2014-15 Atlanta Hawks Preview

What prompted the discovery of this e-mail was a comment by Ferry at a team meeting when, while reading a scouting report about free agent Luol Deng, he said "he's a good guy over all, but he's not perfect. He's got some African in him. And I don't say that in a bad way."

The results of this debacle are that Levenson, who voluntarily turned himself into Commissioner Adam Silver, will sell his majority shares, and Ferry is on a leave of absence.

"I will maximize my time during this leave to meet with community leaders and further educate myself and others on the extremely sensitive issues surrounding race, diversity, and inclusion," Ferry said in a statement. "I will find a way to make a positive difference in this area, and further learn from the sensitivity training that I will go through."

And Deng is playing for the Miami Heat.

This void in leadership might be a problem as the season progresses, depending on how long Ferry is gone. The team has had money to spend in the last few offseasons, but doesn't have a lot to show for it.

Atlanta has been mired in mediocrity the last few seasons. The Hawks have been good enough to make the postseason, but never good enough to advance. Same story in 2013-14 when the Hawks grabbed the eighth seed, despite finishing under .500. They gave the sinking Indiana Pacers a good run, but fell in seven games.

The Hawks didn't do much in the offseason, at least not much to garner huge headlines. They littered their bench with solid second-unit guys like Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore. The Hawks did well in the draft to get Michigan State's Adreian Payne, who could play right away if the Hawks weren't loaded up front.

There is talent in Atlanta, namely the trio of Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Al Horford.

The final name is interesting because some might have forgotten about him. Horford has torn both of his pectoral muscles in the last two-plus years. He played 11 games during the 2011-12 season and just 29 during the 2013-14 campaign. Horford is a two-time All-Star.

Millsap made his first All-Star squad last season and is consistently one of the most unappreciated talents in the game. Teague is emerging into that category as well.

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2014-15 Atlanta Hawks Preview