Hawks make the right move (honest) hiring Danny Ferry
Sorry, Danny Ferry is no longer in a position to bring LeBron James with him if he takes the Hawks' GM job. (Getty Images)
(This Sunday blog has been updated with the news this morning that Danny Ferry has been hired as the Hawks’ new president and general manager.)
There will be a blur of issues for the Hawks’ new architect to deal with, but all that really matters today is the organization seems to have the right guy in charge.
The Hawks have finalized the hiring of Danny Ferry as their new team president and general manager, replacing Rick Sund. New general managers, like new coaches and first-round draft picks, come with no guarantees. But Ferry has a strong reputation around the league as a sharp personnel guy and he did a solid job for five years as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager.
Ferry spent the last two years as vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs, following his resignation from the Cavs in 2010. He and owner Dan Gilbert split after Gilbert fired coach Mike Brown, in part because the owner hoped to keep LeBron James from fleeing in free agency (didn’t work).
James left Cleveland because he wanted a better supporting cast, but Ferry did an admirable job, acquiring guard Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O’Neal, among others. In five years as Cleveland’s general manager, the Cavaliers twice finished with the league’s best record, went to the finals once and had a cumulative winning percentage of .663 (272-138). Was that largely because of James? Sure. But that shouldn’t diminish the job Ferry did.
Ferry appeared to be ticketed for Philadelphia but the Hawks obviously put enough on the table in terms of autonomy and compensation to lure him to Atlanta.
Ferry said in a statement that, “There were many components that made this the right fit for me,” and expressed confidence in ownership, saying: “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.”
He’ll face a number of issues, including, but not limited to:
1.) What to do about forward Josh Smith, who has requested a trade and will be entering the final season of his contract.
2.) How to manage the Hawks’ salary cap situation with one player (Joe Johnson) taking up so much space while often not resembling an elite player of that compensation level ($20 million).
3.) Who to select in Thursday’s NBA draft, or should the team try to package Smith and/or make a trade to move up from the 23rd overall spot.
But at least the Hawks won’t have somebody in charge at the draft whose contract doesn’t expire at the end of the month (Sund).
•
PREVIOUS BLOG FROM SUNDAY NIGHT
The partners of the Atlanta Spirit believe I pick on them too much for matters pertaining to . . . well, you know, pretty much everything. So in the interest of equal time, here goes:
The Hawks reportedly have offered the general manager position to Danny Ferry and are in “serious talks” with him, according to Yahoo Sports. There has been no confirmation of this from team officials, but also no denial. The Hawks’ interest in Ferry was first reported by ESPN two days ago, but many believed he was ticketed for the GM opening in Philadelphia.
The team released a statement confirming they have “reached out” to Ferry: “As we continue to evaluate our franchise and look to build a championship caliber organization, we reached out to Danny Ferry. We are engaged in conversation regarding the Atlanta Hawks and our basketball operations. As the situation evolves, we will update at the appropriate time.”
If the Hawks get Ferry, it would be a solid move for the franchise for at least two reasons: 1) It would ensure that Rick Sund is not back as general manager; 2) Ferry is pretty good.
Let’s start with the Sund factor. His contract expires at the end of the month. He has been doing this Hamlet act since during the season, not knowing if wanted to return next season as general manager, a consultant or not at all.
I wrote three weeks ago — here’s the link – that the Hawks should not bring back Sund in any decision-making capacity because the team has major decisions ahead and it doesn’t make sense to put those in the hands of an executive who seemingly already was one foot into retirement.
As it is, the NBA draft is Thursday night and Sund will be the man in charge of the Hawks, unless ownership can get something done with Ferry in the next few days.
As for Ferry, he did a solid job when he was running things in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers went to the finals and twice had the best regular-season record during his five-year tenure. Granted, it helped that LeBron James was on the roster. Ferry resigned after the 2009-10 season when he disagreed with owner Dan Gilbert over the firing of coach Mike Brown (with the hope of enticing James to re-sign). So Ferry went back to San Antonio, where he had started, as a front office executive. I figure any executive twice hired by the San Antonio Spurs must know what he’s doing.
Ferry’s hiring obvious wouldn’t guarantee success. He would have to deal with some of the Hawks’ unique issues, the biggest being Joe Johnson’s contract and Josh Smith entering the final year of his deal. But if he takes the job and is allowed to work free of ownership entanglements, there’s good chance he’ll move the Hawks in the right direction.
By Jeff Schultz
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165 comments Add your comment
CP
June 25th, 2012
12:07 pm
@ Reebok. God, THAT was funny. You are a regular Seinfeld. What are you doing in your Mom’s basement? You ought to be on Broadway with that talent!
Jeff Schultz
June 25th, 2012
12:28 pm
Najeh Davenpoop — Just saw your comment on Pete Babcock’s name being caught by spam. And yes, you are correct. I check spam filter frequently for comments, then either release or delete.
FalconUGAFan
June 25th, 2012
12:36 pm
Like the move….
@who cares…I gotta say that was a dumb comment, but well-trolled.
Jfreak13713
June 25th, 2012
12:37 pm
Not real sure about Ferry as only time will tell but a change was needed and hopefully he will make some good decisions starting with trading Josh Smith. Not because Smith isn’t good as he is probably the Hawks best player but he doesn’t make the team better.
Brandon
June 25th, 2012
12:39 pm
Conservative Johnson is right, and once again there is no critical analysis from ATL pundits. Ferry was blessed with the game’s top talent, and he basically failed to deliver a solid supporting cast around him. Mo Williams, presented as a #2 option to the sheep, was/is actually a #4 or #5 option, and that fraudulent mistake alone should be criticized. Additionally, to bring up Shaq as a key addition is laughable–Shaq 2000? No. Shaq 2006? No. This was an end of the road, miserable and broken down Shaq. As for Jamison, I consider that a joke, so besides laughing, I am assuming that Schultz was kidding. The bottom line is that the jury is still out on Ferry, and if anything, precedent is not comforting. I DREAM of critical analysis in this town, but as in hockey (where Waddell was amazingly little criticized despite a woeful performance), it isn’t available.
smithyred
June 25th, 2012
12:41 pm
Good move.
PMC
June 25th, 2012
12:42 pm
I’m not sure honestly how anyone with options would accept a position with this ownership group. How can you trust a word they are saying?
Sonny Clusters
June 25th, 2012
12:42 pm
Well, that’s the spirit. Let’s hope he can get us a reliable starting pitcher and some right handed power. Oh, wait . . .
cpsman_atlanta
June 25th, 2012
12:44 pm
Would love this deal, except for the fact that the team is owned by the worse group of idiots ever assembled. BOYCOTT ATLANTA SPIRIT GROUP!!!! BRING BACK THE THRASHERS!!!
ASG LLC
June 25th, 2012
12:44 pm
Well our work is done here.
We will check back in about 10 and a half months to see if we have made it out of the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, please don’t talk or write about us.
Sincerely,
Absentee Owners
Mike S.
June 25th, 2012
12:46 pm
I’m honestly not sure how anyone will truly improve this roster…not while paying JJ 20 million. If they get rid of Smith, which most think is going to happen before he becomes a free agent, what will they get in return? I hope its a draft pick and not someone else’s good but not great player to eat up salary.
I hate to say it, but the Hawks are in a very bad spot right now. No one is going to take JJ off their hands, so its not like they can totally break up the roster. I think thats what they need to do in order to get even on par with Chicago and Miami…rebuild. You cant beat teams that have MVP superstars without one of your own, especially when the rest of their roster is as good as yours anyway.
If I’m Ferry, I find anyway possible to unload JJ, Smith, and Williams. Keep Teague and Horford and build around them with a much better draft than the past 10 years. Im just not sure that can happen though.
ASG LLC
June 25th, 2012
12:46 pm
OMG. Just read Jeff’s callout on Najeh. Hilarious. Down in flames. Ha ha ha.
Eldrick
June 25th, 2012
12:47 pm
Need to hire Peter LaFluer from Average Joes gyms. He has a solid record of pulling together a team of underdogs.
JSS
June 25th, 2012
1:10 pm
What the heck is ASG LLC talking about? Well, reading is fundamental…
Well, at least it is not a Drive-by Hawks Blog!
Stop worrying about the Joe Johnson contract, that Marvin Williams contract and deciding what to do with Josh Smith are priority one! Sund, see ya! Enjoy retirement on the Sound player!
No more eggcuses 4 Perrier Jerry
June 25th, 2012
1:18 pm
Maybe he can do sumtin about that looser Perrier Jerry.
Bernie Matt
June 25th, 2012
2:09 pm
Sounds like someone’s a little jealous of Chris Broussard. Steve Brown, never mentioned any names. How classless of you Mr. Schultz!
bobby
June 25th, 2012
2:55 pm
Mr. schultz
Danny Ferry would be a bad hire he could’nt build around lebron james.
Rothschild
June 25th, 2012
2:57 pm
Hurrah!
boxxiethebull
June 25th, 2012
3:25 pm
thank the basketball gods!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there is a pulse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bobby
June 25th, 2012
3:29 pm
Mr. schultz
if ferry was a good general manager the cavs would’ve won a title with lebron. the cavs had no one on that team to take to pressure off lebron. his big moves larry hughes bust, ben wallace past his prime, antwan jamerison past his prime, shaq past his prime, mo williams it worked in the regular season but in the playoffs he flopped badly 39percent shooting from the field in the 2009 and 2010 playoffs and he flopped against oralndo and boston. the cavs had no second or thrid option to take any pressure off lebron plus he turned a trade that would’ve sent j.j. hickson to the suns for amare stoudimare.
A BAD HIRE MR. SCHULTZ.
boxxiethebull
June 25th, 2012
3:31 pm
now if we could just get the new guy to amnesty joe and resign josh and trade marvin and resign ivan, mcgrady, and green…….
JSS
June 25th, 2012
3:43 pm
“Amnesty” does not mean that Joe’s (or Marvin’s) contract would go away… You’re still stuck paying him, it just doesn’t count against the cap!!! BASG is not rolling in dough like that!
Baz
June 25th, 2012
3:52 pm
Hey Jeff,
Do you think any of the “Evil Empire” teams LAL,BOS,NYN,NETS,CHI,DAL or perhaps OKC,IND…Would be interested in acquiring Joe with the Hawks paying 35-50% of his RIDICULOUS SALARY…Or would JJ be so “kind” to restructure the monstrosity? smh he has to go
FreshFromATL
June 25th, 2012
3:58 pm
Sam Amick:
“Well, that didn’t take long: with Atlanta GM Danny Ferry in his first day on the job, the message is spreading that he’ll be looking to shake up the Hawks’ roster and rebuild in some capacity. No specifics yet, but forward Josh Smith has tremendous value and an expiring contract (next season at $13.2 million), center Al Horford will be healthy again and is an attractive piece as well (four years, $48 million remaining) and shooting guard Joe Johnson has the sort of deal that any sane GM would try – and likely try in vain – to get rid of (four years and $89.3 million left).”
http://sulia.com/channel/atlanta-hawks/f/82bbba6f-2b42-4b0a-b05e-7163fbe96573/?source=Twitter
GT Alum
June 25th, 2012
4:18 pm
Isn’t this the first time anyone running the Hawks has talked about building a championship team? It’s always been that hokey elite termbefore.
The Corps
June 25th, 2012
4:34 pm
the core is pleased and wishes to say thank you to Mr Sund for holding down the fort after the BK fiasco. Hawks are in a good spot that just got better. We are lucky to have such a great organisation as the Hawks here in the ATL….Go Hawks.
cloudodust
June 25th, 2012
5:05 pm
The hiring of Danny Ferry is proof that the Hawks ownership could sell rain to an Asian during monsoon season.
R. Stroz
June 25th, 2012
5:08 pm
As long as the Spirit Clowns are in charge, nothing will get better.
Hawks still have same owners!!
June 25th, 2012
5:12 pm
This guy couldn’t win with Lebron, what makes anyone think he will win with Joe, Josh, and Marvin?? These are the 3 stooges of the NBA, and unless this guy can play on the court, it really want matter. He also is stuck with the worst coach in the NBA. The hawks are losers now and always will be, no matter who they hire as a G.M. He was fortunate enough to be in charge of a terrible franchise that was lucky enough to draft Lebron But once he had LeBron, he couldn’t surround him with quality players, so he couldn’t win a title. How did he do in Cleveland once James left?? Terrible. This guy is nothing but a big name, and he want be able to help this sinking ship known as the Atlanta Hawks.
Elijah
June 25th, 2012
5:28 pm
Not a good move, uinless Danny has changed his thinking about how to build a franchise. Mr. Ferry relies too much on the veteran player. Shaq, Jamison, Joe Smith, Damon Jones, Danyell Marshall are a just a few players who were past their peak once they go to Cleveland. Look at his draft choices not good after the King which was an abvious no brainer….. Danny u do not bring in slow players who cannot run with a thorough bred,,,,,
The Truth
June 25th, 2012
5:31 pm
This is a great move!!! This will take the Hawks from a 4-8 seed in the East to a 4-8 seed in the East
Double Zero Eight
June 25th, 2012
5:49 pm
At last, we have some hope.
Good move by the owners. Wish they
would sell the team to remove the stigma
attached to it.
This should provide temporary stability for
attendance and prevent any slippage next
season..
donte080
June 25th, 2012
5:53 pm
You don’t win 60+ games two seasons in a row with just Lebron and some scrubs. Ferry put together the right pieces in Cleveland, Lebron et al just didn’t get it done.
joe
June 25th, 2012
5:54 pm
the hawks–no matter whom they hire–will be winners until they dump joe johnson
J-Man
June 25th, 2012
5:57 pm
Well this is definately welcome news…..Too bad we still have an idiot managing the Braves, I wish you guys would call him out once in awhile. ButFerry is a good Basketball mind and great evaulater of talent. So lets just say if we had Ferry in 05 we would have CP3.
News: 5-time champion Venus Williams loses at Wimbledon – Atlanta Journal Constitution | News Aggregator for you
June 25th, 2012
6:10 pm
[...] Hawks make the right move (honest) hiring Danny Ferry [...]
Jeff Schultz
June 25th, 2012
6:37 pm
Link: “Hawks offer Danny Ferry a 6-year deal to become their GM, sources say. That’s strongest indication yet the club is no longer for sale.”
Not necessarily. 1) It’s a long-term team, yes, but we don’t know how steep the dollars are; 2) And this is the main thing: It would be surprising if owners weren’t still looking for a major partner to replace the one they lost (Belkin). Bottom line: I’d be surprised if things remained status quo.
Jeff Schultz
June 25th, 2012
6:40 pm
ASG LLC — “Call out”? What do you mean? I was just confirming what he suspected.
Jeff Schultz
June 25th, 2012
6:40 pm
JSS — So you like this decision?
Jeff Schultz
June 25th, 2012
6:44 pm
JSS (and others) — On the “amnesty” clause. Correct. It’s not like the money just goes away. The Hawks would still have to pay Joe the balance of his contract ($80 million) and then can get him off the books. Anybody have an extra 80-mil?
perk
June 25th, 2012
7:11 pm
this is actually the 1st time I have cared about the Hawks in a long time. Great move – hope he has complete control. The owners need to sell – they have screwed this town over and over since they bought both teams.
tjhook
June 25th, 2012
7:14 pm
Ferry should bring in a veteran point guard (Andre Miller) to help Larry Drew curb the bad habits of the veteran core: Iso-Joe, long jumpers by a power forward (Smith), a stronger mindset on offense (Marvin). Teague is a good player but not mentally tough enough to corral this trio. Bring in a PG who has the skill and will to get the rest of the starting lineup to bend to his directions. The team is called soft because in tight situations they revert to individual actions and not team oriented plays. Strong point guards make sure plays are run. Besides, it’s Drew’s last year; he’s better coaching seasoned veterans. Relying on Teague to become a stronger leader is too much of a risk.
Joe
June 25th, 2012
8:24 pm
Are not the Hawks now in Winnepeg?
WTF
June 25th, 2012
8:26 pm
Atlanta has a basketball team?
Jeff Schultz
June 25th, 2012
9:20 pm
Baz: No. Nobody is touching Joe’s contract.
Steve
June 25th, 2012
9:36 pm
If Danny Ferry can get rid of Joe Johnson and that ridiculous contract then he should automatically be named GM of the Century!
Sadly, that contract will likely doom any chance he has at making this any more than a ‘might get lucky and win one playoff series’ kind of team.
JSS
June 25th, 2012
10:11 pm
@ Jeff Schultz…
I can feel that “context” email heading my way when you said “like!”
It all depends on ownership/management division of power and what does he do with Pendergrast and Co.? The Josh Smith is not going away, so I can’t wait to see if Bradley, Cunningham, and yourself ask them straight out about those matters?
I say “Derek Lowe” Marvin and stop the insanity!
KD
June 25th, 2012
10:18 pm
If he can find a way to sign Josh Smith (long term), get rid of Joe Johnson, and get a real center, then he will have my vote!
tjhook
June 25th, 2012
11:23 pm
Why is no one on this blog acknowledging or talking about the soft label that has become the team’s biggest criticism? What can Ferry do about that?
Wink
June 25th, 2012
11:26 pm
Danny Ferry has to be the Wizard of Oz!
These players need an internal infusion of personality trait of winners:
Teague is like the Cowardly Lion…he needs COURAGE to lead this so called Core…he needs to go all Tony Parker on the Hawks….study game film and adapt…impersonation is the sincerest form of flattery!
JJ is like the Tin Man…just creeking along…waisting the shot clock, pounding the rock…like they said in the old days…”get that ball off your wrist”…he needs to be “DECISIVE”…he needs Josh Smith’s PERSONALITY…Josh think he can do anything with a basketball, but Joe has the skills to do it.
Josh should adapt to being the SCARECROW…then an only then will his game grow…he needs “PATIENCE”…he needs to be more like Joe…know his LIMITATIONS and work out of the paint…”be quick but not in a hurry”.
These two guys needs to swap PERSONALITIES and we would get TWO additional first round draft picks this coming season.
Marvin is like Dorothy…he just needs to find his way HOME…he does not know where he belongs…starter, alpha dog, slasher, three point shooter, bench player and everybodies whipping boy and he is FINE with that…Dude had been ASLEEP his whole career, because he is living a DREAM…Marvin played off the bench in jv ball, High School, College and just can’t find a place…his HOME is off the Bench…he’s comfortable there and he can find his ALPHA DOG there!
Horford should just be like Todo, just follow the Core and be Loyal to the Center Position. If he tries to play with the Big Dogs, as a Power Forward he will get over matched most nights. His Big Advantage is his FOOT SPEED & QUICKNESS over the opposing centers he faces…which has been good enough for him to make ALL STAR team as a CENTER…
These guys will be together again next year and these changes will aid them greatly, because when the get to OZ expecting the Wizard…I suspect they will find the ASG at the controls of OZ.
Welcome to the Kingdom Danny!