In the wake of Danny Ferry’s comments about Luol Deng being made public, Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony made it clear that it could be difficult for the franchise to sign free agents as a result. Per ESPN New York:
Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony believes future NBA free agents will be hesitant to sign with the Atlanta Hawks in light of statements made by general manager Danny Ferry.
“[There] ain’t nobody [who] would want to go there,” Anthony said Saturday at the Citi Carmelo Anthony Basketball camp in Manhattan. “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.”
Ferry, paraphrasing a scouting report, described then-free agent Luol Deng as someone who “has a little African in him.”
“He’s like a guy who would have a nice store out front and sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back,” Ferry said on the call, which was recorded.
