Danny Ferry

[madscavenger]

What's he up to and what are his plans? Anything new?

[johnb]

What's he up to and what are his plans? Anything new?

I assume he's enjoying some peace and quiet.

Here's a detailed espn report on what happened.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13457071/nba-how-atlanta-hawks-regime-fell-apart

[Jim3k]

Fascinating link, Johnb. Out here in the West Ferry's full story was never played up. The downfall of Sterling took all the air out of the room, given the mistress angle.

But I never saw Ferry's remark (if it was his comment, not that of some unknown scout) as being close to racist. This was locker room banter, nothing more, and pretty weak tea standing alone own. The behind the scenes maneuvering, the corporate rivalries and the apparent bad faith coming from Gearon is a revelation. Indeed, the charge against Levenson himself seems to hold little, if any, water. More of a intra-corporate backstab.

In the final analysis, Gearon came out far ahead. More money than he ever imagined (thanks, Steve Ballmer, for upping the market value) plus his family's seats forever as only a one-percent owner. Now Gearon can be seen as a smug, wealthy, and narcissistic dilettante. The new ownership ought to charge him for his tickets.

[COYS]

Fascinating link, Johnb. Out here in the West Ferry's full story was never played up. The downfall of Sterling took all the air out of the room, given the mistress angle.

But I never saw Ferry's remark (if it was his comment, not that of some unknown scout) as being close to racist. This was locker room banter, nothing more, and pretty weak tea standing alone own. The behind the scenes maneuvering, the corporate rivalries and the apparent bad faith coming from Gearon is a revelation. Indeed, the charge against Levenson himself seems to hold little, if any, water. More of a intra-corporate backstab.


I agree that Gearon comes out looking exactly as you describe and that the whole thing seems to have been rooted more in personal vendettas and corporate Machiavellian corporate intrigue than a desire to do the right thing, but I really don't see how the comments about Deng, whether Ferry's or that of a scout, are anything but racist (or pick another term, if you prefer such as offensive, discriminatory, etc.). We know this because Deng himself said so (http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24703201/luol-deng-responds-i-actually-have-a-lot-of-african-in-me). Even if the comments were written by a scout and not Ferry's, then he should have read that phrase, wrinkled his nose, and said, "wow, um, that's pretty offensive" before moving on. He didn't and absolutely deserved to be called out for that oversight, even if the motivations of the person blowing the whistle were less than noble.

All that being said, I also think that the Hawks should have made clear a path back to reinstatement for him. Lots of people say offensive things and might not understand the full ramifications of what they have said. Ferry seems to have the backing of a LARGE number of people who vouch for his character. I trust those on the board that can attest to that, too. One offensive (and possibly unintentional) utterance does not a racist make. The (perpetually dysfunctional) Hawks ownership should have provided an honest step by step process by which Ferry could return to his GM duties. It was a big opportunity missed not just for the Hawks who will miss Ferry's sharp basketball mind, but for society on the whole. The Hawks could have created an environment in which Ferry could learn from his mistake without losing his job. In my opinion, that is an ideal scenario for virtually all situations in which someone in a position of power says something racist, sexist, etc. Because the term "racist" brings up images of men in white hoods, it often becomes an all or nothing situation in which the person is deemed to have not said anything that is actually racist OR that they did and therefore are a racist. Allowing a much larger middle ground in which reasonable people can say something that they believe is acceptable but can learn later that what they said is problematic without losing everything and being labeled a racist would be ideal. It would make it easier for aggrieved parties to make the offense known because there would be less at stake and would also allow the person doing the offending to fully own up to it and learn from it without fear that their reputation will be forever damaged.

Well, I fear I may have strayed too close to PPB territory so I will close with this. I am happy the Hawks had Ferry, even if for a short while. He completely changed the outlook of the Hawks in a ridiculously short amount of time. The Hawks aren't exactly contenders for the title just yet, but for the first time in my lifetime I can see a path in which we could be. We are no longer a horribly unattractive place for free agents. I can only hope that the front office can continue to make smart moves and build on Ferry's impressive legacy, even if his tenure was too short.

[sagegrouse]

I agree that Gearon comes out looking exactly as you describe and that the whole thing seems to have been rooted more in personal vendettas and corporate Machiavellian corporate intrigue than a desire to do the right thing, but I really don't see how the comments about Deng, whether Ferry's or that of a scout, are anything but racist (or pick another term, if you prefer such as offensive, discriminatory, etc.). We know this because Deng himself said so (http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24703201/luol-deng-responds-i-actually-have-a-lot-of-african-in-me). Even if the comments were written by a scout and not Ferry's, then he should have read that phrase, wrinkled his nose, and said, "wow, um, that's pretty offensive" before moving on. He didn't and absolutely deserved to be called out for that oversight, even if the motivations of the person blowing the whistle were less than noble.



From the ESPN story, I would say Ferry's primary problem was that he was ill-equipped by experience or temperament to deal with such a complex (poisonous?) ownership environment. Gearon and his allies had big differences with the majority owner. Moreover, Gearon wanted his say in operations, including protecting the two trainers whom Ferry to replace. Plus other stuff that led to the meeting being taped.

Ferry's "read" statement on Deng was horribly ill-advised. I mean, OMG, how could he not say, "I can't believe what I'm reading," or, "That's what it says here, but I don't believe a word of it?"

Danny obviously has talent, and I hope he gets another chance to be a GM in the NBA.

[Jim3k]

This is a response to COYS. Like him, I do not want to stray into PPB territory. Even so, I stand by my view that Ferry's comment was tortured into making him out as a racist.

At worst, Ferry was guilty of sardonically referring to the culturally different background from which Deng comes and which Ferry and the whole world well knew. Slighting someone's cultural background, whether in jest or in earnest, does not, as a stand-alone remark, meet the definition of any sort of racism. ("What a farmer!" "He's an Okie!") I know there are many examples seemingly to the contrary, but consider the innocence of Polish, Blonde and the old-fashioned good-humored ethnic jokes as we look at this. As I analyze it, I think Ferry's remark ranks more closely to the Scottish stereotype of a "miser" rather than the Jewish stereotype of a "miser." The latter is connected to objectionable anti-Semitism, the former to mild humor among WASPs. Sometimes things simply aren't what they can be made out to be.

Gearon knew this, but had his own objective. He couldn't just snort, bemused. He was swinging an ax that we didn't know about. There is no reason for outsiders such as we, to fall prey to such a distorter at the expense of someone's mostly innocent incursion into a thicket.

I've said enough. COYS and I differ only slightly. The end.

[CDu]

Jim3k, I disagree with the "at worst" part of your last post. And judging the COYS post and your post, it appears there is more difference of opinion there than you imply (though I could be misunderstanding you or COYS).

And the main difference between the comments by Ferry and the typical jokes you see is (a) the severity of the accusation (calling a group of people two-faced is worse than calling people ditzy or hotheaded), and (b), it was being being directly applied as a commonality between a specific person and a group of people rather than as an abstract joke. That combination made it highly inappropriate in the same manner as the anti-Semetic type comments referenced above.

I am sure he meant it as humor in the way you suggest, but how he views it isn't what matters: how it is perceived by those referred to is the important part. And the reality is that it was offensive and insensitive at the least, and flat-out racist (or whatever word for an entire group of people fits here) at the worst.

I certainlydon't think Ferry is racist. don't know him at all, but his decades of experience in basketball with no previous issues suggests he isn't. But what he said in that evaluation was pretty clearly offensive to Deng and to an entire continent of people. And one shouldn't have to hear the words of Deng himself (who confirmed it as being offensive) to know that. It was a pretty big gaffe by Ferry. And considering that his job is a privilege and that there are WAY more eligible candidates than jobs available, that kind of gaffe in as public a position as GM can get you fired. I am sure he has learned

[lotusland]

Jim3k, I disagree with the "at worst" part of your last post. And judging the COYS post and your post, it appears there is more difference of opinion there than you imply (though I could be misunderstanding you or COYS).

And the main difference between the comments by Ferry and the typical jokes you see is (a) the severity of the accusation (calling a group of people two-faced is worse than calling people ditzy or hotheaded), and (b), it was being being directly applied as a commonality between a specific person and a group of people rather than as an abstract joke. That combination made it highly inappropriate in the same manner as the anti-Semetic type comments referenced above.

I am sure he meant it as humor in the way you suggest, but how he views it isn't what matters: how it is perceived by those referred to is the important part. And the reality is that it was offensive and insensitive at the least, and flat-out racist (or whatever word for an entire group of people fits here) at the worst.

I certainlydon't think Ferry is racist. don't know him at all, but his decades of experience in basketball with no previous issues suggests he isn't. But what he said in that evaluation was pretty clearly offensive to Deng and to an entire continent of people. And one shouldn't have to hear the words of Deng himself (who confirmed it as being offensive) to know that. It was a pretty big gaffe by Ferry. And considering that his job is a privilege and that there are WAY more eligible candidates than jobs available, that kind of gaffe in as public a position as GM can get you fired. I am sure he has learned

Ferry quoted or paraphrased a report that said Deng had demonstrated some detrimental two-facedness and gave examples. The report attributed the quality to Deng's African upbringing. Weighing the perceived character traits against the positives, Ferry reccomended making Deng a very lucrative offer. Ferry should have left off the African reference out of political correctness but I fail to see how that would be any more palatable to Deng. Either way he's portrayed as someone who puts up a good front while stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

As far as the African continent, I see no benefit to white washing the corruption that is often prevalent at every level of leadership at the great expense of vast population. If the comment had been about a player from Chicago there would be no scandal.

[Henderson]

So we're hijacking this thread to rehash the Ferry/Hawks/Deng thing? A subject that was fully hashed here already? http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?36126-Danny-out-in-Atl&highlight=Ferry+deng

Based on lack of news, I'd say Danny Ferry is just enjoying some well-deserved quiet time. Pretty simple.

[lotusland]

So we're hijacking this thread to rehash the Ferry/Hawks/Deng thing? A subject that was fully hashed here already? http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?36126-Danny-out-in-Atl&highlight=Ferry+deng

Based on lack of news, I'd say Danny Ferry is just enjoying some well-deserved quiet time. Pretty simple.

How is it hijacking a thread titled "Danny Ferry -what is he up to" to discuss the circumstances that landed him in the situation in which he finds himself ?

Let's discuss how the distribution of minutes per game for this year's freshmen compare to Danny Ferry's freshman year.

[Henderson]

How is it hijacking a thread titled "Danny Ferry -what is he up to" to discuss the circumstances that landed him in the situation in which he finds himself ?


Surely you would agree that the thread I linked above would be a better place to rehash that Deng stuff. I think the OP was asking, "Where is he now?" not "Tell me again how he got here" for which there is that pre-existing separate thread.

[lotusland]

Surely you would agree that the thread I linked above would be a better place to rehash that Deng stuff. I think the OP was asking, "Where is he now?" not "Tell me again how he got here" for which there is that pre-existing separate thread.

In that case, a quick Google search tells me that Danny accepted buyout in June that ended his suspension in Atlanta. I'm very glad to learn that he was compensated well.

Apparently he got to attend sensitivity training and some courageous "anonymous" folks in the organization muttered that he really didn't take it seriously and was not really sorry. What a swell organization. I'm sure Danny will land on his feet and, while, I won't be watching, I hope the Hawks continue to be the Hawks despite the good work Danny did there.
http://nba.nbcsports.com/2015/10/09/report-some-hawks-executives-doubt-danny-ferrys-contrition/