Merged: Danny Ferry mega thread

[macdaddy]

His absence from the team is self-enforced.  He can come back whenever he wants, if he wants.  Problem is that the rat bastards that put him in this situation would still be his employer, the Gearons.  The only reason he hasn't completely left the Hawks was the sliver of hope he had that 100% of the team would be sold which would mean the Gearons would be out of the fold.  And there also the part about the new owners wanting him back too.

 

I don't believe this.   If he could come back when he wanted he'd be back by now.   If it's his choice, what employer is going to continue to pay a guy to do nothing unless that's what they want.  They'd demand he come back and if he doesn't then they could fire him and get out of his contract which is huge.    This is all about the Hawks not knowing what to do and ownership being well beyond functional.    I think Koonin is happy with the status quo and praying every night that he gets a new owner soon who will keep him and bring Ferry back in.   

[Randy]

Well - you only need a GM if the team needs improvement.  When everything is perfect, the guy doesn't have anything to do anyway.  I mean, what change could possibly be made to the team make it better.  There's an old saying:  "Don't efffff with success,"

[capstone21]

I have a feeling he is GMing from a far ... He and Bud could be collaborating ... I have a feeling he won't be back ... I hope he does but probably won't be ... Especially when the new owners take over

[macdaddy]

I have a feeling he is GMing from a far ... He and Bud could be collaborating ... I have a feeling he won't be back ... I hope he does but probably won't be ... Especially when the new owners take over

 

I hate to say it but to lose Ferry at this point with the success he has put together would be typical atlanta bs.   It would go down in atl sports history with the nique trade, eugene robinson, eric gregg, dan uggla, and michael vick.   

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

I don't believe this.   If he could come back when he wanted he'd be back by now.   If it's his choice, what employer is going to continue to pay a guy to do nothing unless that's what they want.  They'd demand he come back and if he doesn't then they could fire him and get out of his contract which is huge.    This is all about the Hawks not knowing what to do and ownership being well beyond functional.    I think Koonin is happy with the status quo and praying every night that he gets a new owner soon who will keep him and bring Ferry back in.   

 

Koonin is on record saying that Ferry's leave of absence is self-enforced.  Since we have an ownership group, I would imagine it would take a majority rule to completely fire someone of Ferry's position in the company.  And since Levenson is technically the guy that brought Ferry in, I'm guessing Levenson's 60 or so percent is enough to keep him here and is allowing this to go on. Levenson now understands who the Gearons are and doesn't blame Ferry for wanting to be distant from the Gearons. That email wasn't magically leaked to the public.  I guarantee that Gearon saved that piece of dirt for a rainy day.

[curtmcgirt]

I'm on record as saying I think there will be conditions on the purchase of the Hawks. I don't think Koonin and Bud go anywhere. I think Danny gets to come back because they are winning so much. Sports talk radio and the blogosphere are lit up with compliments of Ferrys work since we hit 12 games in a row. Mike Bell asked Koonin outright on Friday. Depending on the group and where the Hawks finish I give him at least a 60% chance of returning. Winning cures all ills.

[Guest]

Koonin was asked for his comments on DF on 92.9 The Game of Friday.

1. On DF maybe winning executive of the year per Chris Mannix: Danny deserves a lot of the credit.

2. On 2/3 of their radio listeners saying it's time to being DF back: it's a complex issue

3. Danny is doing well and the team is doing great.

[AHF]

The short answer is:  "Ferry's fate will be clarified once the team is sold."

 

#1 - If the team is 100% sold and new owners want him back, he rides back into town humbly and lets the media praise him up and down for this team's success.

 

#2 - If the team is 100% sold and new owners don't want him back, he bids a quiet goodbye and signs on with his next team.  (There are a lot of teams that would embrace him as their new architect.)

 

#3 - If only Levenson sells his shares and Gearon stays on, then Ferry extends his middle finger and walks away to another team after settling on a buyout for his deal.

 

I am hoping #1 is the way this plays out, and I think it is the most likely at this point in time (but the ASG has screwed up so many things that I have to hold my breath and knock on wood as I type that).

[lethalweapon3]

http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/basketball/ferry-to-take-leave-of-absence/nhLtP/

 

Steve Koonin, September:

 

“This afternoon, Danny Ferry requested, and I have approved, taking an indefinite leave of absence, effective immediately. This has been an incredibly difficult time for him and his family and it is my hope that this time away from the Hawks organization allows him the privacy he needs to listen to the community, to learn about his mistakes, and to begin the long process of personal healing. As a human being, manager and friend, I wish him well as he undergoes this process.

 

“While the issues related to race are deeply troubling, at the heart of this dispute is an unfortunate disagreement amongst owners.

 

 

So it's not a matter of PC, which many are sadly too quick to pounce upon. If simplistic two-letter explanations are needed, it's about DF & BL vs. MG. With SK caught in the middle.

 

Speaking of DF: Danny Ferry's words, in his jointly-issued statement back in September:

 

"My focus moving forward is to tirelessly work to rebuild trust with this community and with our fans. I realize that my words may ring hollow now and my future actions must speak for me. I will maximize my time during this leave to meet with community leaders and further educate myself and others on the extremely sensitive issues surrounding race, diversity, and inclusion. I will find a way to make a positive difference in this area, and further learn from the sensitivity training that I will go through.”

 

 

While the frying pan was still hot, in the immediate aftermath of the scandal, we indeed did see local reports of Danny meeting with local stakeholders ("Concerned Black Clergy of Metro Atlanta," or somesuch). But now that it has cooled, why has the local media (WSB and AJC in particular, the ones who were so dogged in reporting the intel Gearon was happily leaking to them) not sought out and shared what "work to rebuild trust with this community" has been going on, exactly?

 

Ferry won't speak, understandably. But certainly members of "this community" would be willing to expound upon Ferry's edification over the past five months and counting? Surely, there's been more than a closed-door hearing/ring-kissing with a gaggle of preachers and some off-the-shelf computer training course by now.

 

It doesn't really matter in the context of the A$G, as Ferry has enough personal/family dough to ride them out for as long as he pleases, and he has little desire to return under their watch unless there is a clear organizational firewall where he won't have to answer to anyone aside from Koonin. I believe that's what he'll get, but absent that, with Bud running the show, Danny's perfectly fine sitting those fools out.

 

Where it does matter is in the context of the next owner(s), where she/he/they will be pressed by the media and the local community for justifications in either bringing Ferry back or retaining him (if he's already back before the A$G buyout, which I still think will be the case, and Ms. Shaw will be instrumental in helping Danny make that case). 

 

The new person/group that comes in will need a detailed accounting of ways Ferry made, in his own words, "a positive difference" in matters of diversity. "But, I was the guy who traded Joe Johnson!" may be good enough for Hawks fans, but it will carry no water with her/him/them. Has he held up his end of the bargain, and if so, how? Who are these "others" whom Danny vowed to share what he's learned about diversity and inclusion?

 

Have Danny Ferry's "future actions" been "speaking" for him? Maybe, but we as fans haven't seen/read/heard much to suggest so. Will those "future actions" he promised in September speak for him when the new owner(s) come on board? We'll all have to wait and see.

 

~lw3

[RandomFan]

His absence from the team is self-enforced.  He can come back whenever he wants, if he wants.  Problem is that the rat bastards that put him in this situation would still be his employer, the Gearons.  The only reason he hasn't completely left the Hawks was the sliver of hope he had that 100% of the team would be sold which would mean the Gearons would be out of the fold.  And there also the part about the new owners wanting him back too.

Exactly this, in addition to several other factors.

 

Ferry is a smart guy. He knows he messed up, and from all reports he's working hard to not only acknowledge his mistake, but to make amends by doing the diversity training and reaching out to as many people as possible that were rightfully offended by his mistake. True contrition and time are what it takes to heal these types of wounds. As was said, if it weren't for the Gearon's he might have returned from self-exile already.

 

But what complicates this further is the possibility of new ownership. I would guess that Koonin, Bud, and Ferry, and possibly others, have mutually agreed that the best course of action is awaiting new ownership and allowing that person to make the final decision regarding if Ferry should be welcomed back. It's only smart business from Koonin's perspective, to make the Hawks more attractive in a sale if a potential roadblock in Ferry isn't already back in the mix.

 

Just imagine this scenario - Ferry comes back, takes the initial PR backlash that is going to be inevitable when/if he ever does return, things finally smooth over (not with everyone of course), and he gets back to work as the acting GM. We don't know what the Gearons would do at this time, so who knows if they would try to get him fired then (Ferry being in exile kind of reduces that risk). Then the Hawks are sold and it's one of three options. 1) The new owner is open minded, acknowledges how contrite and remorsefull Ferry has been, and agrees to keep him as GM. Or 2) the new owner is like Chris Webber and want's Ferry fired months ago and doesn't care about atoning for mistakes. Or 3) the new owner isn't quite sure. On one hand he might want to forgive Ferry, but on the other hand he simply might not want to have to deal with all the distractions and start with a clean slate. In this case, you are putting a potential new owner in a difficult place forcing him to make that decision: which makes the Hawks less marketable for sale.

 

All these things combined are why Ferry is still remaining in self-exile until new ownserthip is in place, I feel. My gut feeling is that Ferry will return unless we get an ownership group with someone like Webber who is too spiteful to forgive him and 100% wants him fired immediately. If it is someone on the fence, I think Ferry, Bud, and Koonin will be able to make them see the light and continue to work with Ferry.

[bumpyphish1]

I don't believe this.   If he could come back when he wanted he'd be back by now.   If it's his choice, what employer is going to continue to pay a guy to do nothing unless that's what they want.  They'd demand he come back and if he doesn't then they could fire him and get out of his contract which is huge.    This is all about the Hawks not knowing what to do and ownership being well beyond functional.    I think Koonin is happy with the status quo and praying every night that he gets a new owner soon who will keep him and bring Ferry back in.   

 

Personally, I disagree.  Timing is everything.  He will come back when it will garner the least negative attention....at least he should.  And, that would be after our winning streak and after Coach Bud and several Hawks make appearances at All-star weekend.

 

It's a PR game.  I think likely Ferry planned to wait until at least after the All star Break regardless and will slip back in when he can do it at a time when it garners the least attention.

[Guest]

Frankly, if new owners bring DF back it'll be in the offseason. No need to shift the attention from what the team is doing on court to being bombarded with DF questions.

[RandomFan]

Frankly, if new owners bring DF back it'll be in the offseason. No need to shift the attention from what the team is doing on court to being bombarded with DF questions.

Since the rumor is new ownership wont be in place until at least April, it would be in the offseason by default.

[curtmcgirt]

I would think it would quietly have to be done sooner. Who's handling the college scouting? The tournament is the last chance to see the college players against meaningful opponents.

[AHF]

Any scouting Ferry would ordinarily do, he can still do.  I would think he will want to wait to ensure that Gearon doesn't end up in charge before returning.

[lethalweapon3]

I would think it would quietly have to be done sooner. Who's handling the college scouting? The tournament is the last chance to see the college players against meaningful opponents.

 

I'm guessing it's probably World Wide Wes Wilcox's chance to stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

 

http://www.nba.com/hawks/wes-wilcox-draft-interview-part-1

http://www.nba.com/hawks/wes-wilcox-draft-interview-part-2

 

~lw3

[Buzzard]

I hate to say it but to lose Ferry at this point with the success he has put together would be typical atlanta bs.   It would go down in atl sports history with the nique trade, eugene robinson, eric gregg, dan uggla, and michael vick.   

Lets not forget some guy named Bret Favre we traded away.

[Guest]

Lets not forget some guy named Bret Favre we traded away.

Brett not Bret...prolly why he wanted out...

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Here's a question.

Would the Hawks be enjoying the success they've been having right now, if Mike Budenholzer wasn't the coach, but still had the exact same players on the team?

Or how about this question: If you had to choose which guy to lose, who would it be?

Danny Ferry or Mike Budenholzer?

Thank GOD for Ferry's previous connection to the Spurs. It enabled him to have the inside track to hire the best coach in franchise history. Without that connection, a guy like Quin Snyder is our coach.

Does Danny Ferry deserve to get credit for what is happening? Yes ... because he hired Bud.

Is Danny Ferry the most important element to the success of this team? No. That almost solely goes to Bud and his uncanny ability to develop players and put people in the right situations to be successful.

What Bud has done with the confidence of Jeff Teague is nothing short of amazing. The same guy that 1/2 of the fan base doubted, is arguably the MVP of the team right now.

The bottom line is this.

If people want to forgive the exiled GM and give him another chance to do his job, that's great. But if push came to shove, and we had to choose between Bud or Ferry ... you choose Bud 10 times out of 10.

Bud is the indispensable one in this franchise, not the GM. If Bud had total control, I trust him 100%.

[hawkman]

Bud is the indispensable one in this franchise, not the GM. If Bud had total control, I trust him 100%.

I agree with this 100%