Jazz 110, Heat 101, Sloan extension
The biggest story Monday night wasn't so much the Jazz's victory over Miami as it was Jerry Sloan agreeing to a one-year contract extension. In one way, it signals the beginning of the end, as Sloan looks like he's through with the two-year extensions of the past.
In another way, it shows Sloan is reluctant to give up coaching and especially coaching a team on the rise like the Jazz. We'll learn a lot this year and next about how close the Jazz are to contending for a championship after last season's conference finals run.
To do justice to Deron Williams' comments about Sloan's extension, I have to use all caps. Williams didn't know about the new deal until he was asked postgame, but it took three questions for him to find his voice on the subject.
"MAN, COACH SLOAN AIN'T GOING NOWHERE, MAN," Williams said. "WE'VE KNOW THAT BEFORE THE EXTENSION. IT'S NOT NO SURPRISE. I DON'T SEE HIM GOING ANYWHERE ANYTIME SOON."
Williams was reminded that Sloan always could walk away and in fact has reserved the right to do so. He also was reminded that Sloan is 65, retirement age for most.
"He just got remarried, man. He's happy," Williams said. "He's feeling younger now. He probably don't feel 65. He probably feels 55."
In Williams' case, he's in his third season of playing for Sloan. Carlos Boozer is in his fourth. Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap are in their second. The question was asked if the players and their coach have started to bond.
"I think it's a level of stability," Williams said. "We got the system down pretty good. I think we got a special team here - - special team, wet got a special coaching staff - - and hopefully we can put that all together and win a championship not before too long."
Boozer, meanwhile, was asked if the Jazz players were prepared to live with things going year to year with Sloan for the foreseeable future.
"Jerry's earned that right to have that position," Boozer said. "As long as he wants to continue to coach, we'd love to have him. He's been very successful and he continues to be successful and his methods and the way he approaches the game continues to work. He's earned that right."
In his comments over the summer, Andrei Kirilenko repeatedly acknowledged that things weren't going to change because Sloan wasn't going anywhere. Now Kirilenko's facing at least two more seasons of playing for Sloan thanks to the extension.
Kirilenko, though, said all the right things Monday: "It's not my job to be OK with it. Jerry's a great coach and it's always great for the franchise to keep such a legendary coach."
* * *
The Jazz definitely wanted to talk about Sloan's extension signaling his desire to return rather than talk about any retirement plans. I asked Kevin O'Connor if there was any possibility of a rocking chair tour of the NBA next year and he answered: "Absolutely not."
O'Connor probably put it best in talking about this deal. "We could make it anything we want and he could, too," O'Connor said. There aren't specific option trigger dates but it's pretty easy for both sides to agree on additional seasons.
The Jazz and Sloan will have to talk extension again this summer, just so they avoid any appearance of having a lame duck coach. That's going to be the contract to watch and it's probably dependent in large degree to the progress the Jazz make this season.
Even after the extension was announced, Sloan once again reserved the right Monday to wake up one morning and change his mind about continuing to coach. That's exactly the situation the Jazz are hoping to avoid in this whole thing.
In reality, Sloan has a date by which he was to commit to returning for the next season. I believe it's sometime after the end of the playoffs and before the Jazz sit down for organizational meetings. There's some interesting dynamics at work.
* * *
After Monday's victory, Sloan now has 1,048 for his career and 954 with the Jazz. That leaves him 46 shy of becoming the first coach ever to win 1,000 with a single team in NBA history. If the Jazz go 59-23, Sloan will reach the milestone this season.
Another small note: If the Jazz can beat Sacramento on Tuesday and San Antonio on Friday, they'll have matched last season's record after 20 games (15-5). That's of course without the benefit of a 12-1 start. The Jazz will get there this season, the question is just how soon.
* * *
The Jazz will play Sacramento on Tuesday night at Arco Arena and can put one of Sloan's theories to the test. At the pregame shootaround Monday, Sloan talked about how playing the second game of a back-to-back can be a good thing.
"I've always felt like guys shoot the basketball a lot better on the second night than they do the first night," Sloan said, adding, "They're not as tight, they shoot the ball a little bit more relaxed. I always fear the second nights . . . more than I do the first night."
--Ross Siler
In another way, it shows Sloan is reluctant to give up coaching and especially coaching a team on the rise like the Jazz. We'll learn a lot this year and next about how close the Jazz are to contending for a championship after last season's conference finals run.
To do justice to Deron Williams' comments about Sloan's extension, I have to use all caps. Williams didn't know about the new deal until he was asked postgame, but it took three questions for him to find his voice on the subject.
"MAN, COACH SLOAN AIN'T GOING NOWHERE, MAN," Williams said. "WE'VE KNOW THAT BEFORE THE EXTENSION. IT'S NOT NO SURPRISE. I DON'T SEE HIM GOING ANYWHERE ANYTIME SOON."
Williams was reminded that Sloan always could walk away and in fact has reserved the right to do so. He also was reminded that Sloan is 65, retirement age for most.
"He just got remarried, man. He's happy," Williams said. "He's feeling younger now. He probably don't feel 65. He probably feels 55."
In Williams' case, he's in his third season of playing for Sloan. Carlos Boozer is in his fourth. Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap are in their second. The question was asked if the players and their coach have started to bond.
"I think it's a level of stability," Williams said. "We got the system down pretty good. I think we got a special team here - - special team, wet got a special coaching staff - - and hopefully we can put that all together and win a championship not before too long."
Boozer, meanwhile, was asked if the Jazz players were prepared to live with things going year to year with Sloan for the foreseeable future.
"Jerry's earned that right to have that position," Boozer said. "As long as he wants to continue to coach, we'd love to have him. He's been very successful and he continues to be successful and his methods and the way he approaches the game continues to work. He's earned that right."
In his comments over the summer, Andrei Kirilenko repeatedly acknowledged that things weren't going to change because Sloan wasn't going anywhere. Now Kirilenko's facing at least two more seasons of playing for Sloan thanks to the extension.
Kirilenko, though, said all the right things Monday: "It's not my job to be OK with it. Jerry's a great coach and it's always great for the franchise to keep such a legendary coach."
* * *
The Jazz definitely wanted to talk about Sloan's extension signaling his desire to return rather than talk about any retirement plans. I asked Kevin O'Connor if there was any possibility of a rocking chair tour of the NBA next year and he answered: "Absolutely not."
O'Connor probably put it best in talking about this deal. "We could make it anything we want and he could, too," O'Connor said. There aren't specific option trigger dates but it's pretty easy for both sides to agree on additional seasons.
The Jazz and Sloan will have to talk extension again this summer, just so they avoid any appearance of having a lame duck coach. That's going to be the contract to watch and it's probably dependent in large degree to the progress the Jazz make this season.
Even after the extension was announced, Sloan once again reserved the right Monday to wake up one morning and change his mind about continuing to coach. That's exactly the situation the Jazz are hoping to avoid in this whole thing.
In reality, Sloan has a date by which he was to commit to returning for the next season. I believe it's sometime after the end of the playoffs and before the Jazz sit down for organizational meetings. There's some interesting dynamics at work.
* * *
After Monday's victory, Sloan now has 1,048 for his career and 954 with the Jazz. That leaves him 46 shy of becoming the first coach ever to win 1,000 with a single team in NBA history. If the Jazz go 59-23, Sloan will reach the milestone this season.
Another small note: If the Jazz can beat Sacramento on Tuesday and San Antonio on Friday, they'll have matched last season's record after 20 games (15-5). That's of course without the benefit of a 12-1 start. The Jazz will get there this season, the question is just how soon.
* * *
The Jazz will play Sacramento on Tuesday night at Arco Arena and can put one of Sloan's theories to the test. At the pregame shootaround Monday, Sloan talked about how playing the second game of a back-to-back can be a good thing.
"I've always felt like guys shoot the basketball a lot better on the second night than they do the first night," Sloan said, adding, "They're not as tight, they shoot the ball a little bit more relaxed. I always fear the second nights . . . more than I do the first night."
--Ross Siler
12:47 AM
| 
2 Comments:
Jerry is not going anywhere anytime soon. Watch him on the sideline. He's as intense as ever, but there is a look in his eye. He's having fun; probably enjoying coaching more than he ever has. This is a special team tailor-made for him. As long as the core of this team is together and succeeding, Jerry will coach them. Besides, 65 is not that old. Look at what Hubie Brown did in Memphis a couple years back. Wasn't he around during the last ice age?
Siler, I hope you weren't one of the idiots that kept asking Deron questions about Sloan.
Deron's comments were in response to the idiot "reporters" that kept asking the same question over and over about Sloan. This is a non-story to anyone that has any familiarity to the Jazz organization.
Sloan is here as long as he wants to be. Get it through your head.
Post a Comment
<< Home