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| Dubbed as "The Original Bull", Sloan was a two-time All Star. a four-time All-Defensive First Team, and a two-time All-Defensive Second Team. |
This
is not the proper way for Jerry Sloan
to go.
THIS SUCKS!
I am a
huge Michael Jordan fan and while I
love it every time I see Jordan make that awesome jumper against Byron Russell, I respect Sloan. The Stockton to Malone connection is one of
the most frightening weapons you can have in your disposal. Of course, who knew
that these two would click? After Frank
Layden resigned as Utah Jazz coach
in 1988, he could have traded the
two for better players. Karl Malone
could be a great trade option for Hakeem
Olajuwon or even Charles Barkley. John Stockton isn’t as athletic as
most guys and he can’t really score as high as Isiah Thomas, Rolando
Blackman, and even Tim Hardaway
so Sloan could have just given him up for a first round draft pick.
But
you know what?
He
didn’t.
He was
a great character who knew how to win.
But
maybe “the mutiny” knows a lot more than we think we do.
Sadness
engulfed Salt Lake City as their beloved coach resigned unceremoniously
alongside long-time assistant coach Phil
Johnson. Tyrone Corbin, a former
player, was named his replacement. Speculations
grew after the Utah Jazz lost against the Chicago Bulls, 91 to 86.
During
his playing career, Sloan played almost his entire playing career as a Bull.
After playing his rookie season with the Baltimore
Bullets, he was the first player tapped for the then-expansion franchise
Bulls. This honor gave him the moniker “The
Original Bull”. A tenacious defender in the course of his playing career,
he finished his career as a two-time NBA
All-Star and a 6-time defensive team member.
After
a coaching stint with the Bulls after his retirement due to injuries, he became
the coach of Utah. He led the Jazz to two
Western Conference championships and two consecutive NBA Finals stints.
Lo and
behold, these title runs were both halted by Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson, and the rest of the dominating Bulls
of the 90’s.
Returning
to the present, it seems that after that match, heads exploded and two sides
clashed. The established coach Sloan faced his toughest challenge yet – Deron Williams. Williams is one of the
best pointguards in the NBA today because he can hit in all cylinders and he
has the athleticism that Stockton doesn’t have. Both sides have been pissed
with each other for so long now and that loss was the final blow.
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| New school takes on old school. |
It’s
kind of ironic that Carlos Boozer,
Ronnie Brewer, and Kyle Korver
were part of the Jazz roster a season ago and together they headed to Chicago
during the preseason (although for Brewer, he was originally sent to Memphis).
It was said that Deron hated the Brewer trade. Boozer, a fan favourite in Utah,
could have stayed with the team but perhaps he also rubbed heads with Sloan.
Andrei Kirilenko, a Jazz player that has played
with Stockton and Malone, has been seen as a superstar by many except by Sloan
mainly because he wants to be a power forward but Sloan wants a more generic
type of bruiser.
Maybe
it was right for the Jazz players to have a mutiny for the good of the squad.
Sloan is old and perhaps his methods didn’t suit the Deron and the other
players. Maybe Sloan was a bully? Maybe his old school style isn’t the style
that will best suit the Jazz? Maybe Corbin can do a better job since insiders
think that he is more player-friendly than Sloan.
However,
why the hell would the beloved coach opt to get out of a freshly-inked contract
in the middle of the season where his team is in the running for a Top 4
playoff spot??? Maybe Deron pushed him to the limit and the team owner sided
with his superstar guard.
Sure,
one can say that players and coaches fight with each other all the time and
perhaps Sloan also had a bad relationship with Malone and Stockton. Hell, maybe
this was the reason why Malone left Utah after Stockton retired. But you can
see in that scenario that Malone, Stockton, and Sloan respected each other. During
the 90’s, the Jazz team looked like the current San Antonio Spurs roster. They
were old... but they stayed hungry. Despite their team’s composition, they
still managed to become title contenders.
Williams
was on the brink of moving out of the Jazz but opted to stick with the team. If
you look at it, Utah can find a big-named big man to the squad to further
establish their squad. They are also a shooting guard and a slasher down and
perhaps they can use Kirilenko as trade bait.
Sloan
comes out of Utah as a leader overthrown by evil people. He is such a beloved
coach that I can see people looking at Deron with a Kobe-like villain face.
With Sloan stepping down, what can be the reaction of the Utah fans? Deron Williams
couldn’t be a happy camper right now and as the only known face by people
outside the United States, expect a lot of people to think that it was Deron
who forced Sloan to quit.
He has
had bad season records in his long tenure...
For
almost three decades, he can’t win a championship...
And
yet, he lasted that long.
All I
am saying is that I don’t buy the whole “don’t blame the players” shtick of
Sloan. HE IS A HALL OF FAMER AND HE SHOULD EXIT INSIDE THE ARENA, IN FRONT OF
HIS FAMILY, FORMER PLAYERS, FANS, AND FRIENDS, WITH HIM CRYING IN THE CENTER OF THE COURT AND TELLING
EVERYONE HE HAD A GREAT TIME...
AND LOVING THEM ALL!
Resigning
inside a cramped room filled with newsmen and their speculations is NOT a great
ending of a great career.
Up to
this day I can still remember Sloan handing out pep talks inside huddles with
the likes of John Stockton, Karl Malone,
Jeff Hornacek, Mark Eaton, Darrell Griffith, Tom Chambers, Antoine Carr, Jeff
Malone, Bryon Russell, Howard Eisley, Greg Ostertag, Shandon Anderson, Carlos
Arroyo, Raul Lopez, Kris Humphries, Jacque Vaughn, Mark Jackson, Donyell
Marshall, Mike Brown, Matt Harpring, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie
Brewer, Mehmet Okur, Derek Fisher, Danny Manning, CJ Miles, Ronnie Price,
Wesley Matthews, Kyle Korver, DeShawn Stevenson, Al Jefferson... and Deron
Williams, among others.
Sure
Jerry Sloan can say he is tired and all...
But no
basketball icon should step down with little respect.
Game
over.
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