It’s Time For Ferry To Get Serious

I have known Danny Ferry since 1995, the first year that I covered the Cleveland Cavaliers as a radio beat reporter. Danny had been signed a few years earlier to a ten year contract by former Cleveland General Manager Wayne Embry for the unheard of sum at the time of $3 million per year, $30 million for the entire contract{you could barely get a backup shooting guard in the NBA in 2007 for $3 million a year !} Danny who had been a standout forward at Duke was unfairly labeled “The Next Larry Bird” and was drafted by the Clippers. His representatives had warned the franchise that Ferry had no intention of playing for them and unlike China’s Yi Jian Lian he actually kept to his word. Ferry, and former Boston Celtics guard Brian Shaw played the next season in Italy as teammates. Actually that experience was a precursor for his entire career, if NBA executives had been paying any attention, Shaw outscored Ferry by a healthy margin each and every game. Shaw would prove to be a serviceable guard for years to come when he returned the next year to the NBA eventually winning Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. But he was by no means a superstar, the fact that he had a much higher?scoring average than the “Next Larry Bird” should have alerted every NBA General Manager this young man would never live up to his billing. At least one NBA G.M. chose to ignore it.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a nice thing going in the late 1980’s. The team had been brought back from the dead, as the Gund brothers rescued the franchise by buying it from former owner the late Ted Stepien. The Cavaliers though a series of shrewd draft picks had built a nucleus of center Brad Daugherty, point guard Mark Price, forward?John “Hot Rod” Williams and shooting guard Ron Harper. To augment that they traded another great young point guard?Kevin Johnson to Phoenix for star forward Larry Nance.?The team it seemed almost over night went from laughing stock of the NBA to a legitimate contender to go to the NBA Finals.

There have been a lot of versions of why Ron Harper was traded by Cleveland General Manager Wayne Embry in November of 1989. I will tell you the version that was told to me by in my mind the greatest authoritarian?Cavaliers radio play by play man Joe Tait. In an interview I had with Joe a few years ago on the radio, he told me that former Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund wanted Harper traded because of the crowd he was hanging with. Former Cavaliers head coach Lenny Wilkens who was heart broken by the trade said it was guilt by association. Bottom line was?Harper was gone along with two future first round picks and a second to the Los Angeles Clippers?for Reggie Williams?and the draft rights to Danny Ferry. Although the Cavaliers would make it to the Eastern Conference Finals against Chicago in 1992, they were never able to recapture the chemistry they had with Harper. And for Danny Ferry what would prove to be an Odyssey for the next 10 years, had only just begun.

Again as I have said numerous times over the years the word “potential” may be the cruelest word in the English language. By labeling someone with “potential” you have basically cursed them; they can never exceed the lofty expectations put upon them, and almost assuredly will end up being a disappointment. Ferry who again unfairly had been labeled the “Next Larry Bird” fell into the second category. And neither his coach or his fans let him forget it. Lenny Wilkens as I mentioned earlier was dead set against the trade, he thought he had a team that could win a championship, and it had been taken away from him with the loss of Harper. Therefore any thing Ferry did was looked at with a jaundiced eye. And unfortunately Danny really did not help his own cause. You see unlike Larry Bird, Ferry could not create his own shot, he was a stationery?shooter who needed to be set up to get his hot off. And Wilkens refused to draw up any plays utilizing that advantage. So?unfortunately the relationship and Danny’s progress was doomed from the onset. And the fans at the Richfield Coliseum were not afraid to voice their disdain, they were?Harper fans and also ticked off that he was traded. When Ferry did not live up to his “potential” they let their displeasure known in no uncertain terms.

After reaching the Eastern Conference?Finals and losing to Chicago in 1992, things started to go down ward for Cleveland. First injuries, Daugherty the Cleveland center saw his career end far too early because of back problems. Nance retired, then Price left.?Wilkens resigned replaced by Mike Fratello who instilled? a slow down half court game that put fans to sleep. And one of the stupidest marketing decisions of all time happened when the Cavaliers decided to leave an incredible facility in the suburbs of Richfield for a brand new but clearly inferior new arena in down town Cleveland.?With that move many of their regular season ticket holders stopped going to games.

Meanwhile, Danny Ferry took the abuse in the papers, on the talk shows and by the booing by the fans. He did it stoically, never complaining never allowing what must have been gnawing?away at a competitive athlete. And because of that Cavalier fans who showed up at Gund Arena, started to treat Ferry with a growing respect, by the time the ten years had been over he had gone from being the pariah of Cleveland to someone the fans actually cheered when he came out to the floor. And he became a team leader on a team that was searching for leadership, so much so that I wrote a column for a Cleveland periodical at the time saying he was destined to eventually become a NBA head coach. However Danny chose to head in another direction after his playing days were over, he went to the front office instead.

Believe it or not Danny could have re-signed with Cleveland after the ten year contract expired.?He wisely however decided to break with the past and signed the the San Antonio Spurs?and got himself a Championship ring. After a couple of seasons playing with the Spurs, Ferry retired and joined the team’s front office. He had literally grown up in a NBA front office as his father Bob was the General Manger of the Washington Bullets. It was almost like going into the family business.

Back in Cleveland things had really gone downward, almost as bad in fact maybe as bad as the Stepien days. Wayne Embry had retired, and in his place was former Portland Trail Blazer and Boston Celtics shooting guard Jim Paxson. Jim had one talent, somehow he could unload overpaid athletes such as Shawn Kemp unto other teams. Other than that Paxson?really?was a terrible General Manager!?The team philosophy would change from season to season, one year they were veteran laden with Chris Gatling, and Clarence Weatherspoon.?The next year they went young and athletic, with Darius Miles and Ricky Davis. And the coach position became a turnstile. Mike Fratello, to Randy?Wittman, to John Lucas, to Keith Smart, to Paul Silas, and finally Brendan Malone. His draft picks were horrible, Trajan Langdon, De’Sagna Diop, and the one good guy he got Carlos Boozer they lost when they stupidly allowed him to become a free agent. The team hit it’s nadir at 17-65, and somehow Providence smiled upon them and they won the lottery getting the “Franchise” LeBron James in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Midway through the 2004-2005 season?Cleveland owner Gordon Gund sold the team to Detroit businessman Dan Gilbert. Gilbert took over the franchise right around the All-Star break, and ended up firing head coach Paul Silas even though the Cavaliers looked like they were on the verge of getting to the playoffs for the first time in eons. Malone took Silas’ place and the team was back in the lottery again. At the end of the season, Paxson, and Malone were out the door?as well to no great surprise.

In a?my monthly television appearance as an analyst on the Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS-TV, I said that Gilbert had the possibility of emulating one of two owners in Sports. He could become like?Dan Snyder owner of the Washington D.C. NFL franchise who was hands on and meddlesome. Or he could be like Mark Cuban owner of the Dallas Mavericks, a man who would spend the money, keep a high profile but hired the right professionals and stayed out of the way while they did their jobs. Luckily for fans of the Cavaliers, he has chosen the Cuban role model, although he is less high profile than I expected him to?be. No complaints?on that?front from this observer!????????

Gilbert hired two very good professionals who had learned at the knee of San Antonio coach Greg Popovich, a great finishing school. For head coach he named a former assistant with San Antonio and Indiana Mike Brown, and his General Manager was a familiar face to Cavaliers fans Danny Ferry. Gilbert allowed these two men full control in rebuilding this team, because of massive salary cap room they were able to do it. I have not been that enamored with the way that Ferry went out and did it to be very honest with you. I do like the acquisition of Donyell?Marshall from his skill-set, to his leadership capabilities. I think that guard Larry Hughes when healthy, is an elite NBA player, the problem is he has the fragility of Dresden China. As a person and as an interview subject I am a big fan of Damon Jones, but that was a mistake signing, he is a shooting guard in point guard body who had a career year with the Miami Heat before he signed with Cleveland.

?And unfortunately I think Ferry thought more with his heart than his head when he re-signed former teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas.? Nobody gives “Z” more credit than I do for his toughness and perseverance, and coming back from seven operations on his feet! Unfortunately it has taken a toll on his game mentally and physically. Back in 2003 again on WEWS-TV?I said that Ilgauskas may be the worst defensive center in the NBA, it was as if?I took a collective gag out of the entire Cleveland media’s collective mouths. By the end of the week, every Newspaper columnist and radio talk show host were echoing my words. Now “Z” has gotten somewhat better defensively over the last few years, but still?did not warrant the long term deal he got.

My two main criticisms over Ferry going into last season were; the fact that they did not?force coach Mike?Brown to get an offensive coordinator, and?the fact that this team still?is without a true elite point guard. Coach Brown is a defensive wizard, but he does not grasp the offnsive?game nearly as well. Cleveland many times settles too quickly for a shot or stands stagnant while LBJ?does his thing. And the team that?had a run of great point guards from Mark Price trough Andre Miller still does not have a true point other than a way past his prime Eric Snow.

Still, they were able to capture lightning in a bottle last season and made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in their history. And although they were swept by a machine like San Antonio Spurs team,? it was a huge step for the franchise. As we waited outside the locker room at the arena now known as the “Q”?I found myself standing next to Cavaliers part owner and R&B Star Usher, with whom?I have had a few conversations with during his tenure with the team.?I told Usher that if Cleveland was able to go out and get a true elite point guard in the off-season that they would be the odds on favorite to win it all in the East. I said that the only team that would possibly challenge them would be a healthy Washington Wizards team. I could see Usher was encouraged by my words, the look of sadness that had been their just seconds before was replaced by a much more hopeful demeanor. We shook hands and he parted.

We now fast forward to September 24, 2007. The Cavaliers not only have traded or picked up a point guard through free agency, they are now in danger of going backwards. According to good friend and colleague Branson Wright who covers the Cavaliers for the Cleveland Plain Dealer Cleveland may end up both of their own free agents! Branson reports that guard Sasha Pavlovic and forward Anderson Varejao may be on the verge of playing the 2007-2008 season in Europe! Both Pavlovic’s agent Marc Cornstein, and Varejao’s agent Dan Fegan say their clients are looking very seriously into exploring their options with the European leagues. Now neither one of these guys are a superstar, Sasha is serviceable, if not a hair above, while Andy as?Varejao is known because of his adrenaline and enthusiasm has more of the potential to be the breakout player. But regardless the team can ill afford to lose either player.

The East is a different animal now then it was when I had my conversation with Usher. Boston of course has made the most dramatic turnaround, with the acquisitions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, but Orlando, and Milwaukee have also made great strides. In the same time?Cleveland has regressed not progressed. Yes?Daniel Gibson had a nice second half last season one incredible series against Detroit?in the playoffs, and a decent series against San Antonio. But he is still an unproven commodity, and he is a shooting guard not a point. Cleveland’s other draft pick from last year?Shannon Brown gets high marks from the team but has yet to show anything on the floor.

Danny, training camp is a week away.?It is time to get it into gear, at the very least you have to sign Sasha and Andy.?As you are well aware?the window of opportunity only is open in sports for?a short time.? Ironically Ilgauskas said to me in an interview after game four that all the magazines and the papers would predict that Cleveland would not make the playoffs. My response to him was this is one reporter who wouldn’t.?I’m not really sure what my response would be if we had that conversation today.