It seems sadly fitting for an Atlanta pro sports fan that when a team finally gets a general manager who seems to know what he’s doing, he is forced out for reasons other than, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea — we’ll draft Shelden Williams!”
But the exit of Danny Ferry as Hawks’ architect doesn’t necessarily signal the end of the Hawks’ new normal. They are competitive. They are admired by fans and respected by other franchises. They were one of the last four teams standing in the playoffs this year, when more often they’ve been one of the first four out. The Hawks. Who knew?
With Ferry out, the team’s chances of continuing this ascent rest with the unknown abilities of two people: Mike Budenholzer and Wes Wilcox.
Yes, unknown. Because neither has been an NBA team’s ultimate decision-maker or remotely this high on the organizational food chain.
Budenholzer was a respected assistant coach in San Antonio. He became a wonderful head coach in Atlanta. Now he has to prove he can be an adept team president.
Wilcox has been a bright and hard-working personnel director and assistant general manager who now has to prove he can operate without Ferry as the ultimate decision-maker, and he probably also has to grow up a little bit.
Neither Budenholzer nor Wilcox has been the most powerful voice in the room. That’s the risk the Hawks are taking — and here comes the draft Thursday and the start of free-agency negotiations a week later.
It’s understandable why impending new owner Tony Ressler wanted no part of keeping Ferry and the potential baggage that he brought to the table, especially considering the bridges he burned with franchise icon Dominique Wilkins and minority owner Michael Gearon Jr., who for some reason is still around. (The fact Ressler is allowing the divisive and meddlesome Gearon to remain as an investor qualifies as his first questionable decision.) But it’s Ressler’s hope that Budenholzer and Wilcox can maintain stability in basketball operations and seamlessly continue the work where Ferry left off.
Can they?
“Sure they can,” Ferry told me. “I like them both, and I think they’ll do well.”
When asked if fans should have any concerns with somebody new making the personnel decisions, Ferry laughed. “They should have had concerns with me. They should have concerns with everybody,” he said. “It’s a hard job, a really hard job. You need to be good. You need to be lucky. The right guy has to slip to you in the draft. You have to stay healthy. But I want the Hawks to do well, and I think things are set up nicely for them.”
Budenholzer said Tuesday he never has felt intimidated by an impending job promotion, but he preferred not to get specific about his impending presidency because the move hasn’t been announced yet.
“I think there’s always a little bit a doubt, but that motivates us in some way,” he said. “The belief in what we think we can do is the overriding emotion. There are all of those challenges, but your attitude is, ‘Let’s get after it.”
Ferry has set things up nicely. As he said, “There’s an identity and a sense of winning that started to establish itself. There are standards. There’s flexibility from a (salary) cap standpoint. They have all their draft picks.”
The Hawks need to add some “They need a third big who can really add something — anything,” Ferry said.
Other needs will be dictated by free agency. If the Hawks can re-sign Paul Millsap in free agency but lose DeMarre Carroll, which seems the most likely scenario, “They’ll need another wing,” Ferry said.
Big decisions.
The Hawks have raised the bar. Will it fall on their head?
Budenholzer took the Hawks’ job in part because Ferry assured him personnel decisions would be a collaborative effort, starting with the draft. So the days leading to the draft feel normal for Budenholzer. It’s draft night that will be different.
Next season represents a one-year test for Budenholzer and Wilcox. The coach is getting a new long-term contract and won’t be going anywhere for a while. If things go sideways next season and there are perceptions mistakes were made in personnel, Wilcox likely would take the fall. The Hawks could go the Seattle Seahawks route, allowing Budenholzer to pick a general manager from their pool of candidates (as Seattle did with Pete Carroll picking John Schneider).
But for now, it’s Budenholzer and Wilcox’s show. They have a lot to live up to.
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