Danny Ferry Resigns as GM: What This Means for the Cavaliers

First Mike Brown, now Danny Ferry.

The shake-up in Cleveland continued this afternoon with the resignation of general manager and former Cavalier player Danny Ferry.

ESPN has reported that it was a "mutual" parting between Ferry and owner Dan Gilbert, but I think there is much more to this story than what is being reported.

Ferry has been instrumental in pulling off blockbuster trades during his five-year tenure with the Cavaliers, and he has turned guys like Damon Jones, Sasha Pavlovic, and Ben Wallace into Shaq, Mo Williams, Delonte West, and many more.

However, with the firing of Ferry's guy Mike Brown, it was only a matter of time before Ferry was the next person out the door.

So what exactly does all of this mean for the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Let's take a look:

More Active Owner

It was only a matter of time before the charismatic Gilbert enforced his will on the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.

He gave the combo of Ferry and Brown their chance to run the show, but two consecutive years of writing luxury tax checks without making the NBA Finals seemed to finally get to the deep-pocketed owner of the Cavaliers.

I don't expect Gilbert to get involved like Mark Cuban does, but I do expect him to have a big hand in hiring the next coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Gilbert wanting to become more active in personnel decisions is probably the biggest factor in the two parties deciding to "mutually" part.

Gilbert will now probably have a lot of control over the decision making process, because new GM Chris Grant has been better known for his control of the draft and scouting players process.

LeBron Wasn't as Happy as We Thought

During their five-year tenure together, it seemed as if LeBron was very close with Ferry and Brown.

It looks like the marriage wasn't as happy as we all thought.

LeBron James had his hand in these two decisions for the organization—if you don't believe that, then you are a fool.

The King is not a free agent yet, and it appears that the LeBron-Gilbert combo is much stronger than we thought.

Why else would Gilbert allow a GM and coach as successful as Ferry and Brown have been during their time in Cleveland leave?

It seems that LeBron and Gilbert are placing the failures of the Cavaliers over the last two seasons squarely on the shoulders of the GM and coach, and a more powerful, established coach could be on the horizon in Cleveland.

Powerful and Big Name Coach On the Way

Another thing this parting of the ways could be signalling is that the Cavaliers are enamored with coaching candidates who like more control over their team.

Brown just wanted to coach, which allowed Ferry to basically tell him the players that he was thinking about acquiring, and go out and make a trade.

The new Cleveland Cavaliers coach will have much more input and say in personnel decisions, and could even end up with final authority over all trades.

Coaches that are established enough to want that type of control could be Larry Brown, Phil Jackson, Byron Scott, Avery Johnson, and Jeff Van Gundy.

The Organization Is Still Stable

Jeff Van Gundy was quoted as saying the Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the most stable organizations at the top, which is what makes them appealing to coaching candidates.

This comment is still true when talking about the Cavaliers.

They have a strong willed owner who is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his superstar LeBron James in Cleveland.

They have a more than capable GM in Chris Grant in place who stayed with the Cavaliers over the past five seasons because he knew that he would be the GM of this organization in the future.

Grant turned down numerous GM opportunities across the league because he knew this day was coming, and in the end Grant is Gilbert's man, not Ferry.

Any coach thinking about coming to Cleveland actually just got a bonus because now they will be able to use their "experience" card on young GM Chris Grant, and get whatever they want in the front office.

LeBron's Chances of Returning Just Went Up

Many people may disagree with me when I say this, but listen up.

LeBron has been quiet—almost too quiet—this offseason.

He recently came out and said on Larry King that the Cavaliers have the edge in re-signing him.

Let me break down what this silence really means.

Show me some changes, Dan Gilbert.

As much as I hate how much control LeBron has in the Cavaliers organization, it is something that we must live with if LeBron is to stay here.

King James is a business man, businessmen want some control in their investments.

By signing his name on a contract, not only is LeBron receiving a financial investment from the Cavaliers, he is making a financial and personal investment in the organization.

If he doesn't feel the organization is going in the direction he wants, he will not make that investment.

By firing Brown and letting Ferry leave, Gilbert is showing LeBron that he realizes the organization was not on the right path, and that he will bring LeBron whatever it takes to win a championship.

Bye Bye Ferry

I would like to thank Ferry for his dedication to the Cavaliers franchise.

He, like Brown, was instrumental in turning this organization around, and taking it to the next level as a regular season team.

But it was time for Ferry and the Cavaliers to part.

Just like when the Cavaliers traded Ron Harper for Ferry as a player, they lost a championship caliber player for a regular season player.

The same could be said about Danny Ferry the GM.

He knew how to construct a team to win in the regular season, but came up short in the playoffs.

I wish Ferry nothing but the best, and thank him for his time in Cleveland.