Doc Rivers had a unique perspective on the two racially charged incidents that rocked the NBA this summer.
The Clippers President of Basketball Operations and head coach was front and center in Los Angeles when team owner Donald Sterling was forced to sell the franchise following racist remarks. Following the release of audio of Sterling’s comments, the NBA stepped in and banned Sterling for life. Months later the franchise had a new owner.
On the heels of that controversy, the Hawks were at the center of a similar firestorm. Controlling owner Bruce Levenson announced in September he would sell his interest in the team after the discovery of a 2012 email that included racist comments about the, among other things, the fan base and game operations. The email was discovered after general manager Danny Ferry made a racially insensitive comment about free-agent target Luol Deng during a June conference call with ownership and management. Ferry has been on an indefinite leave of absence since September and the sale of the team has been arduous.
Rivers has a long connection with the Hawks franchise. He played for Atlanta for 1983-91 and remains the franchise all-time leader in assists.
“You don’t want anything bad to happen to any organization,” Rivers said before Tuesday’s game. “Knowing all the parties, that was very difficult to see. For all of us, speaking as a Hawk in that way. I think they’ve gotten through it the best that they could at that time. Whenever you see something like that you are sad that it happens.
“I’m not smart enough to ever know if it’s ignorance or racism. I don’t think any of us are that smart. I don’t know if I get upset but I don’t like it when people think they know what one it is.
“It happened. I was happy that it came out and I was happy that it was resolved. That is all you can do. You move on and you learn.”
Rivers said he also can appreciate the position of Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, who has the final say in basketball operation matters in Ferry’s absence. Budenholzer and Ferry have a long personal relationship.
“I talked to Bud a little bit,” Rivers said. “That was hard. I couldn’t imagine it for him. (My situation) was in some ways easier. It was the owner. It was the head guy. I didn’t have a real relationship. Bud had relationships. And so that was a hard thing to go through. He went through it great. That had to be very hard for him.
“And the players. You forget about the players in this whole thing. That was my concern in ours because the people above the players are the ones who are supposed to get it right. We aren’t supposed to make the mistakes. All of a sudden the people above them are making all the mistakes. That should never happen. When that happens, you have to get it right with them. At the end of the day, that is what people are paying. They are not coming to see Bud or I. I hope not. That would be poor judgment on their part. They are coming to see the players.”
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