Ferry background info on Deng out

Luol Deng receives the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. (USATSI)

The Luol Deng background report referred to by Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry on a conference call has been obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB Channel 2.

Part of the five-page report, with portions redacted, contains separate sections of different personnel. The one in question reads: “He is a good guy on the cover but he is an African. He has a little two-step in him = says what you want to hear but behind closed doors he could be killing you."

On Thursday, a recording of Ferry's controversial comments surfaced. It became clear a few days ago that we'd actually hear Ferry saying, "He's got a little African in him," and now we have. It was also obvious from the start that we'd eventually read the report, and now we will. The audio didn't answer the question of how many of those thoughts were Ferry's own, but this sheds some light on that.

The full report is available via WSB Channel 2, and it does appear that the gist of the negative things Ferry said were taken directly from the background report. He was not reading the report word-for-word, but rather taking bits and pieces from it. The big quote -- the "but he is an African" part -- looks to be attributed to a 2013-2014 season Cleveland Cavaliers front office member.

There is still one thing we'll probably never know the answer to: Why on Earth did the Hawks general manager feel it was acceptable to say the "African" line? If he just wanted to say that Deng was two-faced, he could have said that on its own.

There is also intel in the report about his time in Chicago and Cleveland. One source said that there was distrust between Deng and the Bulls medical staff after he got a spinal tap in the middle of the playoffs. "He blamed the team and they put pressure on him to play when he was seriously sick," the report reads.

The same Cavs front office exec that said the "African" line also said that, while he'd "have no problem" bringing Deng back, the forward "treated Cleveland like a pit-stop."

Topics: Atlanta Hawks, NBA

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