Having hired Danny Ferry, the Hawks must be taken seriously
Four words not often heard: An impressive Hawks hire. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Three cheers for the Atlanta Hawks, and not just puny “hip, hips,” either. Make these full-throated “hoorays.” A franchise that has chosen wrong so often has finally done it right. It has hired a basketball man of impeccable pedigree and plans to get out of his way.
Danny Ferry has done two tours with the San Antonio Spurs, the gold standard of NBA organizations, and in between he was general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who played for the NBA title in 2007 and won 66 games in 2008-2009. That Ferry has chosen to become GM of the Hawks says he’s sold on an organization that has, to be frank, been the toughest of sells.
Bruce Levenson, one of the Hawks’ many owners, introduced Ferry on Monday by saying, “For every question we asked Danny, he asked 10 of us.” That was a polite way of noting the interviewee was actually the interviewer. At issue wasn’t why the Hawks should hire him — that much was apparent — but why he should deign to work for these owners.
Had Ferry remained unsold on these owners, he’d have taken the Philadelphia job (he’d also had an audience there) or stayed in San Antonio. Of Levenson, Ferry said: “I was struck by his humble approach to the past, especially for a team that has done well.”
Let the record reflect that, of the first thousand adjectives that might attach themselves to Levenson, “humble” isn’t among them. But this ownership just managed to convince a pragmatic man that it’s serious about changing, serious about winning in a way it hasn’t been to date. (Sure enough, Levenson went so far as to acknowledge “missteps” — also a departure.)
Know this about Ferry: He left Cleveland after five good-to-excellent years — yes, having the world’s best player under contract had something to do with it — because he and owner Dan Gilbert no longer shared a vision. In the willingness to do whatever it took to keep LeBron James, Gilbert fired coach Mike Brown. Ferry, whose contract was expiring, chose to walk away. “We were on different pages,” Ferry said, “and I think I’ve given you what I’ll give you [as rationale].”
Burned once, such a man would be doubly sure to ask tens if not hundreds of questions of any prospective employers. “I was in a good spot where I was,” Ferry said. “I would not have made this decision if I didn’t think this was a good opportunity and a good challenge.”
Danny Ferry is the son of Bob Ferry, who in 1959 was the first-round pick of the Hawks, then based in St. Louis, and who would become GM of the Baltimore/Washington Bullets. Danny Ferry had such a golden career as a player — national champ in high school, three Final Fours in college, an NBA crown with the Spurs in 2003 — that if you ask, “Who’s the best coach you ever had?,” he can tick off four Hall of Famers as candidates: Morgan Wootten of DeMatha Catholic, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Lenny Wilkens of Cleveland and Gregg Popovich of the Spurs.
And Danny Ferry, basketball lifer, didn’t come here to rubber-stamp the whims of Levenson and the Gearons. “I’m allowed to do everything,” he said, responding to a question about having the Hawks rely more on statistical analysis. “If we take a common-sense approach, I’m very confident the answer [from ownership] is going to be yes.”
There will be time to discuss deeper issues — the state of the Hawks’ Core Four, the status of lame-duck coach Larry Drew, the enduring question of what to do with Josh Smith — in the days ahead, but for now it’s enough to know that the new GM believes he’s inheriting some “really good players” and that he’s committed to “building something even stronger from what’s already there.”
If you’re looking for a Ferry credo, this will do: “We want to be a value-based franchise.”
If you’re seeking an assurance that these owners, who have spent nearly a decade alienating their constituency, are serious about changing, know that Ferry asked Levenson, “Are you willing to do this the right way?” — and was satisfied with the answer.
These owners have gone from wanting to dump the Hawks from wanting to keep them and run them the way the Spurs have been run. Said Ferry: “I would not have come here if I thought [the Hawks being sold] was an issue. Bruce and I were just saying we’d hoped we’d both still be here 12 years from now.”
There was a time — like, say, last week — when the thought of 12 more years of these Hawks under these owners would have induced howls of anguish. But now these owners have seen fit to hire Danny Ferry to run their team, and you have to admit: That’s one heck of a restart.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
175 comments Add your comment
ehawk
June 26th, 2012
12:32 am
the hawks are stuck with max jj’s obscene contract for years and can’t make any big moves, thanks to the moron owners. Ferry will not make a difference—they will suck again for years.
Jay Dubu
June 26th, 2012
12:53 am
Next move is let Rick Sund move on to his next venture. No need to have him hanging around trying to impart his thoughts that got the Hawks locked up like they are with the core contracts.
Let Ferry bring in new ideas, and execute them with the old gard moving on.
trickyrickJ
June 26th, 2012
1:51 am
Rick: Did you write trade Horford? Stick to Australian football br0!
clay
June 26th, 2012
4:20 am
I love it, especially making this move before the draft because Ferry will get who he wants and not what Sund wanted. This is a great move, but it is going to take a couple of years for him to get the exact people he wants. I’m very interested to see the moves he makes over the next couple of months.
K Conway
June 26th, 2012
6:46 am
Just sell the Hawks!
D man
June 26th, 2012
6:57 am
He won’t be able to do anything special because he won’t have the funds to do it with. The Atlanta Spirit will ask him to work miricals without any additional money for quality players. Then they will tell us that it is a “process” and we should be patient. I am skeptical, can you tell…
Jeva
June 26th, 2012
7:01 am
Great Move, it takes a winner to build a championship team. One thing Mr. Ferry, please trade Josh Smith for a smarter player who truly understands team ball, and seriously consider rebuilding this team around Al Horford. The Hawks are 3 players deep, and Smith wants to play guard, forward and any position that allows him to shoot. His ball handling skills cause a lot of their backcourt problems. Last move, please consider replacing Larry Drew just for allowing this circus of misfits.
Civil Unrest
June 26th, 2012
7:09 am
Just wait until he tries to get money from ASG. ASG = IDIOTS
BradleyisaUGAHomer
June 26th, 2012
7:45 am
the Hawks are toxic and will ruin Ferry before he can make any impact on them
Nahila
June 26th, 2012
7:53 am
The Hawks have hurt themselves thru several bad actions which include wasted 2nd round European draft choices that have never played for the Hawks, several bad # 1 draft choices, and now Joe Johnson’s outrageous salary package that hinders the retention and the recruitment of good players. In order to rebuild the team they must jettison Johnson’s contract in accordance to league rules, and that will ultimately free up money for younger players acquired thru well chosen draft choices. They must find a younger big center which would give them more options with their roster makeup.
Atticus
June 26th, 2012
7:56 am
Mark you are wrong. This is an IRRELEVANT move as long as those clowns are owners.
DePort
June 26th, 2012
8:07 am
HAHAHA Everyone on here has all these answer huh? Break the team up .. keep the team … put pieces in place.. blah blah blah
SickandTired
June 26th, 2012
8:08 am
Enter your comments hereBack and to the left, back and to the left, back and to the left. Ferry holds the key to this entire conspiracy.
Sanjeev
June 26th, 2012
8:23 am
Now if Ferry can get Mark Cuban drunk and pay JJ’s contract the Hawks will be set.
GTanner
June 26th, 2012
8:33 am
Thanks ASG. Now, get out of his way.
Veteran Fan
June 26th, 2012
8:37 am
Once again the ownership gets it backwards! You hire a gm and then you hire a coach. Did he ask if he could trade Josh? He is their favorite player for some reason! Great hire, but he was brought in to deal with Josh leaving to go to Orlando!
Andy
June 26th, 2012
9:05 am
My lingering memory of a pusillanimous Danny Ferry is of him cowering behind the Duke bench when a furious (and bad ass) Tom Hammonds came seeking his head.
BulldogBen
June 26th, 2012
9:06 am
A front office hire is supposed to make the Hawks be taken seriously? Really?
Just like the Falcons should’ve been taken seriously with Dimitroff?
How many playoff wins has THAT produced?
I’ll believe it when I see it but NEVER ask me to say anything nice about the ASG. Even if the Hawks someday win a title, they will still be the group that diminished life as an Atlanta sports fans by selling the Thrashers. BLECH.
I begrudgingly concede that this isn’t a BAD move. Remains to be seen if it’ll be good. It’s the Hawks after all.
Give Ferry What He Needs!!
June 26th, 2012
9:27 am
Hopefully Ferry can get Joe to restructure and sign Josh and keep him around the rim. And a legitamate CENTER. A true 7 footer with shot blocker abilities and rebounder. GO HAWKS! (like)
Whatever
June 26th, 2012
9:39 am
I still think it was a garbage move by the front office to renew Drew’s option before hiring a GM. How can you take THAT seriously?
md
June 26th, 2012
9:40 am
Doesn’t matter……..Ferry will be hamstrung with Joe’s contract and get next to nothing done…..look for mediocrity until Joe’s contract expires.
Moorman
June 26th, 2012
9:44 am
Lebron james left cleveland because the cavaliers slept with his moma, not because of danny ferry not surrounding him with talent…..
iBALL
June 26th, 2012
9:46 am
The damage has been done with Joe Johnson’s ill advised contract. Not much wiggle room to do anything else with this team. Danny’s hiring is a step in the right direction if he can work miracles.
Josey Wales
June 26th, 2012
9:47 am
I like this move! I will start taking the Hawks more seriously now. Until now, no way I could have any confidence that things would get better with some of the bozos running things. I hope he applies some of the same principles/team concept you see with the Spurs (very well may be the best managed team in the NBA). It won’t happen over night (a championship caliber team), but this is an important first step.
PMC
June 26th, 2012
9:47 am
Mark, the ASG has absolutely earned every bit of distrust placed upon them. They are not worthy of a shred of trust.
That they hired Danny Ferry may well mean that Levinson is a good salesman.
This city is not going to care about them until they are truely interesting. Unfortunately they have chosen to pay perhaps the least interesting player in the league over 20 million dollars a year and they have signed perhaps the least interesting forward and wasted #2 overall draft pick (Marvin Williams) to two contracts
When they make it to an Eastern Conference Finals let me know, then I’ll trust that they are actually trying to win. Until then, everything else is nonsense. Their season begins in May.
PMC
June 26th, 2012
9:48 am
This is a superstar loving city with no superstar to love.
Whatever
June 26th, 2012
9:48 am
There are ways to work around Joe’s contract. Obviously trading him would be the easiest way, but that seems like a long shot. But remember, if the Hawks save their amnesty clause they can use it on Joe in three years or so when he starts deteriorating. Trade Smoove if he wants to go, but make it a requirement for the team that acquires him to also take Marvin’s contract.
PMC
June 26th, 2012
9:50 am
The other thing, Billy Knight rebuilt the team into an incredibly average playoff team. Rick Sund maintained that standard.
What’s Danny Ferry going to do really? Again, The Eastern Conference Finals is the standard for pass or fail for this club right now, if they don’t make the ECF. They can go ahead and move to Canada.
PMC
June 26th, 2012
9:51 am
Fab Melo might be a good start.
Sid
June 26th, 2012
9:57 am
The best thing the Hawks have done in years……….no, decades!!!
Rick Z
June 26th, 2012
10:06 am
Memory fails me; who was the last executive or coaching hire by a local sports franchise or college that the AJC did not consider remarkably astute? Some have been pretty good. Some have not.
The Voice of Reason
June 26th, 2012
10:07 am
I LOVE the Ferry hire, but I STILL wish ASG would sell the team!!!
luv Josh Smith
June 26th, 2012
10:26 am
Looking from the outside in the Hawks are a remarkable collection of talent that may be only a piece or two from competing with the big boys. Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Al Horford are All Star caliber players and capable of dominating any game with their all around talents. Teague is an up and coming star in this league who must be coached and harvested in the right way & who can become an indispensable piece to the puzzle (see Rondo). Zaza is a servicable piece, but possesses hands of stone.
It has been blogged, whispered, shouted and famously quoted in the press by the true leader of this team, Al Horford, that the Hawks need to get a first line center in here. Josh has been honing his skills to take over at the 3 (not going so good). Horford will be a beast at the 2, and Joe is a gem at either the 3 or 2 position. These guys also play a lot of point position basketball. Keep the core, pray that Josh can reach All Star status at the 3 and bring in the center we need to cement the middle. The core is an exciting group if coached to play in a way that maximize their talents.
Ryder
June 26th, 2012
10:32 am
Neva nailed it with that comment. There are three things, and only three things, that Ferry must do, Thursday’s draft notwithstanding:
1) Address the Josh Smith issue IMMEDIATELY! Championships are won in the NBA when there is a culture of winning, and Smith, while talented, does not do what it takes to win. One day that athleticism is going to go away, and then he will be a marginal player at best. His value is at its highest, so trade him to get a true power player in the post that will help this team become more fluid like Chicago or even Miami. Perhaps send him to Phoenix for Marcin Gortat and the number 13 pick in the draft to get another post player for depth.
2) Building this team around Horford is a smart move as well. With him and Joe Johnson you could develop an inside-outside combo that will take less pressure off of JJ, who is a second banana at best. If Larry Drew is unable to agree to that, send him on his way and bring in a coach who will.
3) Sign guys who can hit the 3. Pargo, Green and Vlad would also benefit from an inside-outside offense because it would put them in position to excel.
Slo Mo
June 26th, 2012
10:45 am
Why wait. blow the team up now. Tim Duncan, Genobli, or Parker is not walking thru the door. Its some B level players that dont want to play for the Hawks anyway. Blow them up now.
LetsGoThrashers
June 26th, 2012
10:52 am
An ASG-owned team hires a new GM about the time rumors of the team’s possible relocation surface. Where have we seen that before?
LOLOLOL
June 26th, 2012
10:58 am
” the Hawks must be taken seriously”
Yes, and UGA must win the National Title because Mark said so.
Mike
June 26th, 2012
11:06 am
I’m not sold on Ferry as being a great GM, but I think he’s better than what we are used to. I’m not sure if that means hes good or not. To be honest, I think his accomplishments in Cleveland are definitely skewed by Lebron James. They spent a lot of money on players around him who were known as good regular season but had limited playoff experience. They capped the team out with players like Jamison, Varejao, and Williams in addition to trying out Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Shaq in his last years…the whole time not adding one truly good playoff presence to help Lebron when he faced more loaded teams like the Celtics and Magic.
Cleveland was a poster for how a great regular season doesn’t mean your a team built for a deep playoff run. You dont get to play those down teams in between contenders in the playoffs. Its all contenders, every game, and the Cavs weren’t ever ready for it.
Mike
June 26th, 2012
11:10 am
On a side not, my point about Cleveland being a poster for how a great regular season doesnt mean a deep playoff run is ahead? That’s something CFB and the BCS powers need to realize. A regular season is never like a playoff because FCS teams and FBS bottom feeders that are always on your schedule, wont be there when the playoffs come. There are no breaks to help you through the tough games.
PromoGuy
June 26th, 2012
11:29 am
Amnesty Joe Johnson should be the FIRST think Ferry does, trade off Josh Smith, Horford, get rid of the coach, and REBUILD, just gut the team, load up on picks, and do what OKC, Chicago and other teams have done of recent. i’d rather watch a losing team for a few years and add quality young guys then watch a team that makes the playoffs and go no where, wow, win 1st round, cant get out of 2nd round. Story of the Hawks!
yeahsure
June 26th, 2012
11:35 am
Mark, what’s the hit for firing LD right after re-upping his contract?
I agree that this is a great move. Get the right people in the organization and good things will happen. The Falcons ARE a good example of getting the right people in the organization. This yeah will show what a top GM, good HC, OC and DC can do once they get together.
The hawks can follow suit by getting a real HC. But Ferry is already playing with a huge disadvantage. We may not see results until the 5th year.
Peter
June 26th, 2012
11:38 am
The players need to be serious for anything to happen.. that all starts with the way over paid hide at crunch time JJ.
hey Mark..do you think we will actually get a “Legit ” center now ? And stop using a Power Forward in the position ?
just SHOOT me
June 26th, 2012
11:43 am
I’ll take the Hawks seriously when they (ASG) want to be taken seriously. Perhaps this is the first move of many. Until they prove otherwise, I’ll support the team but don’t have real high expectations outside of maybe making it to the 2nd round of the playoffs. Other teams are only getting better (Miami, Philly, Chicago) and it’ll take a lot of work for the Hawks to not only be taken seriously by Atlanta and their fans, but the rest of the NBA.
yeahsure
June 26th, 2012
11:49 am
Ferry knows how much we are paying JJ. I can’t imagine that he would have taken this job without having some sort of idea/plan for dealing/ getting around this.
Liberalefty
June 26th, 2012
11:55 am
yeah a good GM is better than any superstar,lol.
Benjamin
June 26th, 2012
12:13 pm
Good hire. I do hope he’s ready to address the Smith situation, though – as mentioned earlier, Josh’s value is at its highest right now, and were we to move him for two quality players or a serviceable vet + a lower lotto pick, I think we’d be moving in the right direction.
I’d also make the definite decision on Drew – as mentioned in the article, he is a lame duck. I don’t think he’s a bad coach, necessarily, but to “transition” from Woodson to him was a bit silly. If we could somehow land Sloan plus bring in a high-profile assistant to work under him for a couple years for him to pass the torch along to, I’d be more than fine with that.
Sage of Bluesland
June 26th, 2012
12:14 pm
I’m not buying a bit of it from this wretched organization or ownership group (or opinion-writer who amazingly gets so much wrong).
Has anyone stopped to consider that maybe Danny Ferry isn’t all that hot of a GM prospect???
On the bright side, can he do much worse than his pitiful predecessors? (No, he cannot).
Can he do much better? Well, that will remain to be seen….but, I question his initial judgment in wanting anything to do with this group of owners.
It’s like playing with snakes….don’t be surprised when you get bitten. They are snakes–and that is what they do. Ferry has stepped into it and will need waders….and this may have been his last stop as a GM anyway.
The only–and I mean ONLY–thing he could do which I would respect is to blow this entire team up. I mean everyone, too….including the most overrated “superstar” in this town since Keith Brooking (that would be Al Horford). Become an expansion team and build it the right way, with some luck hopefully.
Everyone and everything related to this team is expendable. Build it again and you may have me. Continue tinkering with a flawed core and you’re just wasting everyone’s time….but you won’t be wasting my money, as I refuse to subsidize incompetence….
Benjamin
June 26th, 2012
12:15 pm
Liberallefty, I don’t think people are saying that, but rather praising the fact that it’s a move in the right direction, which is exactly what it is. I’d rather have a good GM than a lot of things in the NBA.
Benjamin
June 26th, 2012
12:16 pm
Sage, how exactly is Horford “overrated?”
Danny Ferry
June 26th, 2012
12:27 pm
Have a five-year plan to bring a championship to Atlanta. This team is moving in the right direction.