On the same phone call that Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry made racially insensitive comments about Luol Deng, he also addressed Carmelo Anthony.
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."