ATLANTA -- Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry took an indefinite leave of absence Friday, making the move under fire for

ATLANTA -- Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry took an indefinite leave of absence Friday, making the move under fire for his racially charged comments about a player. Wholesale Vapormax Flyknit . Hawks CEO Steve Koonin has resisted calls for Ferry to be dismissed, but said the 47-year-old GM asked for the leave. "My hope that this time away from the Hawks organization allows him the privacy he needs to listen to the community, to learn about his mistakes, and to begin the long process of personal healing," Koonin said in a statement. Ferry issued his own statement, saying he plans to undergo sensitivity training and meet with local leaders. He gave no indication that he plans to step down. "My focus moving forward is to tirelessly work to rebuild trust with this community and with our fans," he said. Ferry made an inflammatory assessment of Luol Deng during a conference call with the Hawks ownership group in June as the team was pursuing the free agent. The GM described Deng as someone who "has a little African in him." "Hes like a guy who would have a nice store out front and sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back," Ferry said on the call, which was recorded. Deng, who was born in what is now South Sudan, signed with the Miami Heat but didnt know if Ferrys comments until this week. Deng said he was proud of his African roots, while adding he was "saddened and disappointed that this way of thinking still exists today. I am even more disturbed that it was shared so freely in a business setting." Koonin said Ferry was disciplined for his comments, but refused to disclose the punishment. Both Ferry and Koonin have said the GM was merely repeating statements made by others in scouting reports on Deng. Former NBA great Magic Johnson is among those who have recommended that Ferry step down. An internal investigation into Ferrys comments uncovered an unrelated email sent two years ago by the teams controlling owner, Bruce Levenson, who theorized that black fans were keeping suburban white fans from attending games. Levenson said he was embarrassed by what he called an ill-advised attempt to improve the teams attendance and that he intends to sale his share of the Hawks. The whole affair has been another embarrassment to the NBA, which only last month forced Donald Sterling into selling the Los Angeles Clippers after he was heard on secretly recorded conversations with his girlfriend asking that she not to bring African-Americans to his games. Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers for a record $2 billion. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who quickly issued a lifetime ban against Sterling, said he supported Levensons decision to sell the Hawks but doesnt think Ferry should lose his job. "No words can adequately describe my remorse for the hurt that I have caused many people through the statements I repeated, most importantly Luol Deng," Ferry said in his statement. "While these were not my words, I deeply regret repeating them. Almost all the background information I provided during the lengthy presentation regarding Luol was positive and my personal and professional recommendation during the call was very much in favour of adding Luol to our team, but I never should have uttered those offensive remarks and for that I apologize." Ron Klempner, acting executive director of the NBA Players Association, said the union was "pleased to learn that Ferry acknowledges his statements were offensive, has extended a personal apology to Luol Deng and the other Atlanta Hawks players, and that the Hawks organization has determined that discipline of Ferry was warranted." After listening in on the conference call, co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. sent a letter to Levenson recommending that Ferry resign or be fired. That led the team to hire a law firm to investigate the matter, which led to the discovery of Levensons email. Koonin said Ferrys comments were "deeply troubling" but added that the matter was exasperated by discord among the ownership group, presumably referring to Levenson and Gearon. "At the heart of this dispute is an unfortunate disagreement amongst owners," Koonin said. "That said, we have taken several steps to address what we can do as an organization to be better and stronger, including working with a diversity consultant to examine us and to train us to ensure something like this never happens again." Koonin said the team plans to hire a "chief diversity officer" and will consult with community leaders, though a scheduled meeting this week with civil right activists was cancelled by the team. Coach Mike Budenholzer will take over as the head of basketball operations during Ferrys absence, reporting directly to Koonin. The Hawks, who have made the playoffs seven years in a row, have largely assembled their expected roster for this season. Ferry has been credited for his efforts to overhaul the team and build a culture modeled on reigning NBA champion San Antonio, where he worked before joining the Hawks in 2012. Two of his most lauded moves were dumping the big-money contracts of Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams. Now, Ferry is fighting for his future with the team. "I realize that my words may ring hollow now and my future actions must speak for me," he said. "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. I will find a way to make a positive difference in this area." There is other important business, as well, "The process of selling the team, which is to remain in Atlanta," Koonin said, "is already underway." Cheap Vapormax 3 China . But when it was all over they had wasted another lead, seen another pitcher flame out on the mound and lost their fourth straight at home. Cheap Vapormax Flyknit China . Today, well look at five frontcourt players today, here from the Bay Area. 1. AMIR JOHNSON (Raptors): I cant figure out what the issue or problem is, but based upon what Im seeing, hes not right. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/ . The injury will keep the Finnish forward out of the Olympics. The 29-year-old has 20 goals and 41 points in 56 games this season, his first with Tampa Bay.Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - A two-goal first period and 32 saves from Scott Darling propelled the Chicago Blackhawks to an eighth consecutive win, a 3-2 triumph over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Ben Smith had one of Chicagos early goals and set up the other -- the first of Klas Dahlbecks NHL career -- while Darling outplayed reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask in the rookies sixth career start. Patrick Kane also tallied and Marcus Kruger recorded two assists for the red-hot Blackhawks, who survived a late comeback effort from the Bruins as well as an injury to Jonathan Toews. The Chicago captain did not return after sustaining an upper- body injury near the midway mark of the second period. The Bruins had their captain, Zdeno Chara, back in the lineup after missing 19 straight games with a knee injury, but still fell for the fourth time in their last five outings. Rask managed just 18 saves. Darling, recalled from the minors last week with Corey Crawford sidelined by an ailing foot, came up with 14 saves during a first period in which the Blackhawks surged ahead with a pair of high-effort goals. Final Score: Buffalo 4, Calgary 3 Buffalo, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Moulson scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner in the third period, to lead Buffalo to a 4-3 win over Calgary. Moulson scored the first and last goals of the game, and his marker that redirected off his skate with 7:29 left proved to be the decider for the Sabres, who have won two straight games. Tyler Ennis collected three assists, including one on both of Moulsons goals. Zemgus Girgensons tallied a goal and an assist and Marcus Foligno also lit the lamp for Buffalo. Jhonas Enroth earned the win with 42 saves. Despite outshooting Buffalo 45-19, Calgary was on the wrong end of the final score. Mark Giordano, David Jones and Sean Monahan all scored for the Flames, who have lost three in a row for the first time this season. Karri Ramo made 15 saves on only 19 shots in the loss. Final Score: Philadelphia 4, New Jersey 1 Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Read and Sean Couturier picked up a goal and assist each to stoke Philadelphias 4-1 victory over New Jersey on Thursday. Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek also lit the lamp for the Flyers, who kicked off their final homestand of calendar year 2014 with their second win in three outings. Claude Giroux and Mark Streit chipped in a pair of assists to back a 17-save effort by Ray Emery. Philadelphia continues its residency on Saturday afternoon by welcoming Carolina. Martin Havlat provided the sole offense for the Devils, who have lost eight of their last 10 overall. Cory Schneider surrendered three goals on 35 shots in defeat. Final Score: Columbus 3, Washington 2 (OT) Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Nick Foligno scored a power-play goal with 18.8 seconds left in overtime as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Thursday to extend their win streak to five games. The Blue Jackets went on the power play with 1:57 to play when Jason Chimera was called for interference. After Sergei Bobrovsky made two huge short-handed saves, Jack Johnson, who had drawn the penalty, dished to Foligno for a one-timer from the right circle. The puck sailed over Braden Holtbys glove, giving Foligno his second goal of the game. Bobrovsky finished with 39 saves, while Holtby stopped 20-of-23 shots. The Capitals were seeking a fourth straight win. Final Score: Los Angeles 5, Ottawa 3 Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Anze Kopitar and Trevor Lewis scored less than two minutes apart early in the third period, helping the Los Angeles Kings spoil Dave Camerons head coaching debut with a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. The two goals came almost immediately after Ottawas Mark Stone scored short-handed to tie the game at 2-2 just 1:44 into the final frame. Matt Greene, Justin Williams and Tanner Pearson also talllied to help the Kings bounce back after two straight losses. Cheap Off White Vapormax China. . Jake Muzzin posted a career- best three assists, while Jonathan Quick came up with 32 saves for Los Angeles. Cameron was elevated from assistant coach on Monday to replace Paul McLean, who was fired after the Senators dropped 13 of their last 17 games. Ottawa was able to overcome a 2-0 deficit on goals by Bobby Ryan and Stone, but gave up three in the third period to fall to 1-4-1 in its last six outings. Jared Cowen notched a goal and an assist in the loss, with Craig Anderson stopping 31-of-35 shots for Ottawa. Final Score: Tampa Bay 2, Carolina 1 Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Nikita Kucherovs marker with 30.3 seconds left in regulation sent Tampa Bay past Carolina, 2-1, on Thursday. Kucherovs second goal of the contest was a fluke deflection. He appeared to want to pass across from the left circle, but the puck instead changed direction off the skate of Hurricanes defenseman Ron Hainsey in the slot and slid over the goal line. Evgeni Nabokov turned away 29 pucks and picked up his first assist of the season for the Lightning, who had lost two in a row. Justin Faulk tallied and Cam Ward made 25 saves for the Hurricanes, who suffered their fourth straight defeat and third by one goal. Final Score: St. Louis 6, NY Islanders 3 St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Alexander Steen had two goals and one assist in his return, helping the St. Louis Blues post a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders at Scottrade Center on Thursday. Steen, who missed the previous two games with a lower-body injury, provided an immediate spark and his second tally ignited four-goal third period that carried the Blues to their third straight win. T.J. Oshie had a goal with two assists and Jake Allen made 25 saves. John Tavares and Mikhail Grabovski scored in the second period for the Islanders, who have lost three games in a row. Former Blue Jaroslav Halak allowed five goals on 32 shots. Final Score: Colorado 4, Winnipeg 3 (SO) Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene scored on Colorados first two chances in the shootout, as the Avalanche rallied for a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night. Jarome Iginla and Ryan OReilly scored late for the Avalanche after Mark Scheifele had given the Jets a 3-1 lead at 4:32 of the third period. Calvin Pickard made 30 saves, including two huge stops in overtime, before shutting out Winnipeg in the shootout, helping Colorado snap a four-game losing streak. Scheifele added two assists and Ondrej Pavelec made 23 saves for Winnipeg, which has picked up at least a point in eight straight games (5-0-3). Final Score: Nashville 5, Arizona 1 Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Fisher had a goal and an assist in Nashvilles 5-1 win over Arizona Thursday. Fisher, who missed nearly the first two months of the season due to an Achilles injury, netted his first goal of the campaign that ended a long power-play drought for the Predators. Pekka Rinne made 28 saves in Nashvilles second straight win. James Neal also tallied a goal and an assist, while Shea Weber and Filip Forsberg each had a pair of assists. Ryan Ellis, Olli Jokinen and Calle Jarnkrok all tallied goals for the Preds. Mike Smith allowed five goals on 38 shots in the Coyotes fourth straight loss. Antoine Vermette scored the lone Arizona goal. Final Score: San Jose 2, Minnesota 1 San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Joe Pavelski scored the game-winning goal early in the third period to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. Brent Burns also scored and Joe Thornton assisted on both markers for the Sharks, who have won six of their last seven games. Alex Stalock stopped 18-of-19 shots fired his way in the win. Christian Folins first NHL goal accounted for Minnesotas lone goal and Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves in defeat. ' ' '