Daniel John Willard "Danny" Ferry (born October 17, 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a retired American professional basketball player.
Ferry is the current general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also spent the majority of his playing career with the Cavaliers and was the all-time leader in games played with the team with 723 until 2 December 2009 when Žydrūnas Ilgauskas surpassed his record. [1]
Biography
Son of former NBA center Bob Ferry, Danny Ferry began his basketball career in earnest at DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland. Under Morgan Wootten, Ferry excelled at the high school level.
Ferry attended and played basketball for Duke University. Ferry played four years and graduated in 1989. In his senior season, Ferry won the Naismith, Oscar Robertson, and UPI national player of the year awards. During his college career, he went to the Final Four in 1986, 1988, and 1989, twice winning the MVP award for the East Regional. He was first team All-America in 1989 and second-team All-America in 1988. Ferry still holds Duke's all-time single game scoring record, scoring 58 points against Miami on December 10, 1988. He is among Duke's greatest players of all time, ranking 5th in career points, 5th in career rebounds, and 7th in career assists -- the only player in the top 10 in all three categories. Ferry's number 35 was retired in 1989 at the end of his senior season.[2] In 2002, Ferry was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the fifty greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
After college, the Los Angeles Clippers drafted Ferry in the first round (second overall pick) of the 1989 NBA Draft; he did not want to play with the Clippers, and Ferry soon afterwards accepted an offer to play for the Italian league's Il Messaggero (now Virtus Roma) instead. Soon after Ferry went to Italy, his rights were traded, along with Reggie Williams, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for high-scoring guard Ron Harper, two first-round draft picks and a second-round pick.[3]
The Cavaliers signed Ferry to a 10-year guaranteed contract. He had a decent career in Cleveland, but he never became the type of star the Cavs were hoping for based on his outstanding play for Duke. His best season in Cleveland came in 1995–96, where he averaged 13.3 ppg. He had only one other season in which he averaged double figures.
The San Antonio Spurs signed Ferry as a free agent on August 10, 2000. Accepting a role as an off-the-bench shooter with the Spurs, Ferry played for San Antonio through the 2002-2003 season. He then worked in the Spurs front office from 2003-2005.
On June 27, 2005 the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Danny Ferry to a 5-year contract worth close to $10 million dollars as their eighth general manager.[3] The position gave Ferry final say in all basketball operations.
Awards and honors
See also
References
External links
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UPI College Basketball Player of the Year Award winners |
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