Danny Ferry Facing An Uncertain Future In Cleveland
Written By: Andrew | Category: Cleveland Cavaliers | Comments: 35
In the movie The Big Lebowski there’s a moment where The Dude experiences an epiphany and proclaims “My thinking about this case has become very uptight, man.” Well, I know what he means. Lost to me in all the talk about the NBA free agent season of 2010 was the fact that not only do Cavalier players have expiring contracts, but so too do front office executives.
Brian Windhorst wrote an article in the Plain Dealer this weekend in which he points out that Denny Ferry’s contract is about to expire. Somehow this fact had totally escaped my attention this year, but it naturally made me begin to ponder the future of the Cavaliers franchise even further.
The obvious knee jerk reaction is to connect Danny Ferry’s future in Cleveland to LeBron James’ future in Cleveland. It’s only natural. This seemed to be the tone of Windhorst’s article as well, as he had this to say about the subject:
This summer, General Manager Danny Ferry’s contract is up, which is yet another wild card currently in play in this clearly go-for-broke Cavs season.
Both Ferry and Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert have declined to discuss the situation and right now it doesn’t seem like a big issue. But Ferry’s five-year deal, which is believed to average around $2 million per season in base salary, is indeed coming up.
If this is indeed an all out go-for-broke season, then what happens if the Cavaliers don’t reach their ultimate goal? What happens if LeBron leaves Cleveland to play elsewhere? Will Danny Ferry survive such a fate and be allowed to reconstruct the Cavaliers in the wake of a post-LeBron apocalyptic franchise?
I realize this is putting the cart way ahead of the horse, but since Windhorst brought the issue up now, it got the wheels in my head turning. It’s fascinating to think that a GM might be so tightly bound by one player. It’s my opinion, though, that a more broad perspective should be considered in Ferry’s case.
If you look at the team he inherited, the season prior’s most commonly used startling lineup was Jeff McInnis, Ira Newble, LeBron James, Drew Gooden, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Other players on that team included Eric Snow, Robert Traylor, Anderson Varejao, Lucious Harris, Sasha Pavlovic, and Jiri Welsch. That team went 42-40 and missed the playoffs. In Ferry’s first offseason he added Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones, and re-signed Zydrunas Ilgauskas. That team then went 50-32 and sent LeBron to his first appearance in the playoffs.
Once it became apparent that the Hughes experiment wasn’t going to work, Ferry went to work in overhauling this roster and turning it into what it is today. This was no small feat when you consider the awful contracts of Hughes and Marshall, and Ferry deserves a lot of credit for building this roster. In 5 years he has turned that initial starting lineup into Mo Williams, Anthony Parker (although it should be Delonte), LeBron, JJ Hickson, and Shaq. Many GMs have tried to overhaul rosters like this, but few have done it as well as Ferry has.
All of this has been accomplished with no help from LeBron. For the past 3 years LeBron has held this franchise hostage by refusing to commit to them and openly flirting not just with free agency itself, but even with specific teams. We’ve heard the profuse proclamations of love for the Knicks and Madison Square Garden, we’ve seen LeBron sit silent as Dwyane Wade has openly discussed the fact that he and LeBron are going to discuss their future together this offseason. All of this has put immense pressure on Ferry, all while decreasing the chances of getting premiere free agents to agree to long term contracts in Cleveland.
So it would be a shame to think that Ferry hasn’t done a pretty remarkable job in Cleveland. He has helped Mike Brown build a team identity, and he has found players who could fit in that system. After realizing the mistakes he made in his first offseason, Ferry has been ruthless in negotiating contracts that help the team maintain their financial flexibility to always make moves when needed. All of these things work in Ferry’s favor and make a strong case for deserving an extension on his contract.
None of this matters, though, as only Dan Gilbert’s opinion matters, and as far as Gilbert is concerned, Ferry was brought in to do one thing: Build a Championship team around this city’s Franchise Player. And to this point, Ferry has failed in that mission. It would be easy to see how in Dan Gilbert’s mind, it would be unacceptable to think the Cavaliers had LeBron James for 7 years and were never able to win a Championship with him. And that’s why this season has such a go-for-broke feel to it. As far as everyone is concerned and for all we know, this could be the Cavaliers’ last shot at glory.
I don’t like to think too far ahead, but this story has made me realize that I truly hope that no matter what happens after this year, that Danny Ferry is the man who is still guiding the ship. Over the last 5 years he has earned my trust and I have a far greater fear of the unknown than I have disappointment in the current regime. All I know for sure, though, is that it will be fascinating to see how this plays out.
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(AP Photo)
Author: AndrewSchnitkey
Andrew Schnitkey is a founding editor of WaitingForNextYear. Though he has written about every Cleveland franchise over the years, his primary focus is the Cavaliers and NBA basketball in general.Andrew Schnitkey has written 533 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
Honestly, with the weather today do we really need to contemplate more doom and gloom regarding our fair city?
I think the future of this franchise is bright. But I’m an optimist.
Ferry is fortunate to have an owner that has such an expansive view of things. Gilbert is definitely a “big picture” guy. I don’t think the focus is so much on a championship this year in particular for Gilbert, but a culture of winning that will continue. Clearly, winning one this year would be the start of that, and is important to add one more reason for LeBron to stay. But, Gilbert will not create a situation where any year is a win-at-all-costs situation, especially if it limits the ability to win in the future. Gilbert is a dynasty guy. Ferry knows that and, more importantly, LeBron knows that.
I think it’s hard to ignore the fact that Ferry has done a very good job the last few years in the task that was given to him. It’s hard to find fault in the deals he’s made in trade and in resigning our own players – keeping in mind that both Windhorst and Pluto maintain that last season’s Shaq trade died because Phoenix decided to make a run; not because the Cavs wouldn’t budge on outgoing talent.
Honestly, if Lebron leaves I think Mike Brown is in more danger than Ferry. He hasn’t shown much ability to cultivate rookies and in the case that James exits we’ll be back to building from a young core.
Nice article Andrew – I always love a good Lebowski reference!
as for Ferry, i think he’ll be back – IF HE WANTS TO. I think that it’s him who has decided not to re-up, cause if LeBron leaves, he might not even WANT to come back…
if lebron leaves, can paxson be fired – AGAIN?!
Thanks Josh, but I completely disagree about Ferry wanting the job. It’s not like GM jobs open up left and right. I mean, there are only 30 NBA GMs total, so to be one of only 30 people in the country to hold a particular position is extremely prestigious. Plus, the Cavaliers will still have a first class owner who, if he wants Ferry back, will support him and give him the needed resources to rebuild a successful team.
If LeBron leaves, things won’t be as easy as they are now, but I don’t believe they’ll be as bleak as many are projecting either.
agree with josh (maybe its the common first name) – if lebron leaves, why would ferry even want to come back? there will be a lynchmob calling for his head, trying to find somewhere to place the blame. personally, i think he has done a very good, if not great job. its easy to look back in hindsight at the hughes signings and others that didnt work out, but overall, i think he has done a commendable job and i for one would love to see him back next season
Can’t think of another GM I’d rather have. Knows what he wants, what he’s willing to pay, and stalks it relentlessly. Kind of rare for another org’s “right hand man” do so well the first time he’s in charge. Slid out from his early mistakes relatively quickly. This is a guy we may fully appreciate only in retrospect.
With my opinion of Danny Ferry already established I must admit you did a good job building a case for him as a good GM. However I disagree with you completely. I believe that he has done a mediocre job at best as GM. You have the most talented player in the game and can only get out of the East once.
You give Ferry credit for getting rid of Hughes’ terrible contract but he took on Wally Szczerbiak AND Ben Wallace to get it done. Yes, Szczerbiak’s expires earlier but has still tied up significant money over the past couple years.
Overpaid for Daniel Gibson.
Failed to surround Lebron with quality players. Could you imagine if Cleveland had the talent of Orlando, Dallas, Los Angeles, or Boston? These are all teams that built their current rosters through trades and FA signings. If Lebron had the talent that these teams have the Cavs would have won the championship. Bottom line, he hasn’t surrounded the most talented player in the game with enough talent to win a championship which means he failed.
If Guilbert is as smart as I think he is he will keep Ferry around. The guy has done an incredible job getting an incredible job building a talented team here, even without LeBron I feel the cavs are a playoff team.
I agree that there are only 29 other GM jobs out there, but the same can be said of NFL coaches who have consistantly turned the Browns down. If Ferry is well thought of around the NBA, he could get any vacancy he wanted really. What is so attractive about Cleveland – Post LBJ?
Yes, Gilbert will continue to be a top class owner, but with no superstar, and (assuming based on today’s record) a terrible draft spot, there is nothing but spare parts here.
My point is that front offices turn over all the time, and something more attractive could open up in 2010, or even if he takes a year off, he’d probably be first in line for any openings in the summer of 2011.
i generally agree that ferry has done a pretty good job. i think that in his entire tenure he’s done an absolutely appalling job of signing outside free agents – we improved the year after signing hughes, marshall and jones, but is anyone willing to say they were at all responsible? to be fair he’s done great at signing our own free agents and the other plus is that his trades have been spectacular.
but results are results; the cavs have improved their record every year – but still no title to speak of. while i agree that ferry has done well overall (i really like our current team, minus shaq) i think there is one possibility you’re missing.
gilbert may leave ferry dangling even IF lebron resigns as another source of flexibility. to be clear, i’m not saying this is how it is, BUT… what if lebron said something to the effect of “i like this team and want to resign, but only if ferry isn’t coming back as well.” anyone have doubts how that situation would play out?
Ferry has done an above average job, but I wouldn’t call it great. He got rid of some bad deals (Hughes, Jones, Marshall), but in most cases he was the guy that gave out those horrible deals to begin with so he was just cleaning his own mess.
He has also had seven years to find LBJ a true all-star caliber teammate and failed. Mo is a nice player, but he is not a consistent all-star caliber guy. Neither is Shaq at his age. Fact is the Magic, Celtics, and Lakers all have legit one-two punches while we don’t.
If LBJ leaves, Ferry might as well too because the franchise will be dead. After watching LBJ for seven years, Gilbert would be lucky to get 10K a night to watch a 20 win team led by Mo Williams. Even w/ Shaq, Z, LBJ gone, we still don’t have the cap room to sign a max guy in 2010 (assuming one would come to Cleveland to start with) and don’t have any legit young talent to grow around.
If you want Ferry to run this like the Celtics he should have spent his first years accumulating a horrible record and nothing but expirings so he could trade them to former teammates that happen to also be GMs for their future Hall-of-Famers. That’s not really a system that is repeatable, nor is Memphis giving away Pau Gasol for a case of beer.
He’s done well with what he inherited which, I might add, didn’t include that many draft picks.
If Lebron leaves ferry will still have a great job, he gets to build a team around Eyenga!!!!!
the fact also is the celtics were HORRIBLE before getting ray allen and kevin garnett. ainge was on the verge of being lynched in boston. the celtics had a VERY high draft pick (which was jeff green) and contracts (wally z. and delonte) they could package together to get ray allen (the cavs had no such high pick, partly thanks to paxson trading away future first rounders, and no such tradeable contracts) and also had a young stud in al jefferson and more tradeable contracts like ryan gomes (the cavs had nothing even close to Al Jefferson, but they would have had paxson not let Boozer go) which they were able to turn into kevin garnett. if the cavs still had Boozer, it is quite possible they would have been able to package Boozer with trade fodder to get Garnett from Minny.
the Lakers were also pretty mediocre just a few years ago – have we already forgotten Kobe’s alleged trade demands and the near trade with Chicago? The lakers lucked out into getting Pau Gasol from Memphis which really turned that team around.
so im not going to go as far as to say that Ferry has done a great job, but he has done pretty damn good considering when he took over he had (1) absolutely no good young players on the team besides LBJ and vareajo, (2) no future first rounders to trade since paxson had already traded away 2 of ferry’s first 3 first round picks away, and (3) no real viable tradeable assets like good expiring contracts. to pour salt in the wounds, the cavs’ 2005 pick went to Charlotte (who took sean may, but danny granger, nate robinson, david lee, hakim warrick were all still on the board) and the 2007 first rounder was traded for Jiri Welsch, and then sent to Portland via Phoenix who took Rudy Fernandez (Aaron brooks, carl landry, Marc Gasol were also still there). so, in theory, the cavs could have had Danny Granger, David Lee, Hakim Warrik (2005 draft) and then Brooks, Carl Landry or Marc Gasol from 2007.
i should emphasize that those 2 trades were due to paxson – NOT ferry.
Assuming boozer is never let go, then the AV/Gooden trade never happens. so the cavs have Boozer and no gooden and varejao.
does Carlos Boozer + sasha pavlovic + luke Jackson + fodder like ira newble + future first rounder trump Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, a 2009 first round draft pick (top three protected)? i dont know – maybe? boozer was a confirmed young stud by then, while jefferson was still a prospect. this was also before jackson and sasha were confirmed stiffs, just like before gomes, telfair and gerald green were confirmed stiffs. its possible the cavs offer might have been better than Boston’s.
The Jiri Welsch trade has to be one of the dumbest moves made in the prior decade for any NBA team. Trading a first round pick for a guy’s whose “best” days (using the word best loosely) were years in the past was mind numbingly dumb.
I have little to no beef with the job that Danny Ferry has done. My only real issue was him sitting on Wally’s contract last season but when you see that no one else made a big move with an expiring contract (Portland held on to LaFrentz), it looks a little better.
The biggest issue with surround LeBron with good, young talent was the Cavs’ lack of draft picks (and blowing the Luke Jackson pick… they could’ve had Al Jefferson).
The Hughes, Marshall and Jones signings weren’t great, but they were defensible (and the Cavs DID get to the Final with those guys). Then Ferry turned those three into Delonte, Mo Williams and Shaq. I’d say it worked out alright.
They only had capspace Ferry first week on the job and haven’t had their full assortment of draft picks. If the worst contract you can point to is Daniel Gibson, then I say he’s doing OK.
uhm….Boston, Dallas, Orlando, Los Angeles anyone notice anything about these cities that everyone seems to be so enraged at the fact they attracted top talent to surround their EXISTING stars with?
They are large market cities, DUH!! Ferry has the overwhelming task of attracting top tier talent to Cleveland, not an easy task by any means.
I think Andrew put it best in that Ferry has EVERYTHING working against him including Lebron. LBJ has given him next to no help in the past two years with his continued flirtations with other teams and open declaration for his love of other cities. What top talent FA wants to come to Cleveland with the threat of LBJ leaving soon?
Give Ferry credit for rebuilding this team at a moments notice the second he sees things are not fitting the way they should. What other team has overhauled themselves with the speed of the Cavaliers in the past 3 years?
eh – im not convinced about this big city vs. small/medium market thing is true in all cases. im sure its true to an extent if everything else is equal, but money talks at the end of the day. boston accumultated its guys through trades (garnett and allen) or the draft (pierce and rondo). orlando got howard and jameer in the draft, carter in a trade and overpaid for rashard lewis and michael pietrus. the lakers got odom in the Shaq trade and got Kobe in a draft day trade. Dallas scored a coup in its draft day trade of Dirk and they have drafted fairly well since.
steve nash just turned down the chance to go to NYC in order to get guaranteed $$$ today in phoenix.
i agree mike and you definitely brought out a great next point…what is the highest draft pick Ferry has had in his tenure?
All the teams you mentioned have pulled some huge talent via the draft because of their sub-par years in a row. since Lebron has joined the cavs we have had 1 non-playoff year if i am correct. That has hurt alot as well.
I don’t buy the small market excuse either, and here is why: LeBron James. Everyone in the league should want to play with him, regardless of location.
Scooter I think you just proved the small market theory with that post…then why has no top tier FA come to play with Lebron James??
@Christopher
Because we don’t have any cap space. The last two offseasons we’ve been bidding against teams with cap space with our MLE and bi-annual exception. Artest went to LA to play with Kobe in a city where he already owns a house.
Ferry has easily done enough to keep his job because he can honestly say he’s done everything in his power to keep James here.
The Cavs have the best home attendance in the NBA (yes, because of James) and state-of-the art facilities. By leaving, Lebron forgoes millions of dollars through the CBA and a hometown city/state where he is God. He’d also be going to a team that is probably farther away from winning a championship than Cleveland currently is (even if he does go to play with another superstar).
Also, like Andrew astutely pointed out, Lebron has been at least as much as a hindrance to the Cavs signing free agents as he has been an advantage. People want to play with Lebron but they don’t want to come to ClEveLaNd!? (BOHICA baby) for a lengthy deal if James is getting outta Dodge. While James is certainly within his rights (and smart) to sign short deals and hold Ferry’s feet to the fire in terms of getting the team better, he has basically tied Ferry’s hands behind his back in terms of signing BIG-time free agents. Mo and Shaq were great signings, but they were traded; they didn’t voluntarily choose Cleveland.
Bottom line is that if Lebron leaves the Cavs, it will more than likely be because he simply doesn’t want to be in Cleveland. While that would suck like no other, it wouldn’t be Ferry’s fault.
Ferry has done a good job, but not a great job. Give him a lot of credit for hiring Mike Brown and building a team around his philosophy. I know there are many people who think Mike Brown is a lousy head coach with no offensive creativity for the NBA MVP. But didn’t Paul Silas coach Lebron his first two years and not make the playoffs? The Cavs consistently rank as one of the top defensive teams in the NBA so that must count for something.
Ferry’s draft record is mixed. He drafted a bunch of international players we haven’t seen. Essentially we can only judge his draft record with 3 players: Shannon Brown, Daniel Gibson, and JJ Hickson. Brown was a bust for the Cavs. Gibson is a role player. Hickson’s ceiling is high so he might be trade bait.
The biggest knock against Ferry was his first offseason free agent signings. They were all busts. Hughes was lousy. Marshall was one-dimensional. Jones was limited. Z’s contract was overvalued. But the biggest plus for Ferry was his trades to get rid of his mistakes… Getting Mo Williams and Delonte West for lousy contracts were great moves. Ferry has shown he learns quickly on the job.
Would I bring back Ferry if Lebron leaves? Absolutely yes! Just remember how bad GM Jim Paxson was… He lost Boozer for nothing. High draft busts include Dajuan Wagner, Diop, Mihm, Luke Jackson, and Trajan Langdon.
Before you bash Ferry for signing Hughes, Marshall, Jones and re-signed Ilgauskas, keep in mind that James’ rookie contract was up that summer and Ferry had to show James he was serious about building a winner.
Ferry may not yet have assembled an NBA champion yet, but he’s certainly built a winner and isn’t far from winning it all.
Before you bash Ferry for signing Hughes, Marshall, Jones and re-signed Ilgauskas, keep in mind that James’ rookie contract was up that summer and Ferry had to show James he was serious about building a winner.
Ferry may not yet have assembled an NBA champion, but he’s certainly built a winner and isn’t far from winning it all.
My point is, Ferry should only be let go if he’s the sole reason Lebron leaves. I’d be shocked if that is the ultimate reason for Lebron’s departure, if in fact he does leave Cleveland.
i think, at this point, if lebron leaves its because he wants to leave and has nothing to do with anything the cavs, dan gilbert, danny ferry, or anyone else did or didnt do. of course, ESPN will frame it as if “the cavs didnt do enough” or “they should have done what OKC did around durant” even though that is an apples to oranges comparison. from a purely objective standpoint, every factor that should be in consideration is in cleveland’s favor:
- built a legit perennial contender? yes
- ample marketing opportunity? yes
- smart GM who has made mostly the right personnel moves? yes
- deep pocket owners? yes
- owners willing to spend with those deep pockets? yes
- forward thinking owners? yes
- strong veteran leadership around as part of the supporting cast for short term? yes
- strong group of young players for long term growth – yes
- market is arguably the largest in the world? no. thats the only blemish and nothing anyone can do about that.
did i miss anything?
Ferry was doing well until he failed to move wally and big ben at the trade deadline last year. That could have made the difference in them getting past Orlando. You’re either moving forward or backwards. And last year his lack of action hurt the Cavs. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself. If anything, he should make some moves to ensure the Cavs have a decent squad if Lebron leaves.
Alright, I have read all of your posts, and want to make a few corrections, as there are some things being said that aren’t exactly true:
#1 Ferry didn’t hire Mike Brown; Gilbert did. He hired Ferry 3 weeks later.
#2 The FA signing of Hughes was done because the top choices were gone: Ray Allen,Michael Red, Joe Johnson. Donyell & Damon were signed for one reason: Their ability to hit the 3-pointer. Damon had done a marvelous job w/the Miami Heat the year prior, as they won the title. Donyell was Philly’s biggest 3pt threat at the time, and he picked the Cavs over the Lakers, who were offering the same money. So those picks were expected to do well…nobody can foresee 3 guys not living up to their ability.
#3 Last season Ferry TRIED to make three trades: Shaq – was ultimately turned down by PHOENIX, NOT Ferry; as Phoenix felt it had a shot at the finals with everyone healthy. Jamison…There was a deal in-place, and Pollin vetoed the deal which would have brought Antawn. Boozer- That trade was ultimately turned down by Ferry because Utah’s price was ridiculous (I believe 2 1sts, West and Varejao). So do not blame Danny for not getting someone last year, when he was ultimately turned down twice and once turned down the deal because he felt it would hurt the Cavs more than help.
He hasn’t done everything right…but who does? Look at Joe in Detroit…He is hailed as one of the top GM’s in the league. Has he done better than Ferry since Ferry has become GM? I don’t think so.
As for LeBron… Chill! He isn’t going anywhere.
Don’t blame Lebron for Danny Ferry being failing as a general manager. If Ferry would get over his creepy obsession with Z and bring in real talent as opposed to back of the draft talent he wouldn’t be under pressure.
[...] the national media attention, the contract for Ferry also expires at the end of this season. We touched on this issue back in January. [Ferry] has helped Mike Brown build a team identity, and he has found players [...]