Ferry made an honest assessment of Anthony’s game, then turned to Deng and used inappropriate language in reference to his African heritage.
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Now, the Hawks must move forward, find a new majority owner and attract players to Atlanta. When the Los Angeles Clippers found themselves in a similar situation, team president Doc Rivers told Sporting News that ownership uncertainty hurt them in free agency. Anthony predicts that the Hawks will experience a similar rough patch in the wake of Ferry’s comments.
“[There] ain’t nobody [who] would want to go there,” Anthony said Saturday, according to ESPNNewYork.com. “At the end of the day, Atlanta, I think it puts Atlanta back even further now, from that standpoint.
“Atlanta is a great city, a great market, great people, great atmosphere. But as far as the comments [that] were made, I think it was uncalled for. From an owner, from a GM, those are not things you play with.”
In a conference call with team owners, Ferry paraphrased a scouting report on Deng, stating that he “has a little African in him.”
Speaking as a player who recently tested free agency, Anthony said he “wouldn’t look at” the Hawks as a serious option.
“As a player, as an athlete, we’re looking for a job, we’re trying to find a place where we can move our family, we can make our family comfortable, where we can be comfortable in a comfortable environment,” Anthony said. “But those comments right there, we would never look at [playing there].
“I’m speaking on behalf of all athletes. We would never look at a situation like that, I don’t care what it is.”
