Mike Budenholzer thinks Ferry's comments were 'out of character'
Hawks coach tries to pull players and community together as he prepares for a season with actual basketball games to play.
By
Matt Moore
•
2 min read
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he reached out to his players both individually and as a group following the controversy over Danny Ferry's comments about Luol Deng over the summer (and Bruce Levenson's revealed comments in an email to owners).
The second-year Hawks coach also said that he felt the comment was "out of character" for Ferry, who is on an indefinite leave of absence from the team.
Q. What was your initial reaction when the news broke about the comments made by owner Bruce Levenson and general manager Danny Ferry?
A. It’s really unfortunate and you feel for the people who are hurt and the community. It’s really unfortunate on a lot of different levels. You are hoping we can come together from something like this and learn from something like this. Your initial reaction is you are not sure where this will all go but you feel for everybody that has been hurt in this process.
Q. What has been the most difficult to deal with?
A. It has been difficult. Danny is a friend and somebody I care about. I think he’s made mistakes and I think he’s acknowledged them and he wants to learn and grow from this. He put me in this (coaching) position and I have strong feelings for him. I understand that he has made mistakes and I understand that we need to build and repair the trust. He’s a friend of mine.
Q. Were you on the conference call? Did you hear the comment?
A. No.
Q. Have you known Danny to use those comments in the past?
A. I’ve known Danny for 15-plus years, as a player, as an assistant coach and now as a head coach and a friend. Race has never been an issue with Danny. Comments like that, I would say, are very much out of character.
Q. So you have spoken to the team. Was it in general or as individuals?
A. All of it. When things like this happen and there are moments in our lives where we have visited as a group. We’ve had a lot of one-on-one communications. I think the team has communicated as a group without me and I’m sure they’ve had a lot of one-one conversations with each other. I think the more we communicate and the more together we are, hopefully that can help us through this and ultimately at some point the community pulls together like it has in a lot of other circumstances and gets through this together.
via Q and A with Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer | www.ajc.com.
Budenholzer has been installed as acting head of basketball operations during Ferry's absence. The Hawks hold media day Monday and it's sure to be a circus. Beyond it, though, the team should settle into a routine and if they're able to close ranks and keep the team focused on playing, they're a lock to make the playoffs.
But until we see how everything shakes out with this situation everything seems very unstable with Atlanta, which is never now how you want to start a season, let alone with the complications this situation has created for everyone involved, including Budenholzer.
