Danny Ferry brouhaha could change way NBA scouts use language

The rules of discourse have changed in the NBA, and not just for owners and team executives who must be vigilant about the language they use in public and private settings.

Scouts who compile reports on college players and free agents like the one that has Atlanta Hawks General Manager Danny Ferry scrambling to keep his job also must be increasingly mindful of what they say and write.

Ferry said he was reading from a report compiled from sources around the league when he said on a conference call with Hawks owners in June that free-agent target Luol Deng “has a little African in him” and later described the player as “a two-faced liar and cheat.”

Ferry was disciplined by Hawks management but will apparently keep his job despite a call from Lakers legend Magic Johnson for him to step down.

One NBA scout who spoke with The Times on Tuesday said the language Ferry repeated during his call would probably prompt others to ensure they do not include potentially objectionable phrases in their reports on players.

“I’ve never seen comments like these within our group,” the scout said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss his team’s business practices, “but anything you write, you have to do so with the thought that this could all become public. We pride ourselves with confidentiality, but the way things are these days, you kind of have to assume that things can get out.”

The scout said reports like the one Ferry read from are culled from a variety of sources. Reports on college players include information taken from interviews with coaches, strength coaches, trainers, academic advisors and reporters. Reports on free-agent targets include information from other NBA sources.

“We pride ourselves on our culture and the type of people they are,” the scout said. “We’re trying to find guys who fit that culture and would be assets to the team and community, so we’re trying to find everything. If we’re going to be giving them million-dollar contracts and adding them to our team, we want to know them as people even more so than as basketball players.”