Bring back Danny Ferry #FreeDannyFerry #TrueToAtlanta

Greetings,

I created this petition for one reason: I want to see the Atlanta Hawks win the NBA Championship and I think Danny Ferry is the man for the job. I’ll make this quick as quick as possible as to why I think he’s the man for the job as well as address what happened that got him exiled from the team.

I’ve lived in Atlanta for 8 years now and for most of that time, the Atlanta Hawks were a 1st round, maybe 2nd round team that did little to inspire the city or fans. I’ve seen the Hawks make bad moves after bad moves, which is why the team was never seen as a contender. That all changed when Danny Ferry became the GM in 2012.

If you celebrated this year’s Hawks and their accomplishments, then you have to give credit where credit is due. Danny Ferry is a huge reason for the Hawks success.

 -He got rid of Joe Johnson’s contract, which most people didn’t think he could.

-He got rid of Marvin Williams, an underachieving player that was making too much money.

-He let Josh Smith go, which was a wise move.

-He brought in Coach Bud, who became the Coach Of The Year this season.

-He brought in DeMarre Carroll for a great rate.

-He brought in Paul Millsap for a great rate.

-He extended Kyle Korver at a team friendly rate.

-He extended Jeff Teague and added role players that were important to the Hawks success.

-Basically, he was mostly responsible for finding the right coach and putting together the team you cheered for all season long.

Now, aside from what he’s done with coach and player personnel, he’s basically helped to create a new culture here in Atlanta that some have called the Spurs East. It’s no coincidence that the Hawks were called that because Danny Ferry came to Atlanta from San Antonio and basically wanted to build a team-oriented basketball culture and by hiring a long time assistant of the Spurs (Coach Bud) along with the moves that he made, he has effectively done that.

Now we go into an off-season with new ownership and hope for what tomorrow brings. To me, if we like the direction that the Hawks are going in, why not let the man who was steering the ship continue to do his job. Things can change quickly and continuity has also been an issue in Atlanta. There are tough decisions to be made and we need a good GM to make the right moves.

By now we all know what happened that basically made him persona non grata, but for those who don’t remember, he read aloud a scouting report that has some racially insensitive comments in it that ended up being recorded. Now I’m not going to dispute that it was wrong and worthy of punishment. My main questions are: how much punishment is enough and at what point does someone deserve a second chance? For his indiscretion, he was basically banned from the team for AN ENTIRE YEAR. He wasn’t able to publicly celebrate the team’s success that he was partly responsible for and to me; he’s served his sentence.

America is the land of second chances and being in the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr., you would think Atlanta could also be the place for forgiveness. Even US Ambassador and civil rights leader, Andrew Young, thinks Danny Ferry should return and I agree with him.

I get that many were offended by what he said, but at the same time at what point do we simply decide to move on? You don’t have to forget, but at what point do we decide to forgive? Finding the right GM isn’t easy. Just look at the GMs Atlanta has had in the past. If you’re an Atlanta Hawks fan, I’m sure you believe that things are heading in the right direction. I Love Coach Bud, but he’s not a GM. He came here because they (Bud and Ferry) both shared a vision and was working together to bring that vision into fruition.  All I’m saying is, give Danny Ferry a chance to make amends for his mistake, finish the job and possibly take Atlanta to places it’s never been. How do I know he can do that? He already has…

-61 wins, 19 games win streak, Eastern Conference finals, and 4 players in the All-Star game…

Please sign this petition and share it with those you believe are True to Atlanta. The new ownership becomes official June 24, so we don’t have a lot of time...

#BringBackDannyFerry #FreeDannyFerry