.
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2012
10:38 am
http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2012/8/14/3241092/danny-ferry-interview-grantland-josh-smith-hawks
Here’s an interesting interview with Ferry about JSmith and the new look Hawks.
Buddy Grizzard
August 15th, 2012
10:40 am
“With the additions of Devin Harris and Lou Williams, the Hawks have a huge glut of average point guards; and had to get rid of a star forward and an above average shooting guard to do so.”
HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
pointguardslim
August 15th, 2012
10:43 am
Them Nuggets man…
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/49171/does-andre-iguodala-make-the-nuggets-contenders imo
Gallinari
Iguodala, Chandler, Brewer
Ty Lawson, Miller, Faried, McGee, mosgov
They are contenders…if they avoid the injury bug.
Buddy Grizzard
August 15th, 2012
10:43 am
glw yeah all these writers want to give Drew credit for the fact that Josh had a huge year. But the Hawks missed a chance to advance in the playoffs the last two years because of bad coaching. So even if you want to give Drew credit for “holding it together,” what did he hold it together for? So the team could lose in the playoffs again due to bad coaching?
pointguardslim
August 15th, 2012
10:52 am
I think Ferry was thinking in terms of trade value, rather than wins. Jenkins can be a fan fave early and Ferry sees his value accumulating quicker than Ezeli.
Then he can flip Jenkins for a valuable piece at another position. If need be.
For evidence, look at the grantland piece. He casually calls Jenkins one of the best in the NBA. Very subtle but I caught that on my first read. GMs will be more attracted to Jenkins than Ezeli and Im still hoping for some combo of Harden, Blair, Oden (and Atlanta’s own Dwight Howard in free agency).
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2012
10:54 am
GLW-Whoever wrote that article is definitely not a fan of the Hawks. How in the devil do you take 3 Bs and 2 Cs and come up with a C? And to say Ferry didn’t get much for JJohnson is a joke, and shows how little this clown really knows about basketball. Ferry got exactly what he wanted. He got rid of JJs cap strangling contract, and acquired several functional players with expiring contracts.
He traded Marvin for a starting caliber PG/SG combo with an expiring contract. Ferry wanted to clear as much cap space as possible, much like the Rockets, but Ferry succeeded big time without gutting the team of talent, especially it’s key players(Zaza, Horford, Josh, and Teague). And to say Zaza won’t cut it as a backup, after the way he filled in as a starter for Horford last yr, definitely exposes this fools lack of awareness.
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2012
11:18 am
The Hawks have the cumulative talent to match last yrs successful regular season, and have a better playoff run. The thing is, they’ll have to go about it differently. Instead of relying primarily on a halfcourt oriented OFF, and 1 backcourt player to provide the bulk of our scoring(JJ), especially from the outside, we’ll rely on several(Morrow, Korver, Jenkins, Harris, and/or Teague).
Instead of relying heavily on the individual defensive prowess of the 2 players(JJ and Marvin) we lost, we’ll have to rely on the speed, quickness, and athleticism of our newly acquired backcourt players and employ a more team oriented help style DEF approach. We definitely have the talent to make it work, but it’s up to LDrew to put it in place.
Drew will have to successfully employ the uptempo style of OFF and the team oriented DEF that he saw work so successfully in San Antonio, or he’ll be replacing LDrew sooner rather than later. With the backcourt speed, quickness, athleticism and depth we now have, we should extend our perimeter DEF and pressure the ball throughout the entire gm.
There’s definitely one thing I do know, and that is a frontline C/PF combination of Horford, Josh, Zaza, Ivan, Williams and Petro, is a whole lot younger, more athletic and productive than last yrs frontline C/PF combination of Josh, Zaza, Ivan, Collins and Dampier.
KakNiqueTree
August 15th, 2012
11:30 am
Reading Ferry’s quotes you can really tell he graduated from Duke.
hawksfancents95
August 15th, 2012
12:29 pm
I was a bit bored so I felt like gettin on the ole nba trade machine, heres a few i’d enjoy…
AL for Monta and MIL 1st. we can later trade Devin Harris and even let teague walk after this year and we will probobley have a top 5 lottery pick.
AL for Jose Calderon and TOR 1st. Again we can move devin harris and we will have a top 5 lottery pick.
AL and John Jenkins for Jose Calderon and Demar Derozan. We can re-sign Demar and i think he is budding into a great wing player.
AL & John Jenkins for David West and Lance Stephenson. David Wests contract is expiring and that will give us MEGA cap room to try for CP3 and James Harden while re-signing Josh long term.
Also lance stephonson is like Tyreke Evans a big point guard and he is developing nicely.
I really like AL Horford and think he is a solid player but I think he is a glorified role player, our core 3 last year was Joe Josh Al this year its about the same with Josh Al Jeff. I dont think AL should be our top 3 player or in anyones big 3. He is a great hustle guy and good all-around but i think we can get more with 12mill a year than 12 and 9.
thoughts anyone..?
J.J.M.
August 15th, 2012
12:42 pm
Has anyone ever thought that dwight could ask josh to play in LA?
O'Brien
August 15th, 2012
12:45 pm
Am I the only one surprised that the Hawks did not offer Josh an extension? We all know he would turn it down, but I always thought offering your best player an extension 1 year before free agency was SOP.
Is it because they already know he will not sign? Or are they afraid of low-balling him and hurting his feelings (like they did when he had to go get his money on his last contract)?
O'Brien
August 15th, 2012
1:18 pm
Mark Cuban can afford to be more patient, because he was able to deliver a championship last year. In Atlanta, we have never been to the conference finals, so sooner or later…Ferry will have to make a move.
There are numerous bad teams out there that have had cap space for years, and have gotten nowhere. Hopefully Ferry wont make the mistakes they have.
Astro Joe
August 15th, 2012
1:23 pm
OB, given that players can only get the maximum LENGTH contract by resigning to the original team, it would not surprise me if more teams opt not to extend non-superstars on the third NBA contract. IMO, the risk is placed on the player, not the team. In the previous CBA, the S&T would still net the player a max length deal… that is no longer the case.
Specific to Josh and the Hawks, Ferry probably doesn’t want to make any long-term commitment at this point. While he has said all of the right and positive things about josh, it is also highly likely that he is aware of the “bad Josh” things as well. He likely wants to evaluate both versions of Josh with his own eyes before making a decision about a long-term deal.
The last theory, Josh doesn’t know that he is eligible for an extension and Ferry doesn’t feel compelled to educate him (if his agents are too stupid to do so).
Astro Joe
August 15th, 2012
1:25 pm
JJM, Dwight can ask but that team is no where in the vicinity of having cap space to sign Josh next year… unless Josh takes a vet minimum salary for less than $2M.
Melvin
August 15th, 2012
1:47 pm
“The last theory, Josh doesn’t know that he is eligible for an extension and Ferry doesn’t feel compelled to educate him (if his agents are too stupid to do so).” – Astro
But you as a fan on a blog knows but the player nor his agent doesn’t know the rules of the CBA…. Comeon Astro, you are smarter than this. I hope someone had hi-jacked you user name on that post.
Astro Joe
August 15th, 2012
1:52 pm
Melvin, you were saying?
http://blogs.ajc.com/hawks/2012/05/25/atlanta-hawks-on-josh-smiths-future/
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2012
2:06 pm
HAWKSFANSINCE95-How many GLORIFIED ROLE PLAYERS can you name that’s a 2 time Allstar and All NBA in his 1st 4yrs? I realize most of us are only offering OPINIONS when we render our assessment of certain players, but in some instances it makes you wonder what COMMON SENSE FACTORS some individuals are basing their opinions on.
Those same COMMON SENSE FACTORS tell me that NBA coachers, players and writers are more informed than the average fan and seem to totally disagree with your assessment of Horford as nothing more than a GLORIFIED ROLE PLAYER.
Melvin
August 15th, 2012
2:28 pm
Astro,
I seen the article and I’m willing to bet they are full aware of Josh contract options…
Astro Joe
August 15th, 2012
2:30 pm
Melvin, yeah, thanks to MC’s blog in May.
Sautee
August 15th, 2012
2:47 pm
“He is a great hustle guy and good all-around but i think we can get more with 12mill a year than 12 and 9.”
“thoughts anyone..?” – hawksfancents95 (about Horford)
First, Al’s last full season he scored 15.3 ppg, so 12 is wrong.
I don’t think you realize just how fair Al’s contract is, but just for comparison’s sake:
Joakim Noah – $11M – 10.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg
Andrew Bogut – $13.1M – 11.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg
Tyson Chandler – $13.6M – 11.3ppg, 9.9 rpg
Roy Hibbert – $14.5M – 12.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg
Al Horford – $12M – 15.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg
I’d say Horford’s contract is very reasonable. But that’s my opinion, since you asked.
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2012
2:49 pm
ASTRO JOE/MELVIN-The issue of a JSmith extension, and the above article, will likely have no effect on what happens contractually with Josh in the future. That previous issue was the result of how RSund chose to deal with certain FAs, namely Childress and Smith.
After a face to face sitdown with Ferry, Josh has publically retracted his demand to be traded, which logically means he wants to remain a Hawk, which also logically means he wants to sign a new contract or extension. We have a new GM in town, and unlike RSund he’s PROACTIVE, not REACTIVE. Josh knows Ferry and the Hawks want to resign him, and he obviously want’s to resign.
Last yrs success was the result of bench players, namely Zaza, Pargo, WGreen, and IJohnson, stepping up and having solid seasons. We’ll have Zaza back, and most likely IJohnson as well. We’ve added players like DHarris, LWilliams, KKorver, JJenkins, Morrow, GWilliams, and JPetro. These players represent far better options than KHinrich, Pargo, WGreen, Stackhouse, TMac, Collins, Dampier, and VRad. We can add Horford’s return to that mix as well.
Astro Joe
August 15th, 2012
3:04 pm
Ken, according to many of Josh’s most loyal fans, he REALLY wants to experience the fun of free aganecy. Having some GM call him a minute after midnight and sweet talk him. Get wined and dined. Have a private jet pick him up and bring him to a city (not Milwaukee, there is nothing to do there). And then have the whole world wait for his final decision. And he isn’t alone in that desire, supposedly both D12 and Bynum plan to enjoy the same fun-filled ride. No harm, they have earned that right to enjoy the status of being an elite unrestricted free agent in the NBA.
I agree that he isn’t asking to be traded anymore, but I’m not convinced that he is ready to sign an extension and not enjoy free agent recruitment season.
Astro Joe
August 15th, 2012
3:17 pm
Sautee, Al’s detractors want to continue to use his career averages and hold him accountable for being a 1-2 year player on a team with Joe, Flip/Jamal, Bibby and Josh getting many more FGAs. Instead of considering his performance once he established himself and some of the shot happy guys left, they prefer to “penalize him” because he only averaged around 10 points in his rookie year. And they never consider that dude has never played a season where he got more than 12 FGAs. IMO, Al’s floor is the 15/10 he put up in his last healthy season… his ceiling is probably closer to 18/night (with a few more FGAs). The year he averaged 15, Jamal took about .5 less FGAs than Al. In other words, Al essentially shared the 3rd role on the team. In the coming season, he won’t be restricted to 12 FGAs. I’m expecting 18/10 and another possible All-Star selection.
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2012
3:22 pm
SAUTEE-With so many UNINFORMED OPINIONS being presented as fact, where would this blog be without your common sense approach and fact based responses?
Sautee
August 15th, 2012
3:32 pm
Thanks Ken, just tryin’ to keep things real.
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2012
3:32 pm
ASTRO JOE-What you said makes sense, considering going out and letting other teams set his value would give him a chance to do to the Hawks what he resented RSund doing to him. I’ve been wondering if the ASG extended LDrew for 1yr because they wanted to use him as fodder until our cap space kicked in. Having all of that cap space, plus JSmith, Horford, and possibly IJohnson and Teague, would certainly make the Hawks appealing to a name brand HC.
Ken Strickland
August 15th, 2012
3:39 pm
ASTRO JOE-With the additional shots that will be available, mostly to our starters with JJ and Marvin gone, we know that Teague, Horford, Josh, and whoever replaces Hinrich at SG, will get more shot opportunities. With Horford’s FG%, those extra shots will definitely translate into more pts.
Also, with Ferry’s stated committment to having the team run more, and with Josh and Horford’s ability to run and finish better than almost any other player at their respective positions, we can expect their scoring and FG% to increase.