Around the League: September

[SDC]

zach lowe tweets

(Billy) King on Ferry: “I have known him since we were 15 years old. He is like a brother to me and he is the furthest thing from a racist.”

[Mori Chu]

Masai Ujiri (who is African) wrote an article defending Ferry and urging forgiveness:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/b ... e20558085/

[Cap]

Apparently, Ferry is still using the somebody else said it first defense. (A redacted version of the report in question has been leaked, likely by Ferry or someone loyal to him.)

LazarusLong, I owe you an apology. I said your analogy was ridiculous because I took Ferry's explanation at face value and it hadn't been contradicted. With my current understanding of the situation, I think Ferry's explanation was bullshit and your analogy was quite reasonable.

If a group of us are talking and somebody call's another person's wife a c-nt and I start repeating to others outside the group that so-and-so's wife is a c-nt, it gets me off the hook that supposedly the slur didn't originate with me? Really?

[LazarusLong]

My analogy WAS a bit over the top.

Apology accepted, but really not needed. We were just having a healthy, lively discourse.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I quite often don't agree with Whitlock, but this one had me rolling.

https://twitter.com/WhitlockJason/status/510222252009590784

[Wally_West]

Ferry on indefinite leave and it looks like he was paraphrasing a scouting report.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball- ... 51704.html

[JCSunsfan]

I am sorry. This seems to be overblown to me. Is there any clear evidence that what he said he meant in a derogatory way? Was he reading something that was written out loud. If he was reading and summarizing, it would be very easy to be saying what someone else wrote rather than your own intent. This has really become a witch hunt type of society.

[wpmiller42]

The Miami Heat signed Khem Birch. Wish we could have signed him.

[virtual9mm]

I wonder if the league is taking this too far. Levenson went no further than something that is done by many businesses, segment the population and target the highest revenue-yielding group. Indeed, he even called out the racist attitudes of his target audience. I do not believe that private businesses in a non-regulated sector ought to be forced to target less profitable segments in the name of political correctness. Now, if this were a core economic sector receiving government support and/or regulation (e.g. banking) -- or a government agency (i.e. a police department using racial profiling) -- it would be a completely different story.

I don't know what to think of the Ferry situation. I would be deeply troubled by a scouting report calling someone an African in such a derogatory manner.

Not sure if my distinctions make sense.

[Mori Chu]

Overall the combination of the two incidents doesn't make the Hawks look like a very racially enlightened organization.

[Cap]

Slightly off-topic:

Arizona Republican Party vice chairman Russell Pearce resigned his positions after receiving flack for offensive comments he made on his radio show, and is using the Danny Ferry defense:

I shared comments written by someone else and failed to attribute them to the author.

[Mori Chu]

What were the comments?

Also, LOL @ your sig.

[Cap]

What were the comments?

In part:

You put me in charge of Medicaid, the first thing I’d do is get Norplant, birth-control implants, or tubal ligations…Then we’ll test recipients for drugs and alcohol, and if you want to [reproduce] or use drugs or alcohol, then get a job.

Also, LOL @ your sig.

Thanks.

[SDC]

why did he resign over that?

[pickle]

Manute Bol was such an unusual and unique NBA player. I'd love to have his son in the NBA just for the nostalgia if nothing else. The NBA does well with unique and memorable players. I miss Yao Ming and Arvydas Sabonis and guys like that.

absolutely concur!

[Zeratul]

why did he resign over that?

Because forced sterilization is a terrible idea?

[pickle]

btw, regarding the ferry situation, am i the only one who thinks that the "African" comment is a reference to nigerian scammers? not that i condone such comments, or, as many have pointed out, even understand it at all.

[SDC]

why did he resign over that?

Because forced sterilization is a terrible idea?

nobody's forcing anything, if i read this correctly.

[SDC]

btw, regarding the ferry situation, am i the only one who thinks that the "African" comment is a reference to nigerian scammers? not that i condone such comments, or, as many have pointed out, even understand it at all.

you are the only one who thinks like this. it would be just easier if ferry called it "nigerian email scammers" if that's what he really meant.

[Indy]

I think Kareen's take was solid on Levenson, who was giving an unvarnished marketing assessment.

As for Danny Ferry, he's stereotyping inthe worst way, painting residents of an entire, huge continent with simple-minded, broad brush strokes. He should know better.

I'm way late to the thread here, but this is spot on.


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