Hawks GM Danny Ferry, who yesterday officially stepped down after a 10-month indefinite leave of absence, said, "It's good to have the situation resolved and to be moving forward," according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. Ferry: "I'll miss being part of it. But I'm also happy for the people who are getting opportunities to move forward. So it's mixed emotions for a lot of reasons." He said of his comments about Heat F Luol Deng, which led to his leave, "Those words (should not have) come out of my mouth. I have to own that and I have." Ferry added that he "considered the possibility of returning to his job at various points throughout the season but 'didn't want to be a distraction' for the Hawks." Shelburne noted Ferry has "continued to live with his family in Atlanta throughout the year." He said, "Early on I had a lot of anxiety, not just for me but for my family" (ESPN.com, 6/22). Ferry said of watching the Hawks' success this season from a distance, "It was hard being away from the group and hard being in the background but the winning and how the team played certainly made it a lot better. I was certainly proud to be part of the group that helped put this group together" (USA TODAY, 6/23). Ferry, when asked if he feels vindicated by an investigator's claim his comments were not racially motivated, responded, "That’s not really for me to say. But I do feel relieved. I’ve been asking the Hawks for many months to release the results of the [Bernard] Taylor investigation because I wanted everyone to have those facts. For whatever reason, the team refused to release the results until after the season ended" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 6/23).
MORE THAN WORDS: In Atlanta, Jeff Schultz wrote Ferry's departure is "not just about" what he said, as no businessperson "wants to make that big of a purchase and inherit a perceived mess like the Ferry situation." It has been "apparent for several weeks that Ferry’s exit would be finalized before the sale of the team closed." Prospective new Hawks co-Owner Tony Ressler "did not want to deal with questions" surrounding Ferry (AJC.com, 6/22).
NEW CHAPTER: In Atlanta, Chris Vivlamore notes it is a "big week for the Hawks." The team's uniforms with their new Pac Man logo as the primary emblem "will be unveiled" tomorrow, new ownership "will be officially introduced" Thursday morning and the NBA Draft will be held Thursday night. The Hawks' uniform change "will be substantial." It will also include a color scheme change "beyond red and blue of recent years." The team earlier this month "announced a new secondary logo" that is part of its rebranding. Meanwhile, the sale of the Hawks to a group led by Ressler "will be finalized" tomorrow "following voting from members" of the NBA BOG, with the introductory press conference. With Ferry's departure, Mike Budenholzer reportedly "will be both president and head coach and keep control over basketball operations," while Wes Wilcox "will be promoted" to GM (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 6/23).
