Atlanta Hawks: No More Danny Ferry?

By Ti Windisch | Jun 5, 2015

Apr 19, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer (center red tie) watches the action against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Nets 99-92. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

There are quite a few questions the Atlanta Hawks will need to answer this offseason. One of them reigns supreme, however: the Danny Ferry question. Back in September, Ferry took a leave of absence–but did not resign–from his position as the general manager of the Hawks due to racist comments he made about Luol Deng.

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Obviously Ferry was in the wrong for doing and saying those things; that was never in question. What is in question is whether Ferry will return to the team this offseason, or at all. As mildly depressing as it is, a person’s success has a lot to do with how they are judged when a scandal like this occurs.

If the Hawks team that Ferry constructed had been mediocre or bad, he probably would’ve been fired already. The bad PR for hanging onto the (perhaps unfairly) disgraced GM wouldn’t be worth what he brings to the table. But as we all know, the Hawks won 60 games this season and were the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

That left Atlanta in a sort of sensitive predicament. If they fire Ferry now, there’s a chance that whoever is brought in alters the roster or simply lets it fall apart, which could prematurely close the window on Atlanta’s title hopes.

But if they keep Ferry, then they’re effectively endorsing someone who has a history of making racist comments. Although Ferry did not produce the statement he made about Deng (he was apparently reading a scouting report), he did read it on a recorded conference call.

It really is a delicate situation, and I honestly am just as stumped as the Hawks are about how to handle it. Deng himself has stated he doesn’t think Ferry is a racist, and although initially he supported Ferry’s firing, NBA legend Magic Johnson had a heart-to-heart conversation with Ferry and has since reversed that stance:

After our long meeting, I think he deserves a second chance whether it is with the Hawks or another team.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 23, 2014

It seems to me that Ferry truly is sorry and that those comments do not represent his true character. If it were up to me I would tentatively bring back Ferry, who deserves recognition for building a great team in Atlanta that had a great season. Unfortunately, it’s not my call.

In late April a new ownership group headed by billionaire Antony Ressler bought the Hawks. Then on Jun. 3, Mark Bradley over at AJC.com reported that there are whisperings that “the Ressler camp has evinced no inclination to keep Ferry.”

Now although that is far from confirming he will not be reunited with the Hawks, it appears there is a fair chance Ferry doesn’t return to Atlanta. And like I said earlier, although I do feel as though Ferry is not a racist he did make some incredibly offensive and insensitive comments, and I couldn’t fairly blame the Ressler group for not wanting him around after that.

I do wonder if Ferry will be waiting around for long if he is fired, however. He has clearly shown that he can assemble a great product on the court, and I’m sure any team’s PR department could spin his signing into a redemption story without facing a ton of backlash. Besides, NBA personnel have done worse and remained employed.

And as I said earlier, there is also the question of the post-Ferry Hawks. This year head coach Mike Budenholzer handled personnel matters for the team, but he didn’t really have a huge impact on the roster. Besides a lot of role players moving back and forth from the D-League to Atlanta’s roster, the only real roster move was trading Adreian Payne for a lottery-protected future first-round pick.

The real test for whoever takes the reins of the Hawks will be this upcoming offseason. Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll are both going to be unrestricted free agents, and their departure would change Atlanta’s team significantly on both sides of the ball.

Plus there’s filling up the roster through free agency and the draft, which is also no small feat to do successfully. Look for the Atlanta Hawks to try to find a more experienced candidate than Budenholzer to have personnel control this offseason, whether it be Ferry, someone already in the Atlanta system or an entirely new face altogether.

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