| Ferry makes instant impact the second time around Authored by Keith Berzanske - July 13, 2005 - 10:38 pm
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Ferry's first stint as a Cavalier, as a player, did not go as planned. Initially, Ferry was a huge disappointment, not only because of his output, but also considering that the Cavaliers traded budding star Ron Harper AND two first round picks for Ferry and Reggie Williams. In addition, Ferry received a 10 year contract that paid him over 30 million. While he never lived up to the initial hype, ferry did evolve into a useful role player, and by the end of his deal it could even be argued that he was a bit underpaid. Still, the Ferry trade is the one moment that Cavaliers' fans point to when asked why the team could never get past Michael Jordan and the Bulls, and as such it can hardly be said that Ferry ever redeemed himself as a player in the fans' minds.
But now, Ferry has taken on a larger role in building a championship contender than anyone ever imagined - he is the general manager. He will decide which players cme and which players go, which players complement LeBron James, and what the appropriate market value for each player is. Ironically, Ferry will be trying to avoid a 'Danny Ferry type' trade, one sided trades where it could be determined with certainty that the Cavaliers had given up more than they received. Ferry's predecessor, Jim Paxson, made several such deals, constantly draining the Cavaliers of resources and trying to hammer square pegs into round holes.
Under Paxson, the franchise was in a constant state of chaos. It was never clear what direction the team was headed in, or if there even was a plan. In two weeks, Ferry has put his stamp on this team, and provided what was needed most: stability. The team, the fans - heck, fans of the NBA all over the country needed to know that this team is headed towards the playoffs and not backwards to the lottery yet again. They needed the ship to be righted so that all of the constant speculation of LeBron James moving on would be muted. Now, two weeks after Ferry took the reins, the team is starting to take shape and plowing full speed ahead.
Ferry made a subtle move on draft day, trading a second round pick for project center Martynas Andriuskevicius. MA is definitely a project, and while I've stated in previous columns that I don't think he'll amount to much, he's defini tely worht the risk for what Ferry gave up. If he does turn out to be a productive center, he can eventually replace Ilgauskas. Having Ilgauskas in place will help this young man immensely, and in that sense the Cavaliers may be the prefect team for him. If he's ever going to become a player, Cleveland is the place where it can happen.
Ferry's next move immediately told the fans that he was not Paxson. He took the player that Paxson had just traded a first round pick for, Jiri Welsch, who showed nothing during his short tenure with the team, and basically sacrificed him for salary cap space. It was a statement that said 'we are not going to piece together a team full of average players and tread water'.
The cap room seemed doomed to go to waste when Ray Allen and Michael Redd resigned with their original squads. This happened fast, but Ferry made a counter move that was equally fast. The very next day, he had Larry Hughes in the fold. This was shocking - there had been no indicatins that the Cavaliers had even pursued Hughes or that Hughes would ever leave Washington. Give Ferry credit for acting and acting quickly when plans A and B fell through. Hughes is an excellent versatile guard who was first team all -defense, which means the Cavaliers will no longer feel obligated to start Iraw Newble just because he's the only guy that can 'D' up.
The most recent move seemed inevitable - once Hughes signed it became clear that Ilgauskas would definitely be retained. The new collective bargaining agreement gave the Cavaliers a break here - under the old salary cap, it was doubtful they could have afforded both players. Not only could they do that now, but there is still enough room left (thanks to the Welsch trade) to sign a point guard of decent talent level. This will undoubtedly be Ferry's next move.
Of course, there is no certainty that these moves will pay off - anything can happen. However, it's nice to see someone in the Cavaliers not only taking action, but taking ation that makes sense.
Danny Ferry may yet bring a championship to Cleveland, and while not how it was originally envisioned, it would endear him to the fans just the same.
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