Building around stars becoming a Ferry family tradition

This isn't the first time a guy named Ferry found himself with a general manager's job, without any real experience, before he turned 40, and an urgency to win big in a short amount of time.

"I knew the feeling, too," said Bob Ferry, once known for running the Bullets, now known for raising Danny.

Yes, Danny Ferry, who has the toughest front office job in basketball, if not the most thankless. He must either give the Cavaliers the stuff to win a title this season, or give LeBron James the impression that one is coming soon. That simple. One way or another, LeBron's decision to stay or go next summer will be based partly, if not wholly, on his faith in Danny Ferry's ability to build a winner.

That Sisyphean chore wasn't dumped on Danny's father, but close. Bob Ferry became GM of the Bullets at age 32; Danny was six years older when he joined the Cavs. Bob Ferry never held office before and was forced to learn on the job. He didn't have the benefit, or curse, of having one future Hall of Famer like Danny does, but two: Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld. Five years later, Ferry and the Bullets finally won a championship. They reached the NBA Finals three times during his time with the Bullets. Ferry was twice named executive of the year.

Bob Ferry

And he learned this much about running a team, advice he passed on to Danny:

"No matter what you do, or how hard you work, or what moves you make, you don't control everything," he said. "You're subject to bad luck, injuries, all sorts of things. You can build something special and everything could collapse for reasons beyond your control. It happens."

Two games into the season, based on the swift reaction to the Cavs losing to Boston and Toronto, you would've thought Cleveland suddenly dropped into the Cuyahoga. Shaquille O'Neal was too old to keep up with Kevin Garnett. Anthony Parker couldn't shoot straight. Neither could Jamario Moon. And Delonte West was too troubled and unreliable. Those were players acquired on Ferry's watch in his effort to surround LeBron with all the necessary parts.

Just two games in, Ferry's work was under the microscope. Only in Cleveland, and only because LeBron is free to go next July.

Ferry wasn't exactly handed a polished product when the Cavs hired him in 2005. He'd worked for two years in San Antonio under R.C. Buford, which was good enough for Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who thought Ferry's fresh ideas and understanding of the game would overcome any inexperience. And for the most part, it has worked out that way.

The Cavs didn't have a first-round pick in two of Ferry's first three years on the job, and he inherited a roster without much value beyond LeBron. Without the luxury of assets or lottery picks, a GM has limited options. He can roll the dice by raiding distressed teams for big contracts, or sign free-agent role players and hope the mix is right. That sums up the makeup of the Cavs.

Shaq makes $20 million. The Suns wanted to dump a contract nobody else wanted or could afford. Even though Shaq is half the star he was with the Lakers, Ferry saw a vital low-post player whose personality would mesh with LeBron's. Same, too, goes for Mo Williams, who signed a long extension in Milwaukee only to see the Bucks have second thoughts. Those players were acquired for a bag of stale popcorn, which is all Ferry had to offer, anyway. Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon were brought in to fill out the rotation and both came with reasonable salaries.

Given what little he had to work with, it was probably the best Ferry could do. Whether it's good enough for LeBron will depend on what happens this season, and how LeBron feels about the future. Even with Shaq and Zydrunas Ilgauskas coming off the books, the Cavs won't have tremendous cap flexibility to add a big money free agent for 2010-11. And even if they could, Cleveland is not an easy sell. There's no break in the weather or taxes, advantages Ferry saw in San Antonio with the Spurs; only the chance to play with LeBron.

Assuming LeBron stays, of course.

"It's easy to identify what you need to put around franchise players," said Bob Ferry. "The problem is you can't always get what you want. Free agents have the chance to play where they want. You can't control that."

Bob Ferry gathered up enough spare parts to give Hayes and Unseld the help they needed to win a title, and had the ball bounced a certain way, the Bullets could've won two or three. Or maybe none.

"Until you win a championship, you can't realize how much good fortune and good luck also needs to happen," he said. "You've got to be good and lucky."

The Cavs aren't ready to win now, as in November. There are too many new players. Shaq and "Z" are learning to coexist. West must deal with his demons. And so forth.

The good news for Cleveland? There's still plenty of time to get it right before next summer. And that's when Danny Ferry's work really begins.

Shaun Powell is a veteran NBA writer and columnist. You can e-mail him here.

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