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Ferry and scouting staff know who they want when the clock ticks
By Tom Withers
Associated Press
Published on Thursday, Jun 26, 2008
INDEPENDENCE: He's Danny Ferry, not Danny Ainge. And the general manager of the Cavaliers has no illusions of matching what his colleague did last summer.
With two major trades, Ainge revived the Boston Celtics and turned them into NBA champions. He dumped a few contracts and players on the Seattle SuperSonics to get Ray Allen on draft night a year ago and later acquired Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves for five players and two first-round picks, a bold move that sent shock waves through the league that are still being felt.
As he prepares for the NBA Draft tonight, Ferry, whose flawed team pushed the Celtics to a seventh game in the Eastern Conference semifinals, doesn't feel any pressure to match
Ainge.
''It was a perfect storm for Danny,'' Ferry said. ''Obviously, it worked out very well. . . . He made all of us look bad, and that will be a standard that everyone will be talking about for a while. I'm not so sure it can be duplicated.''
Ferry has shown he's not averse to a blockbuster trade. He dealt half his active roster at the trading deadline in February, sending starters Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden along with four others to acquire Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Joe Smith.
There's a chance the Cavaliers, who have the No. 19 overall pick in the first round, could pull off a colossal swap, but Ferry, whose staff brought in 50 players for predraft workouts and interviews, indicated that he's more inclined to ride into next season with his current roster.
''I like our team,'' he said. ''I like the makeup of our team. We're not a perfect team, but I think this team, this year is capable of beating anybody.''
As always, trade rumors are rampant in the hours leading into the draft. The biggest one surrounding the Cavs involves Milwaukee Bucks shooting star Michael Redd, a player whom the Cavaliers pursued but couldn't sign as a free agent a few seasons back.
Redd, who this week was named to the U.S. Olympic team along with Cavs All-Star LeBron James, could be had for the right price. He has three years and $51 million left on his contract, and Ferry would need to give up some key parts — perhaps Daniel Gibson and Anderson Varejao — along with some top picks to bring Redd to the Cavs.
Bucks General Manager John Hammond has indicated that he would listen to offers for Redd, who averaged 22.7 points last season for one of the league's worst teams.
Adding Redd would bring needed firepower to the offensively challenged Cavs, and finally give James a running mate to help make another title chase.
At the least, Redd's arrival would quiet talk that James will leave as a free agent once his contract expires in 2010.
Ferry will continue to bring in quality talent to help James, but he's not going to make any rash moves simply to placate his superstar.
''LeBron likes the guys on our team,'' Ferry said. ''He wants to win a championship. I want to win a championship. (Coach) Mike Brown, Zydrunas (Ilgauskas), we have a list of people who all want to win and all of us want to get better. LeBron likes his teammates. What he has always said is, 'I like our team. I like this team and if we need to make changes, that's fine. I want to win a championship.' And I feel the same way.''
If the Cavaliers stand pat and hold onto their first-round pick, they are likely to select a big man in a draft Ferry believes is deep in quality centers and power forwards. Among the players who could be available when the Cavs are on the clock: Georgetown's Roy Hibbert, Ohio State's Kosta Koufos, Stanford's Robin Lopez and Rider's Jason Thompson.
Ferry's goal is to find a ''rotational player for a high-level team.'' That could mean someone who could get playing time next season or might need time to develop.
''Every player we will look at at 19 will have a different story,'' he said. ''Our scouting staff have really attacked the draft. I'm comfortable we can make a sound decision.''
INDEPENDENCE: He's Danny Ferry, not Danny Ainge. And the general manager of the Cavaliers has no illusions of matching what his colleague did last summer.
Get the full article here.
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