All Praise Danny Ferry: Newly-Minted Atlanta Deity

Remember last week, when I wrote a post cautioning against getting overly optimistic following Danny Ferry's hire?

Well, I feel that perhaps my exact sentiments were poorly expressed therein, and I'd like to take another stab at it.

*Ahem*



DANNY FERRY IS THE GREATEST GENERAL MANAGER IN THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS!!!!!

Yes, I'm sure that was what I meant.  Thanks for letting me clarify that.  Carry on.

Curtailing The Danny Ferry Optimism Barrage

In the past 48 hours, I've heard the word "optimism" (or its adjective and adverb variations) roughly 7,354 times.  "We're filled with optimism!"  "This is a reason to be very optimistic about the future!"  And so on.   It has been a litany of happily banal peppiness.  Optimism is a pleasant and frankly a necessary emotion to have at times; unfounded optimism doubly so.  But only a fool grins blithely in the face of impending disaster.  Or, if nothing quite that dire, at least in the face of something that should decidedly not foster anything akin to hopefulness. 

Which is why I am beyond perplexed by the optimism offensive currently being waged by Atlanta's sports talk radio on Danny Ferry's behalf.  The news broke yesterday that the Hawks have signed the former Spurs executive and Cavs GM to a six-year contract, over which time he will serve as GM and President of Basketball Operations of a franchise in desperate need of a concrete identity.  We're happy about this why?

For starters, people seem to be treating this as a definitive upgrade over Rick Sund.  Certainly, more harm than good has been done to the organization's personnel and fiscal situation on Sund's watch, but it's a thornier question  as to exactly how much control he was allowed to exercise in the decision-making process that led to those problems.  When you are issued directives that range from somewhat counterintuitive to downright insane by your team's ownership, you can bite your tongue and execute them or you can lose your gainful employment.  Given the constraints and strictures he was working under, I think Sund has done a decent job.  Presuming that the new GM will somehow rectify, or at least not repeat Sund's (possibly-not-his-fault) "errors" is doing Sund a disservice and giving Ferry unearned credit.

Next stop on the Myth-Debunking Train: I've heard an awful lot of people saying "look what Danny Ferry did in Cleveland!  Multiple trips to the finals!  He'll be great!"  What he "did" in Cleveland is eloquently laid out at Hoopinion by Bret LaGree, but to summarize: he walked into a situation with LeBron F****** James, Andy Varejao, and Big Z, and couldn't muster enough supporting pieces on the roster to get the Cavs a ring.  Which, you know, led to The Decision and all the subsequent occurrences that eventually got LeBron a ring in Miami.  We all know Dan Gilbert is a pathetic, egomaniacal jackass with a penchant for whining about things in comic sans font, and it's entirely possible that he gave just as many ill-fated marching orders to Ferry in Cleveland as Sund was issued in the ATL, but ... BUT.  Danny Ferry had the greatest player of his generation and two very nice buttresses to that talent in place when he arrived, and failed to assemble a team with the depth and versatility necessary to win a championship around them.  Epic fail, Danny.

And finally, can we stop the giddiness resultant from having a former member of the Spurs organization involved with the Hawks simply because we have a member of the Spurs organization?  The key word there is "organization."  That means the entirety of people involved in making a team functional, from ownership to ball boys and interns.  The ethos and attitudes that govern franchises come from the top down.  Assuming that Danny Ferry's long association with a winning entity will ameliorate the Hawks' problems proceeds from the false premise that his arrival will automatically correct Atlanta's collective organizational thinking on every rung of the ladder.*  

Consider the Spurs' NFL equivalent: the New England Patriots.  No franchise in football has been run with more consistent excellence over the past 12 years; yet nearly every disciple of "Belichick U" has fallen on his ass the moment he left, because other teams do not have ownership as smartly hands-off and organizational philosophies as universally bought-into as the Pats.  Just because Danny Ferry comes from a team where excellence is the province every single employee does not mean he can wave a magic wand and turn the Hawks into Spurs East.

*For those who will counter this argument by pointing out how well GM Sam Presti, another Spurs alum, has done in Oklahoma City, let me remind you of a few things.  A. Drafting Kevin Durant only after Portland disastrously took Greg Oden 1st can make anyone look good in hindsight.  And B. Presti has been able to build around Durant with Westbrook, Harden, and co. largely because everyone except KD is either still on rookie contracts or wasn't that expensive to sign.  The real test will be how he handles things when it's time for people to get paid.   

One last thought on the on-court talent.  Atlanta's current situation does not involve anyone close to the caliber of the finest players of Ferry's previous tenures.  As good as Smoove, Horford, and Teague are, they are a class or three below LeBron and the Duncan/Parker/Ginobili trio that Ferry had the benefit of working with in the past.  Because of Joe Johnson's contract and Atlanta's lack of well-positioned draft picks, he's probably not going to be able to acquire top-tier talent anytime soon.  Also, the Hawks just re-upped Larry Drew, whose coaching efforts have been passable at best.  The combination of being severely limited in roster and cap flexibility and a coach who has thus far proved unable to maximize the current roster's efficacy does not bode well for improving the Hawks' fortunes.

None of this is to say that Danny Ferry will necessarily do a bad job in his new role.  Given the constraints of his situation, I certainly would not consider the next few years mirroring the last few (choppy regular seasons culminating in first- or second-round playoff exits) to be a failure.  I merely wanted to point out that all this unbridled optimism is way off the mark, that Ferry's history has not been stellar when viewed within the proper context, and that it matters little who sits behind the Hawks' GM desk as long as the ASG insists on forcing poor decisions and Joe Johnson's contract is on the books.  Be hopeful.  Be optimistic.  But be reasonable about it.  Miles to go before we sleep, people.  Miles to go. 

Hawks/Clippers: A Disjointed Retrospective

I just returned home from the Hawks/Clippers game at Philips Arena.  (I am a diehard Hawks fan, but I refuse to call our venue "The Highlight Factory" until we can at least make the Eastern Conference Finals.)  Since I'm still recovering from a truly ridiculous weekend (Thanks Kev!), I'm not going to get into my usual protracted jaunt.  Instead, please allow me a few scattered thoughts on the evening:

1. Philips really is a great place to watch a basketball game.  It's just the right size; there's not really a bad seat in the house.  There are bathrooms located directly off of every entrance to the seating area, so you never have to wander around the concourse looking for a place to ... uh ... go.  The layout of merchandise, food, and drink vendors also renders it unnecessary to travel more than 20 feet to get what you need.  Really just a well-designed joint all around.

2.  I had never seen Blake Griffin live and in person before tonight.  If you're a (non-broke) NBA junkie who goes to a ton of games, you're probably aware of what I'm about to say already.  If, like me, you're a (broke) NBA junkie who can't afford to attend games very often, or just don't quite care enough about hoops to go to the games, let me say this: Blake Griffin is MASSIVE in person.  I mean, ridiculously, Incredible-Hulk-like imposing.  Even in the layup line, casually messing around, he's a jaw-dropping sight.  When he's barreling into the paint with a rivet-busting head of steam, you preemptively recoil at the Richter-scale chaos that's about to be unleashed.

3.  I hate, hate, hate that Atlanta sports fans take all the crap we do from the rest of the world.  I hate that there's a basis for it more.  (I haven't checked attendance figures, but the arena tonight could not have been more than 65-70% capacity.  For a game against a marquee opponent.  Sheesh.)  I hate this.  Except when I'm getting tickets, that is.  I paid $160 total for two seats tonight.  Our seats were about fifteen rows up from the floor and midway between halfcourt and the stage-left basket.  I bought these on Friday.  Killer, killer location to watch the game.  Ashamed of my city's lack of full, unconditional love and support for our team and overall not liking the NBA all that much?  You bet.  Enjoying paying a relative pittance for phenomenally good seats to a game because my city won't fully, unconditionally love and support our team and doesn't like the NBA all that much?  Hell yes.

4.  Unrelated: Chipper Jones just crushed a homer.  He turned 40 today.  Happy birthday Chipper!!!!  I'm gonna miss ya, man!!!

5.  Watching Chris Paul in person, when you can really follow him without the TV producer's choice of shot focus and camera angles getting in the way, is watching quiet genius functioning at all times.  I know CP3 occasionally gets chippy and plays to prove a point, but mostly he just goes about the business of eviscerating people in a workmanlike fashion.   You recall a few choice moments, some nice dimes, some great drives to the rack, a few beautiful jumpers, but you almost never get the cumulative, incapacitating "whoah" effect that comes from watching a Kobe or LeBron.  Then you check the final stat line you go: HUH?  He did what?  When?  I knew he could and probably would.  I know he's the best pure point in the league, but HOW?  WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!??!  Tonight, Paul put up a 34/8/5 with 2 steals and shot the lights out.  In a completely unobtrusive manner, he devastated the Hawks.  (Though my boys still won the game, thankfully.)  Good grief it is a joy to watch that man play basketball.

6.  Is their some sort of ethical taboo prohibiting athletes in completely unrelated sports from having the same nickname?  Because, if there is no such bylaw in the sports world, we need to give Ivan Johnson the "Honey Badger" sobriquet.  No offense to Tyrann Mathieu, but Ivan really is more deserving of this.  I watched tonight as Johnson (um, Honey Badger) gave Blake Griffin all he wanted on the defensive end.  His final line (6 points, 7 boards, 2 blocks) may not look like much, but trust me, he was in # 32's grill all night.  He shoved, he scrapped, he took Blake off his spots, out of his rhythm, and generally didn't give a damn about getting down and dirty and accruing a few fouls as long as he was bulldogging Griffin's every move.  When the playoffs start, Larry Drew needs to have the good sense to unleash him on KG for 20 minutes a game.  God, I love Ivan Johnson.  

7.  It's amazing how old T-Mac looks up close and personal.  Sad, really.  I know he's loathed around The Association for his (admittedly horrible and indefensible) quitting/choking on multiple occasions, but it's unnerving and depressing to see one of the greatest pure scorers of his generation reduced to what McGrady is now.

8.  Seeing it live really brought it home: We have zero, or possibly even a negative quantity, of depth in the paint.  Injuries have ravaged this team to near ineffectualness against certain opponents.  Ugh!!! 

9.  There are plenty of less-than-complimentary things I could say about Larry Drew, but credit the man for holding a fractured and injury-riddled team together these last few months.  Despite being decimated by various ailments to pretty much every key player at some point or another, we're still locked into the 5th seed.  Tip of the cap to you, Larry.

10.  Jeff Teague briefly transmogrified himself into Dwight Howard tonight, delivering two thundering blocks that absolutely set the joint off in fits of euphoria.  Also, he finished with 21 points.  Despite a paltry 2 assists, I'm still calling this a wonderfully fiery performance.

11.  Joe Johnson's final, ludicrous banker trey was beautiful.

12.  Dear Smoove: I love you dearly, and if we ever trade you I'll be royally upset, but seriously, knock it off with the outside jumpers.  That's not your shot, buddy.  Mostly because you just can't hit it consistently, but also because it pulls you out of position to grab rebounds.  With Al and Zaza gone, deep down in places we don't like to talk about at parties, we WANT you on that glass, we NEED you on that glass.  Please stop taking those shots.  Wreak havoc in the paint; it's where you belong, my friend.  (That said, kudos on throwing up an 18/5/10.  You are a golden god.)

13.  Please let Al Horford be at least semi-functional for the playoffs.

14.  Ditto for Zaza.

15.  I am deeply exhausted and really need to go to sleep.  Goodnight, moon.  Goodnight, room.  Goodnight, readers everywhere.  Peace.