Ferry was gracious and thankful to Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert for the chance to be a general manager. But something clearly went wrong.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The departure of General Manager Danny Ferry is another casualty of the Cavaliers being rudely booted out of the second round of the NBA playoffs.
Yes, Ferry could have signed an extension to remain with the team. His contract expires June 30. But after five years -- the best five years in franchise history -- it's obvious Ferry and team owner Dan Gilbert had a significant disagreement.
A good guess is the coaching situation.
It's no secret Ferry and former coach Mike Brown were close. Ferry believed Brown would be hard to replace.
It was difficult for him to go along with Gilbert's decision to fire Brown. Yes, the Cavs lost in six games to Boston, including their final two home games by a combined 50 points. But Ferry still is certain Brown has what it takes to be a successful NBA coach.
Gilbert stated that dumping Brown was his decision. Ferry seemed to be coming to terms with it.
The next step is hiring a new coach, and that may have led to the split. Perhaps Gilbert wanted to pick his own man, or at least have a strong say in the decision. It's possible some of the names being considered are not the type of coaches Ferry favored.
All of this is speculation.
At his news conference, Gilbert mentioned that everyone has to work together at 100 percent. He said even being in agreement on 90 percent of the approach may not be good enough.
But if the coaching question is that 10 percent dividing Ferry and Gilbert, it could be a deal breaker. It also may have indicated to Ferry that he could eventually lose influence in other areas.
Ferry didn't say this. He was gracious and thankful to Gilbert for the chance to be a general manager. But something went wrong.
Ferry has made millions in his career as a player and executive, and he has five children. He really doesn't need to compromise to keep a job. He is extremely confident in Chris Grant, his replacement.
Grant has been Ferry's assistant for all five seasons in Cleveland. Each year, Grant received more responsibility. Grant also turned down a chance to be Atlanta's general manager.
Grant has been the point man on the coaching search. LeBron James and the other players know him, so that's another plus.
James had nothing to do with Ferry's departure, but you can be sure Gilbert is confident James is willing to work for Grant. Another Cavs assistant, Lance Blanks, also will remain, and he is well-known to the players.
Nonetheless, Ferry is a known, experienced top basketball executive. Grant has to prove he can do the same.
While Ferry and Gilbert call the parting "mutual," the owner allowed it to happen.
Gilbert believes there are times when "You need to take the roast out of the oven." That's one of the sayings he uses at his company, Quicken Loans.
He obviously thought the team had peaked under Brown. Perhaps he sensed that after five years, other changes besides the coach were needed.
He thought it was time to take the roast out of the oven.
Gilbert did it in spring 2005, when he fired Paul Silas as coach, then Jim Paxson as general manager. That led to the hiring of Brown and Ferry. Gilbert made the right call, as these Cavs have been the most exciting, most successful Cleveland pro sports franchise this decade.
Fans need to appreciate that Ferry did a tremendous job putting players around James to make the Cavs a legitimate contender. In his five seasons, the Cavs reached the second round three times, the Eastern Conference finals in 2009 and the NBA Finals in 2007.
But that wasn't good enough, as having an MVP in James raises expectations to the highest level.
From the moment Ferry arrived, he was under orders to win now. The Cavs have reached the point like the Browns of the late 1980s and the Indians of the late 1990s -- a title is the final goal, the missing piece.
Can Gilbert and Grant persuade James to stay and find a championship-caliber coach? That is their challenge. It's one that will determine the future of the franchise for the next five-to-10 years.
But it seems losing Ferry doesn't make that job any easier.