Danny Ferry, the Cavaliers all-time leader in games played, was named the new General Manager of the Wine and Gold on Monday afternoon. In his 15 years as a player and executive, Ferry has seen both the thorns and the throne. Fortunately for the Cavaliers, he’s bringing his experience with the latter back to Cleveland with him.

Ferry returns to the North Coast for the second time; this time with a little less hair but a lot more hardware – two Larry O’Brien trophies, to be specific. But there is one thing that marks both of his tours in Cleveland: pressure, and lots of it.

The pressure cooker is the bad news. LeBron James and roughly $25 million in cap space is the good news. So good, in fact, that Ferry couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

"We have a pretty good player on the team," Ferry quipped about James, who was in the room as he was introduced. "I’m excited to watch (LeBron) play every night. And we need to build a team around him that he has fun playing with, that he believes in, and he’s excited to come to work every day. We have a responsibility to do this for him."

When Ferry arrived with the Cavaliers in 1990, via a trade with the L.A. Clippers that sent Ron Harper and two first round picks, he was billed as the “next Larry Bird.” And if that wasn’t enough of a load to shoulder, he was given a 10-year, $34 million contract to live up to that billing.

Danny Ferry never did become the next Larry Bird. (Neither has anyone else.) Instead, Ferry gave it everything he had for a decade of diligent service, averaging nearly eight points per contest and making six playoff appearances. The former Blue Devil had his best season as a pro in 1995-96, when he averaged 13.3 ppg in 82 games. He played 723 games for the franchise, three more than Bingo Smith.

In 2000, the former Naismith winner signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs – where he met current Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown – and won an NBA championship three years later. For the past two seasons, Ferry has been director of basketball operations for the Spurs, a position that earned him his second ring in three years with the organization when San Antonio dethroned the Pistons last week.

Ferry’s hiring comes after weeks of speculation over the general manager position that had everyone from Denver’s Kiki Vandeweghe to Indy’s David Morway lined up for the post. The decision was made after several meetings with Cleveland’s new ownership; the final details being hammered out over this past weekend.

"This organization right now can’t wait to move forward. We have to move forward now," said an upbeat Dan Gilbert. "I think we’ve got two of the best – if not the best – young, aggressive, passionate, intelligent guys in the NBA and they both know how to communicate, not only with each other, but with everyone involved."

If the goal was to find a cohesive “team” – between head coach and GM – then the Cavaliers did well with Ferry and his one-time coach, Mike Brown. Both have absorbed much of the winning ways that have permeated the Spurs organization over the past eight years. It’s no secret that former coach Paul Silas and general manager Jim Paxson didn’t see eye-to-eye on many decisions. Ferry and Brown won’t agree on everything, but odds are against the two having the acrimonious relationship their predecessors had.

"I’m looking forward to the process, I’m looking forward to the challenge," said Mike Brown, who shared the stage. "And I think he’ll do good things for this team and the city."

In San Antonio, Ferry (and Brown) learned the ropes under two of the most highly-respected basketball men in the business, R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert vowed to acquire a coach and GM with championship experience and did so.

Ferry is also the son of Bob Ferry, who was the Washington Bullets for 17 years after playing for them from 1959-69. It’s fair to say that basketball is in his blood.

Ferry’s second honeymoon won’t last long. He arrived in Cleveland on Monday, June 27 and the NBA Draft will be held on Tuesday. As of this writing, the Cavaliers do not have a pick, but rumblings are that the Wine and Gold would love to make a deal that gets them in. And whether or not Ferry has to deal with the Draft on Tuesday, he will definitely have his work cut out as the free agency period begins on Thursday. It will be baptism by fire for the rookie GM.

"I want to help build a culture here," said the father of four. "A culture about character, about winning, about loving to play. Sustained success. I think it’s realistic, but it’s some that’s going to come over time."

Through no fault of his own, Danny Ferry never lived up his status as the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. And his price tag during that 10-year span made sure that he spent much of his time in Cleveland on the defensive. Yet he never complained about the scrutiny or criticism. He just worked hard and played hard.

F. Scott Fitzgerald once famously proclaimed: “There are no second acts in American life.”

On Tuesday morning, Danny Ferry hopes to start proving that theory wrong.