Ozzie Guillen’s New Signature is Cleveland-Focused
May 26, 2010World Cup on WFNY?
May 26, 2010
If we are to accept the basic premise that everything in this offseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers revolves around LeBron James and his future, then the future of Danny Ferry as GM of the Cavaliers could put the franchise in a tough spot.
In case you’re not aware, Danny Ferry is about to become a free agent. Just as LeBron becomes a free agent officially on July 1st, so too does Ferry. And for all the talk about whether or not Ferry will be back as GM, the general tone has been one of this being a decision on Dan Gilbert’s part.
The reality of this issue is that the decision is actually Danny Ferry’s. At least, primarily it is. Sure, Gilbert would have to want him back, but why wouldn’t he? By all accounts and indications, the 2 men who oversee our beloved franchise get along well professionally and Gilbert prides himself on finding and hiring excellent employees in all walks of life. Well, Ferry has done an excellent job based on what was given to him and the circumstances surrounding LeBron’s ability to more or less handcuff the team from making key additions via free agency. Furthermore, with the franchise already facing the potential of massive instability and changes all over the place, it would be nice to maintain at least one instance of calm and stability.
So if Gilbert is likely to want to have Ferry back, that means it will then be up to Danny to decide for himself if he is up for the challenge. As with the coaching scenario, the LeBron cloud has a chance to make the situation a little more foggy than it might otherwise be. We know that it’s going to be tough to hire a coach when said coach won’t know whether or not he will have LeBron to coach. Well, the same principle applies to the GM position.
Ferry’s decision on whether or not to come back could be tied to LeBron’s decision. It could possibly make Ferry’s life easier to keep building around LeBron (although, to be honest, I could make a pretty compelling argument that LeBron has made life tough on Ferry), and Ferry may not feel like being the man in charge of blowing everything up and starting over from scratch if LeBron leaves.
Where things could get a little awkward or dicey, though, is when you consider that Ferry and LeBron will be free agents at the same time. If Ferry is a free agent on July 1st and not the active GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers, then who is talking to LeBron during that time? Presumably Assistant GM Chris Grant would be the one giving negotiating pitches along with Dan Gilbert. In this scenario, what happens if LeBron re-signs then? Then Danny Ferry comes back and is once again the boss of the man who negotiated LeBron’s extension?
This scenario is highly unlikely and probably will play out quite differently. For one thing, there isn’t much negotiation needed. The Cavaliers will make a pitch, led by Dan Gilbert, laying out why they want LeBron back and how they plan to provide him with a Championship winning roster, and then they will offer a max contract. That number is set in stone, so whoever is technically the GM at that time won’t be in any danger of not offering a proper amount.
Above all else, though, I think Danny Ferry is different from most people and I don’t believe he will tie his decision solely to LeBron. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a decision one way or the other before July 1st even gets here. Ferry knows that as long as Dan Gilbert is his boss, he will have both the commitment and financial resources to do what is necessary to help this franchise try to win. Not very many GMs have that luxury and it makes Ferry’s position a somewhat enviable one. I assume Ferry knows this and I fully expect Ferry to be the man who is leading this franchise for years to come regardless of what LeBron James does, and between Gilbert and Ferry, I feel there’s a lot of comfort to be found in that partnership.
30 Comments
“Well, Ferry has done an excellent job based on what was given to him and the circumstances surrounding LeBron’s ability to more or less handcuff the team from making key additions via free agency.”
Preach.
“to be honest, I could make a pretty compelling argument that LeBron has made life tough on Ferry”
unfortunately the chances of LeBron realizing how his own decisions have affected the flexibility of the team are slim
Handcuffs! Divas! Casinos! Cleveland!
LBJ is on the verge of becoming the next Big-O, in the wrong sense of the Big-O’s great career. One ring. Four (?) years with Kareem.
I am getting the impression that the NBA championship story is more about coaches than about players.
Ferry/Gilbert snatching up a coach that has won a ring is, I bet, the only way to retain Lebron, UNLESS Lebron is less concerned about winning multiple championships than he is about bringing one championship to this region. (I, for one, would not judge him on that)
How’s Steve Kerr doing? Ferry gets to much credit if he’s retained he can thank Mike Brown for falling on the grenade. Ferry has one of the better bosses in the NBA along with the two time MVP it’s time he starts being examined for his team’s shortcomings.
With that comment Boogey widens the gap and effectively locks up the Isis award for the 2010 offseason.
HOW DARE DANNY FERRY NOT DO MORE WITH HIS 2 1ST ROUND DRAFT CHOICES IN 5 YEARS!!!
I think boogeyman forgot the sarcasm font…
Is Ferry’s performance not even subject to criticism here?
Sure, if you can offer up some suggestions on what he should have done as opposed to what he actually did. But Boogeyman’s one man crusade to say everyone other than LeBron James sucks isn’t criticism, it’s fanaticism and nobody takes it seriously.
I mean, we can layout all the quality moves Ferry made again if that will make everyone happy, but it’s more important to note context when discussing Ferry. He inherited an awful roster with no draft picks to build with. Everyone agrees Ferry’s first big summer was filled with mistakes, but nobody is perfect. What’s important here is that Ferry learned from his mistakes, and rather than try to fix it by throwing more money at overrated players, he instead did a masterful job of becoming a shrewd negotiator and constantly worked at trading his mistakes for pieces that at least contributed something to the success of the franchise.
I forget the article I read(someone from ESPN maybe) that made a good point with Ferry. He never ran the organization to “build” it was always to “win now.” The examples are the Hughes, Marshall, etc. signings he made. He eventually turned those guys into other veterans. The question with Ferry is was that his philosophy or Gilbert’s insistence?
From reading Windhorst’s and Pluto’s book on LeBron Gilbert doesn’t seem like the type who was willing to be patient and build. He bought the team and immediately questioned why they didn’t have any other blue-chippers. Ferry’s hand may have been forced and if that’s the case, I don’t argue the results. Let’s also not forget, Boozer wasn’t Ferry’s fault. Things may be really different if he hadn’t left.
I agree Clown, but if LeBron would have committed himself to Cleveland, then it would have been much easier to build that way. But when LeBron chose instead to play games and be evasive, if forced Ferry’s hand. Trying to win now while you still were guaranteed to have LeBron was absolutely the right way to play it, it just didn’t work out for the Cavs.
Make LeBron the coach and GM. 😉
Andrew- I completely agree. I was speaking more to Boogeyman. There is no doubt in my mind that LeBron’s need for ego stroking cost us some solid pieces.
“There is no doubt in my mind that LeBron’s need for ego stroking cost us some solid pieces.” I think we write pretty solid pieces here sometimes, Clown Infant.
@ Brian – I’m pretty sure boogeyman doesn’t “get” “sarcasm” and “fonts”.
What do you mean by “get”?
Denny – As much as I love each and every “solid piece” that you and your brethren unleash on the WFNY readership, I would much prefer the “solid pieces” or building blocks of a championship-winning basketball team. Those were the “solid pieces” to which I was referring.
I need a serenity prayer.
Come on Matt#2…BRING THE PAIN! Otherwise I’m going to post another comment chalked full of references to solid pieces.
Must it be I who brings the pain? Boogey?
The whole idea of solid pieces is more entertaining.
[…] Timing of Danny Ferry’s Contract Expiration Could Prove Awkward: Andrew of Waiting For Next Year says that Danny Ferry’s stint as the Cavs’ general manager is over at July 1st at the earliest. Whether he returns all depends on some free agent staying in Cleveland. […]
I have no interest in wasting my time by attacking people like I’m attacked here – nice site or should I say nice people. You are just as bad as Cavsfanatics I mean unless you agree and sip the Kool Aid don’t bother. Cleveland sports fans are not the greatest they are the most pathetic!
Enjoy not winning any sports titles for years to come hopefully LeBron is smart enough to split because frankly Cleveland isn’t deserving of him. You ride his back for 7 years and then instead of questioning your fired head coach or players like Mo Williams or Delonte West you put it all on #23. Brilliant.
I remember when Danny Ferry was hated in Cleveland, short memories huh? Anyways I don’t see many of you calling for Mr. Ferry to be the GM of the year. I guess that’s what happens when your team implodes right in front of you.
Btw some of you need to relax and not take comments so personally. The “mob mentality” is pretty ugly not to mention unintelligent.
I like Ferry, and think he has done a pretty good job for the most part, especially with
what kind of team he inherited. And I do put a lot of blame of Lebron not ever committing
to some of the bad roster decisions Ferry made. But my biggest problem was never moving
Wally’s huge expiring deal last year. How could he just sit there? There had to be something
out there. Other teams made moves. We didn’t and it cost us. That one was unforgivable.
But for the most part I like the guy. If Lebron leaves though, I would probably rather see someone who can draft better since we won’t be big players in FA anymore without Lebron, not that we were really with him, because of his lack of commitment.
What are you people talking about? How in the world did Lebron make life hard for Danny Ferry? Why is it that Danny ferry seems to be the only Gm in the entire league who needed a life time commitment from his star player in order to improve the team? The way it has worked with every other team is that the team GIVES the star player a reason to stay. They do that by making sensible trades. The other teams can keep their star players by never passing up opportunities to bring front of the draft talent to the team. What does Ferry do? He maxed out his good friend Big Z. And why? Because they(the Cavs) OWE Z for his “loyalty” Simply idiotic. No, Lebron not signing his career away is not the reason why the Cavs are in their position. The Cavs are in their position because the Cavs have been a poorly run organization since the 1990’s. And that’s the reason the Cavs fall short every year in the playoffs and Ferry has never won executive of the year.
If the present situation with Lebron James’s contract is undesirable to the Cavaliers, the extent to which it handcuffed the team is also the extent to which it was foreseeable and, thus, the extent to which the general manager is accountable for it.
@Eric: Ask Trevor Ariza….he’ll tell you all about it.
(and no, I’m not saying Ariza would have made any difference. But it’s a great example of a player not signing here because of LeBron’s inability to commit)
Andrew,
Is it the case that the main, maybe only, appeal of the team to FA’s was Lebron James? It wouldn’t be hard to convince me of that. Further, maybe Ariza or Ron-Ron didn’t think that joining, given the rest of the picture, would actually get it done. (Maybe he even told Ron-Ron that he’d sign an extension; we don’t know.)
It appears you are equating “could have made it easier” with “made it hard.” Ferry’s positive publicity is quite arguably on account of the stage Lebron James set.
If LBJ were putting on another clinic in the playoffs, would he be getting roasted right now? I doubt it.
@Andrew, Why would Trevor Ariza or anyone else expect Lebron to commit when he had already committed to free agency 2010? Ariza knew that before he was ever approached by the Cavs. Lebron had/has no obligation whatsoever to re-commit or de-commit to the Cavs before his contract expires. Even if Lebron did commit, that would not a guarante Lebron would stay in Cleveland. Lebron could demand a trade. There are no guarantees that lebron would have stayed a Cav. Ariza more than likely wanted to stay/go to Texas where I believe his family is. Blaming lebron for Danny Ferry’s mis-steps is a cop out. And a lame one at that. Lebron,when he only signed a three year extension, Fired a warning shot. You’re Ariza example does not explain why it is only the Cavs that need a lifetime commitment from their star in order to bring front of the draft talent to the roster.