Danny Ferry resigns as Cavs General Manager

In a decision that is surprising and perhaps throws the Cavaliers into more uncertainty, Danny Ferry resigned as the team's general manager today. In an interview with the The Plain Dealer, Ferry said the decision was mutual after the sides had talks about a new contract earlier this week. Ferry's five-year deal that he signed when he came to the team in 2005 was scheduled to expire at the end of June. Ferry will be replaced by top assistant Chris Grant, who has been functioning in the role of a co-general manager for the last several years. It will now be Grant and Gilbert who hire the next coach after another of the organization's top leaders, Mike Brown, was fired last week. "I thought it was critical for there to be as much clarity as possible with the basketball operations moving forward," Ferry said. "In hiring a coach it is important for the person to know the structure and who they're partnering with so they can continue to build on the high level that is here now." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Adrian Wojnarowski: Sources tell Y! owner Dan Gilbert no longer had interest in working out contract extension, and it became apparent that they needed to part. Twitter.com

David Aldridge: Danny Ferry's resignation had nothing to do w/LeBron, before you ask. Convinced part of this was DF's reluctance to fire Mike Brown. Twitter.com

Adrian Wojnarowski: League sources told Y! Sports earlier that Ferry and Dan Gilbert wanted to run the Cavs in different ways, and couldn't go forward together. Twitter.com

Adrian Wojnarowski: Ferry never wanted to fire Mike Brown, because he never saw a better coaching candidate realistically available to Cavs, sources had said. Twitter.com

The team said assistant GM Chris Grant will take over for Ferry, who played in Cleveland for 10 years and became the club's GM in 2005. During Ferry's tenure, Cleveland made it to the NBA Finals for the first time. The team said Gilbert would address Ferry's situation in a conference call. AP

Adrian Wojnarowski: Chris Grant turned down the Altanta Hawks GM job two years ago to stay under Ferry, and now moves into his vacated job. Huge pressure here. Twitter.com

"I thought it was important that there was as much clarity as possible in the organization at this time, so things could start moving forward," Ferry told The Associated Press. "I appreciate all that Dan has done to build a world-class organization." AP

“It is difficult to articulate what the last five years has meant to me, both professionally and personally. I have had a tremendous experience as the General Manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers and have great respect for the people within the organization that I have worked with. Our ultimate goal was to win a championship but it was also critically important to establish a foundation to achieve sustained success and have the ability to contend year in and year out. That helped us achieve our first trip to the NBA Finals, qualifying for the playoffs each of the last five years and back to back 60 win seasons,” said Ferry. “At the same time, we wanted to establish a championship-caliber culture that provided a consistency of purpose and a compass for operating on and off the court. I truly appreciate Dan Gilbert' s dedication and commitment in helping us achieve many of our goals. As with many organizations, structure and dynamics evolve and it was evident to me that it was the right time to move on. I have great respect for Dan Gilbert and wish he and the entire organization nothing but success,” continued Ferry. NBA.com

Gilbert issued the following statement in a team release: "For five years, Danny Ferry was instrumental in leading the establishment of a culture, process and professionalism that has become part of the fabric of the definition of 'who' are the Cleveland Cavaliers. Danny worked extremely hard to create this strong foundation that we will continue to build upon going forward with much gratitude and appreciation. This solid foundation is evident by the natural and clear choice to choose his close associate, Chris Grant, whom Danny worked in partnership with for his entire five years leading the Cavaliers front office, to succeed Danny as the Cleveland Cavaliers new general manager." "On behalf of the entire Cleveland Cavaliers organization, I would like to thank Danny and hope that he and his family experience nothing but continued health and success in the years ahead." Cleveland Plain Dealer