Danny Ferry is under fire for insensitive comments. (USATSI)
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on Wednesday that Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry shouldn't lose his job because of his remarks about Luol Deng, via USA Today's Sam Amick.
"The discipline of a team employee is typically determined by the team, and in this case the Hawks hired a prestigious Atlanta law firm to investigate the circumstances of Danny Ferry's clearly inappropriate and unacceptable remarks," Silver said. "In my view, those comments, taken alone, do not merit his losing his job.
"It's a question of context ... These words, in this context, understanding the full story here, the existence of the scouting report, the fact that he was looking at the scouting report as a reference when he was making these remarks, what I'm saying is – and frankly my opinion — is that this is a team decision in terms of what the appropriate discipline is for their employee. But if I'm being asked my view, I'm saying that, based on what I know about the circumstances, I don't think it's a terminable offense.
…
The conference call was recorded, according to a letter Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr., sent to fellow co-owner Bruce Levenson. In that letter, Gearon wanted Levenson to either demand Ferry's resignation or fire him. An NBA investigator has listened to the recording of the conference call.
From what Silver said, you'd think he would have a much different point of view if the controversial words were Ferry's and Ferry's alone. That's why things could change if the recording or full transcript ever becomes public. From Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, who obtained a partial transcript:
On Deng, Ferry said: "… For example, he can come out and be an unnamed source for a story and two days later come out and say, 'That absolutely was not me. I can't believe someone said that.'
"But talking to reporters, you know they can [believe it]."
Ferry kept going on Deng: "… Good guy in Chicago. They will tell you he was good for their culture, but not a culture setter. He played hard and all those things, but he was very worried about his bobble-head being the last one given away that year, or there was not enough stuff of him in the [team] store … kind of a complex guy."
Ferry's clinging to the story that the racially charged words belonged to someone else – that a riff connecting Africans to a con man stereotype weren't his words at all. In context of the transcripts, it appears that those had been Ferry's own interjections on the call, somehow supporting the intel culled outside of the Hawks.
Ferry's supporters within Atlanta's hierarchy say that they've chosen to believe him, but it's been a tougher sell in the real world.
Some might want Silver to come out stronger here and insist that his fellow Duke alum be ushered out of the league like former Clippers owner Donald Sterling. That's understandable, given the nature of what Ferry said. At this point, though, it's difficult to imagine Silver going that route unless it was proven that the remarks reflected Ferry's views. If we find out that they did, then this whole situation could change rather quickly.
Basketball Hot News
67RIEFNS No. 3: Brad Stevens with NBA experience
The NBA is full of talent, personality and suspense. During the doldrums of the offseason, It’s easy to forget how wonderful the league can be. So, I’ve assembled 67 Reasons I’m Excited For Next Season (67RIEFNS). They’ll be presented in no particular order.
The Celtics made one of the most daring and unexpected coaching hires in recent memory when they plucked Brad Stevens from Butler.
Illinois, UCLA and Oregon couldn’t pull Stevens from his mid-major lifestyle. Born and raised in Indiana, Butler seemed perfectly content remaining in the Hoosier State.
But the Celtics came calling – offering a six-year, $22 million contract – and Stevens listened. Considering by some a prodigy in the profession, Stevens skipped a rung or two on the coaching adder when he went to Boston.
Intrigue was high. Butler always looked extremely prepared, and their offensive and defensive schemes were sound. Could that translate to the NBA?
His first Celtics were… nothing really. They were blandly bad, posting below-average offensive and defensive ratings on their way to a 25-57 record.
That’s not really Stevens’ fault. Boston traded Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce before the season, and Rajon Rondo spent most of the year injured. The coach was trying to win with too many replacement-level players.
But patience in the NBA is not as strong as in college. Another down season, and people around Boston will begin to wonder Stevens is just another college coach who couldn’t hack it at the next level. Stevens is not on the hot seat, but he must reverse course before he lands on.
The adjustment from the Atlantic 10 to the NBA must have been huge, and it’d be excusable if Stevens needed a season to learn the ropes. Luckily for him, the Celtics seemed fine to lose and land a high draft pick, anyway.
But slowly, expectations will rise. The 37-year-old Stevens must grow with them. That starts this year, his first chance to show his NBA bona fides now that his feet are wet and his roster – like any roster outside Philadelphia – is talented enough to contend for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment