Mike Budenholzer thinks Danny Ferry should be credited as Executive of the Year

Danny Ferry is still the lead basketball executive of the Atlanta Hawks. He hasn’t been on record in the press since August, and he’s been on an indefinite leave of absence since September. In re-framing a reported Cleveland Cavalier scout’s thoughts on the impact of Luol Deng’s heritage as it contributed to his value as a person and player, he showed what we called “an abject lack of leadership” some seven months ago, prior to wondering when Ferry would be fired.

Danny Ferry is also the lead architect of the Eastern Conference’s best team, a 60-win juggernaut that has thrilled previously-indifferent potential Hawk fans with their entertaining brand of offensive basketball, and stout defensive presence. For this, the Hawks would usually nominate Ferry as their representative as the league’s Executive of the Year, even though Ferry’s relaying of the comments on Luol Deng were more damaging and outright baffling than any botched trade or bad free agent signing.

As a result, the Hawks instead nominated Mike Budenholzer, the team’s (very good) head coach and working general manager in Ferry’s absence. Budenholzer, hired by Ferry in 2013, does not think he should have received such a nomination.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Chris Vivlamore:

With Ferry on an indefinite leave of absence, Budenholzer was the Hawks nomination for the NBA’s Executive of the Year award the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Saturday. Budenholzer was named head of basketball operations in September.

“Anyone who has followed the Hawks for the last two or three years knows that Danny Ferry is the executive who is most responsible for the makeup of our team,” Budenholzer said Sunday before the Hawks played the Wizards. “Danny is responsible for me being here. Our team is in a good place. I’m very grateful to work with such good players and with such a great staff.”

Ferry took the leave following the discovery of racially insensitive remarks about free-agent target Luol Deng during a June conference call with team ownership and management. At that time, CEO Steve Koonin elevated Budenholzer to lead the basketball operations and make final decisions.

“Danny Ferry is the executive who is more responsible for the makeup of” this top seed in the East, that is one hundred percent accurate. He may have inherited Al Horford, but Ferry also traded for and signed all manner of helpers on the Hawks’ loaded roster. That Atlanta has been able to brave the storm of incessant nagging injuries on its way to 60 wins (or more!) is because of Ferry’s personnel work, and his hire of Budenholzer – many analysts’ leading candidate for Coach of the Year.

Danny Ferry should not be the Executive of the Year as some odd form of punishment or to save face, however. He should not be the Executive of the Year because he made some terrible, fireable offenses last summer in both thinking and also re-framing the scout’s miserable comments were in any way something to consider as the team approached a decision on paying for Luol Deng’s services.

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Deng (who went on to sign with the Miami Heat, though not because of the remarks as he was unaware of the comments at the time) has forgiven Ferry and we all know that Danny Ferry is not a racist, but that’s not the point. Ferry is lucky to have his job, no matter how impactful the Paul Millsap deal is or how successful the Joe Johnson trade was.

Danny Ferry should absolutely be credited for his work with the Atlanta Hawks. He took a middling, overpaid group that played a batch of uninspiring basketball in front of listless crowds and turned the team into a contender. He was the first GM to commit to Mike Budenholzer, who weirdly had to wait a decade to emerge from the San Antonio assistant ranks. The team may end up slightly under the cap this summer even after re-signing Millsap and DeMarre Carroll, and there is still a chance that the Hawks could end up with a lottery pick as a result of the Johnson trade.

That’s on Danny Ferry’s record. What’s also on record is the time he thought it would be appropriate to relay that an employee from the Cavaliers organization thought that “has a little African in him” belonged on a scouting report.

Sometimes people screw up, and during this year’s Finals or NBA draft (a Finals turn the Hawks could take part in, and a draft that could see Atlanta picking up a future star) the team may attempt to quietly announce Ferry’s return to day-to-day duties in time for the offseason. If he wasn’t fired last September, he’s certainly not going to be fired this summer – that was the case even before Atlanta’s surprising run to the top. Many are dismayed by this, but it wouldn’t be the worst transgression.

Danny Ferry is not the NBA’s Executive of the Year, though. Great executives don’t let years worth of fantastic transactions be completely besmirched by, again, a move that showed an absolute absence of leadership.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops