In April of 2012, the Atlanta Hawks were in the first round of the NBA playoffs. They faced the Boston Celtics and were the 5th seed while the Celtics were the 4th seed.
It was a six game series. The Hawks best player, Joe Johnson, missed 64 shots, on 37% shooting. Jeff Teague had 25 assists. Josh Smith missed all of his three point shots, 54 missed shots total. Simply, the Hawks offense was miserable. They didn’t score 90 points.
The Hawks bench was comprised of Kirk Hinrich, Willie Green, Ivan Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Vladimir Radmonovic and Jannero Pargo. After being disposed by the Celtics, it was evident that the team was in desperate need of a talent upgrade. But more importantly, the Atlanta Hawks needed a front office visionary who had a particular skill and experience in identifying versatile NBA players.
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Danny Ferry was hired on June 25, 2012. Three days later, at the draft, he selected John Jenkins in the first round and Mike Scott in the second round.
Mar 16, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Joe Johnson (7) shoots the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center. The Nets win 122-106. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
In July of 2012, less than a month on the job, Ferry traded the face of the Hawks franchise, Joe Johnson, to the Brooklyn Nets. In return he received five players (Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson, Jordan Williams) plus two draft picks. Morrow, Stevenson and Petro would stay. Farmar, Williams would be waived.
A few days later, Ferry signed shooter extraordinaire Lou Williams and stole Kyle Korver from the Chicago Bulls. He traded Willie Green for garbage (Sofoklis Schotsanitis). Schotsanitis never played a game for the Atlanta Hawks.
In March of 2013, Ferry signed Shelvin Mack to two 10-day contracts. The Hawks finished that year winning 44 games and had the second best record in their division. They met the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs. The series was tied 2-2 when the Hawks went to Indianapolis and lost by 23 points, only able to score 83 points. The Pacers wrapped up the series in Atlanta.
The following month, Ferry hired Mike Budenholzer from the San Antonio Spurs, a coach he not only respected but one he had worked with when he was in the San Antonio Spurs front office.
In the 2013 draft, Ferry selected German guard Dennis Schroder with the 17th pick. With the 18th pick (courtesy of the Brooklyn Nets in the Joe Johnson trade) he selected guard Shane Larkin. He then traded Shane Larkin to the Dallas Mavericks.
In July of 2013, the Hawks signed free agent Paul Millsap who was known for his toughness and rebounding skills. In August of 2013, Ferry signed DeMarre Carroll for $2.5 million. Both Millsap and Carroll were given two year deals.
In March of 2014, Ferry signed Mike Muscala from Europe.
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Under new coach, Mike Budenholzer, the Hawks won 38 games in the 2013-14 season. They were the eighth seed and faced the Indiana Pacers. Although they took the #1 seed to a seventh game, the Hawks lost, which, frankly, was predictable. An Al Horford injury contributed to the Hawks inability to have a consistent offensive attack and it also ruined their continuity as they leaned heavily on Paul Millsap.
Two months later, in June of 2014, Danny Ferry drafted Adreian Payne in the first round and Walter Tavares in the second round. Payne was traded in February and Tavares was stashed in Europe.
In July of 2014, Danny Ferry traded Lou Williams to the Toronto Raptors for John Salmons who was then waived. Williams won the 6th Man of the Year Award in 2015. Ferry then signed free agent defender, Kent Bazemore, to a two year deal.
In September of 2014, Danny Ferry took an indefinite leave of absence from his job as Hawks General Manager. A controversy had spiraled out of control stemming over comments Ferry made in reference to Luol Deng. But the team had already been constructed at that point. What they now had to do was develop.
Under Mike Budenholzer, the players Ferry handpicked for him had a tremendous season, as the Hawks won a historic 60 games.
The absence of Ferry was glaring in the post-season but at the same time it was significant. The Hawks of 2014-15 was the team Ferry built.
Ferry put them together believing they would be better than the sum of their parts, that collectively they could lean upon one another and have great success. And they did. Except Ferry was only able to witness it from a distance.
Danny Ferry’s tenure ended on June 18th, 2015 with a buyout. His exit came a week before the new owners are set to begin their reign. But this much is true. Without Danny Ferry, without his shrewdness and accuracy, the team Tony Ressler and Grant Hill will call their own would be nothing more than a mismatched inconsistent team of egos, personalities and agendas that don’t fit the Hawks culture or the Eastern Conference’s style of play.
2012-13: B +. Lou Williams and Kyle Korver was a plus. Same with Shelvin Mack. The draft picks for Joe Johnson relieved the pressure of the Joe Johnson contract. But he traded Willie Green and got nothing in return.
2013-14: A. Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll, Dennis Schroder and Mike Budenholzer were big gets. He picked up Mike Muscala in March.
2014-15: C-. Drafting Adreain Payne and then trading him was a waste. Trading Lou Williams for nothing was a mistake. Signing Kent Bazemore keeps Ferry from getting an D.