Mike Brown may have been thrown out, but Danny Ferry is choosing to walk out the door. According to Johnny Ludden of Yahoo Sports, the Cavs’ GM will join their star player in free agency:
Ferry’s contract ends this summer. He had said after the Cavaliers’ second-round loss to the Boston Celtics that he would speak with owner Dan Gilbert to decide whether it was best for him to continue as GM. Gilbert seemed open to having him stay, but Ferry, who was disappointed about having to fire Brown, a close confidante from their days with the San Antonio Spurs, decided to leave less than a month before James becomes a free agent. Assistant GM Chris Grant is expected to take over for Ferry.
It should be interesting to see if any other teams are interested in making Ferry an offer to run the show elsewhere. He clearly has talent as a manager, even if the components in Cleveland never quite yielded the ultimate compound.
Whether he finds immediate employment or not, this move is odd. Maybe Ferry sees the writing on the wall, and wants to jump ship on a LeBron-less franchise rather than lock-up in Cleveland long-term. Maybe, as Ludden noted, the decision to fire Mike Brown really did play a significant role in Ferry’s decision. Or maybe he already has another, seemingly more attractive on the table (or rather, under it) to be the GM elsewhere. No one knows at this point.
What we do know is that the man who fought and worked to give LeBron the most competitive team possible is walking even before James does (or might), and the head coach of the Cavs for the last five seasons is already gone. Whether LeBron stays in Cleveland or not, this is the beginning of a new era for the Cavs.