The Atlanta Hawks have found themselves in the crosshairs of public scorn and consternation over the last few days following racially insensitive episodes involving their majority owner, Bruce Levenson, and General Manager, Danny Ferry. It appears that the episode involving Ferry will ensnare the Cavaliers organization to some degree as well.

Ferry, former executive with the Cavaliers, adopted language that he said came from a scouting report in which he characterized Luol Deng, himself a former Cavalier,as having "a little African in him." Whatever this comment means, it wasn't meant in a positive manner and opened Ferry up to considerable criticism. Fairly. Ferry's protest that his comments came from an outside scout's reports were backed up Friday, and a former member of the Cavaliers front office appears to be the source of the original ethnic slur.

Per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, what appears to be a former Cavaliers employee, whose name has been redacted, describes Deng as being an African, which he explains as meaning that Deng is two-faced. It's blatantly racist and offensive. This is disturbing and disappointing. It is nice to know that the Cavaliers employee is by now off the team payroll, or at least no longer a part of the organization. Those types of characterizations have no place in the scouting process. They have no place anywhere at all.

EDITED: Perhaps the individual is still an employee of the Cavs and has been given a title change. We just don't know.

What Dan Gilbert or David Griffin's response to this will be or should be, I don't know. Which Cavaliers former employee this was, I also don't know. The report indicates that the source would be alright with bringing Deng back. That doesn't sound like something Chris Grant would have been in a position to say, but who knows? Grant and Ferry both worked together for the Cavaliers and are thought to still have a solid relationship. Other possibilities could include Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Mike Brown, but honestly, as natural as the speculation is, it might be pointless.

The next shoe will probably drop.