A visit from an old friend
One of the small pleasures of going into the office at the Tribune is the chance to happen upon an old paper with one of Phil Miller's stories from his years as Jazz beat writer. I can't tell you how often I've walked over to talk to an editor and gotten drawn into reading a Jazz-Blazers game story from 2004 in one of the old papers piling up in the newsroom.
It happens all the time. Phil was/is a tremendous writer, somebody I admired long before I arrived here. It's been a privilege to follow him in this job. He covered the Jazz from the end of the Stockton-to-Malone era and through the start of the next generation with Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.
Phil left in April 2007 to cover the Minnesota Twins for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, a sister paper of the Tribune. You can read his stories about Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau and the Twins here. But he's kept an eye on the Jazz since leaving Utah. And I thought it'd be interesting for his old readers to hear his thoughts on the team.
Q: How much longer do you think Jerry Sloan will continue coaching?
A: I think I gave away how much insight I have into that question a couple of summers ago, the last time Sloan's intentions were seriously in doubt. I traveled to McLeansboro, Ill., to do a story on his deliberations - - the same day he flew to Utah to announce he was coming back. I missed the press conference, and felt a little sheepish. But since you asked, I'm guessing he's got at least a couple more years in him; you can still see how much the games mean to him. As low as the low moments can be, when he walks away, that adrenaline he gets from the games is gone for good, and I just think it keeps bringing him back. I imagine this is a fun team for him to coach - - he always says he enjoys watching players get better, and he's got a bunch of guys doing that now. My safest prediction about his retirement: No one will know more than a day ahead of time, and there won't be a farewell press conference.
Q: Did you think Deron Williams would become an all-NBA point guard during that rookie season?
A: I suspect I did, but it didn't exactly take Red Auerbach's eye for talent to figure it out. You could see how confident he was right from the start. I remember interviewing him in New York on draft night and thinking, wow, he's not shy. And he tore it up right from the start, or at least that's my memory. Hit a bunch of three-pointers and scored 20 on opening night, I think, and had a spectacular first month. His problems didn't come until the Christmas trip, and he went into a monthlong slump, mostly because he was unhappy over having to play the two. But as rough as it was for him for a couple of months, he came on strong at the end, and now I really think he takes a certain pride in having survived Sloan's, um, distrust of rookies. Nothing was handed to him - - how many times did he hear that? But it's true, and he has the gratification of knowing he earned his status. Now he looks like he's all business on the floor, same way that John Stockton was.
Q: You wrote about Greg Miller a couple of summers ago. What were your impressions of him? Can you see Larry Miller actually giving up decision-making power with the Jazz?
A: Well, I can tell you the big difference I picked up between Greg and his dad. If a decision becomes necessary about a subject he doesn't know much about, say, whether they should make a trade or sign a particular backup point guard, Larry's instinct would be to immerse himself in the subject, learn absolutely everything he could get his hands on, and then try to make an informed decision of his own. And I think Greg would ask himself, who is best qualified to make this decision? If it's him, he'll do it, if not, he'll trust the person he hired to make it. In other words, Greg seemed to know what he doesn't know, and isn't crazy-driven to change that. He won't be making menu decisions at his restaurants, and I doubt he will express an opinion on the draft picks, either. Being a little less emotional than his dad might be a good thing, and he definitely had absorbed some of the lessons - - he shared his dad's appreciation for continuity, for instance. My one question is whether the team will hold his interest, as opposed to some of Larry's other businesses. It's difficult for an owner to have a substantial and immediate effect on the success of a franchise, at least as opposed to selling cars or insurance or whatever. As for Larry giving up control, that's difficult to picture, isn't it? But I suspect things changed a lot over the past couple of months.
Q: The Jazz can't afford to pay everybody next summer without exceeding the luxury tax. Who do you think won't return when push comes to shove?
A: You certainly know better than me on this one. But if I had to guess, I'd say Carlos Boozer, just because his value is so high - - he's still just 26, right? Wow. If he hits the open market, I just think someone will make a serious move on him, like Philadelphia did with Elton Brand. The Jazz will be allowed to offer more money, and maybe that will be enough, but as Utahns know too well, the Jazz have a hard time winning bidding wars.
Q: How closely do you follow the team after moving on? What were your favorite memories of covering the Jazz?
A: Well, I read the new kid's stuff at The Salt Lake Tribune almost every day, particularly the blog, if that's what you mean. I followed them closely this season, of course I did, since I still know just about everyone on and around the team. I enjoyed watching all the improvement that C.J. and Ronnie Brewer made, and how confidently Deron plays. Probably watched a little more than a dozen games, rearranged my schedule as much as possible to see the playoffs (which amounted to a game or two per series, since baseball was in full swing), and I enjoyed visiting with you when the Jazz came to Minneapolis the day before the baseball season opened.
As for my favorite memories, it's funny, all the games sort of run together - - very few moments on the court stand out. But I have plenty of great memories of the people. Like Memo telling me "Merry Christmas" every morning at practice, almost without fail, after I did a story about how as a Muslim, he doesn't observe Christmas. Deron Williams and Dee Brown giving me a hard time about my shoes. Stockton giving me pointers about how to buy a basketball hoop for my house. Mark McKown's smart-ass South Carolina humor, and Brian Zettler's friendliness. Once I hitched a ride on the team bus to the airport in Boston, and on the way, my cell phone rang, a no-no under Sloan's rules. As I fumbled to turn it off, p.r. director Kim Turner yelled, "It's the writer, Coach." Heard about that for weeks. Let's see, Derek Fisher's professionalism, Keith McLeod's humility. The way Matt Harpring and Jarron Collins would soak up everything and just shake their heads. Sloan's generosity. And Andrei Kirilenko, the world's most cheerful man (or was when I covered him; what did you do to him, Ross?) I'll never forget the ovation Stockton and Malone got from Kings fans in their last game together, a playoff loss in Sacramento. And the jolt of watching Stockton trying to control his emotions a couple of days later when he told us, "I think I'm done." I'll always remember Jerry telling us, in the hallway in Boston, how worried he was about his wife Bobbi because she had the flu and couldn't get rid of it; three weeks later, we found out it was cancer. And the game a few months later that Carlos Arroyo won at the buzzer, the last game Bobbi watched in person.
Q: What do you miss about covering the NBA now that you're a baseball writer? What's the best part about being a baseball writer?
A: What do I miss? The sane, relaxing, easygoing NBA schedule. I used to complain about the weeks the Jazz would play four games, and yes, I feel silly about that now. Not until you see it (and live it) up close do you realize how many games 162 is, and what a brutal, relentless schedule that is. The best part, well, let's just say that training camp for the Jazz amounted to a week in Boise. Here, it's seven weeks on the Florida coast during the dead of winter.
Q: How much worse is a Minnesota winter than a Utah winter?
A: See previous answer. I do a lot less skiing, but Minnesota's winter seems much better than Utah's, because for me, it ends in mid-February, when training camp opens.
Many thanks to Phil for taking the time to do this Q-and-A with the Twins in the midst of a pennant race with the White Sox. I think he's the one person excited about Jerry Sloan's 20th anniversary game being in Minneapolis in December, because it'll give him the chance to attend. If you're interested in sending Phil a greeting, his e-mail is pmiller@pioneerpress.com.
--Ross Siler
It happens all the time. Phil was/is a tremendous writer, somebody I admired long before I arrived here. It's been a privilege to follow him in this job. He covered the Jazz from the end of the Stockton-to-Malone era and through the start of the next generation with Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.
Phil left in April 2007 to cover the Minnesota Twins for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, a sister paper of the Tribune. You can read his stories about Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau and the Twins here. But he's kept an eye on the Jazz since leaving Utah. And I thought it'd be interesting for his old readers to hear his thoughts on the team.
Q: How much longer do you think Jerry Sloan will continue coaching?
A: I think I gave away how much insight I have into that question a couple of summers ago, the last time Sloan's intentions were seriously in doubt. I traveled to McLeansboro, Ill., to do a story on his deliberations - - the same day he flew to Utah to announce he was coming back. I missed the press conference, and felt a little sheepish. But since you asked, I'm guessing he's got at least a couple more years in him; you can still see how much the games mean to him. As low as the low moments can be, when he walks away, that adrenaline he gets from the games is gone for good, and I just think it keeps bringing him back. I imagine this is a fun team for him to coach - - he always says he enjoys watching players get better, and he's got a bunch of guys doing that now. My safest prediction about his retirement: No one will know more than a day ahead of time, and there won't be a farewell press conference.
Q: Did you think Deron Williams would become an all-NBA point guard during that rookie season?
A: I suspect I did, but it didn't exactly take Red Auerbach's eye for talent to figure it out. You could see how confident he was right from the start. I remember interviewing him in New York on draft night and thinking, wow, he's not shy. And he tore it up right from the start, or at least that's my memory. Hit a bunch of three-pointers and scored 20 on opening night, I think, and had a spectacular first month. His problems didn't come until the Christmas trip, and he went into a monthlong slump, mostly because he was unhappy over having to play the two. But as rough as it was for him for a couple of months, he came on strong at the end, and now I really think he takes a certain pride in having survived Sloan's, um, distrust of rookies. Nothing was handed to him - - how many times did he hear that? But it's true, and he has the gratification of knowing he earned his status. Now he looks like he's all business on the floor, same way that John Stockton was.
Q: You wrote about Greg Miller a couple of summers ago. What were your impressions of him? Can you see Larry Miller actually giving up decision-making power with the Jazz?
A: Well, I can tell you the big difference I picked up between Greg and his dad. If a decision becomes necessary about a subject he doesn't know much about, say, whether they should make a trade or sign a particular backup point guard, Larry's instinct would be to immerse himself in the subject, learn absolutely everything he could get his hands on, and then try to make an informed decision of his own. And I think Greg would ask himself, who is best qualified to make this decision? If it's him, he'll do it, if not, he'll trust the person he hired to make it. In other words, Greg seemed to know what he doesn't know, and isn't crazy-driven to change that. He won't be making menu decisions at his restaurants, and I doubt he will express an opinion on the draft picks, either. Being a little less emotional than his dad might be a good thing, and he definitely had absorbed some of the lessons - - he shared his dad's appreciation for continuity, for instance. My one question is whether the team will hold his interest, as opposed to some of Larry's other businesses. It's difficult for an owner to have a substantial and immediate effect on the success of a franchise, at least as opposed to selling cars or insurance or whatever. As for Larry giving up control, that's difficult to picture, isn't it? But I suspect things changed a lot over the past couple of months.
Q: The Jazz can't afford to pay everybody next summer without exceeding the luxury tax. Who do you think won't return when push comes to shove?
A: You certainly know better than me on this one. But if I had to guess, I'd say Carlos Boozer, just because his value is so high - - he's still just 26, right? Wow. If he hits the open market, I just think someone will make a serious move on him, like Philadelphia did with Elton Brand. The Jazz will be allowed to offer more money, and maybe that will be enough, but as Utahns know too well, the Jazz have a hard time winning bidding wars.
Q: How closely do you follow the team after moving on? What were your favorite memories of covering the Jazz?
A: Well, I read the new kid's stuff at The Salt Lake Tribune almost every day, particularly the blog, if that's what you mean. I followed them closely this season, of course I did, since I still know just about everyone on and around the team. I enjoyed watching all the improvement that C.J. and Ronnie Brewer made, and how confidently Deron plays. Probably watched a little more than a dozen games, rearranged my schedule as much as possible to see the playoffs (which amounted to a game or two per series, since baseball was in full swing), and I enjoyed visiting with you when the Jazz came to Minneapolis the day before the baseball season opened.
As for my favorite memories, it's funny, all the games sort of run together - - very few moments on the court stand out. But I have plenty of great memories of the people. Like Memo telling me "Merry Christmas" every morning at practice, almost without fail, after I did a story about how as a Muslim, he doesn't observe Christmas. Deron Williams and Dee Brown giving me a hard time about my shoes. Stockton giving me pointers about how to buy a basketball hoop for my house. Mark McKown's smart-ass South Carolina humor, and Brian Zettler's friendliness. Once I hitched a ride on the team bus to the airport in Boston, and on the way, my cell phone rang, a no-no under Sloan's rules. As I fumbled to turn it off, p.r. director Kim Turner yelled, "It's the writer, Coach." Heard about that for weeks. Let's see, Derek Fisher's professionalism, Keith McLeod's humility. The way Matt Harpring and Jarron Collins would soak up everything and just shake their heads. Sloan's generosity. And Andrei Kirilenko, the world's most cheerful man (or was when I covered him; what did you do to him, Ross?) I'll never forget the ovation Stockton and Malone got from Kings fans in their last game together, a playoff loss in Sacramento. And the jolt of watching Stockton trying to control his emotions a couple of days later when he told us, "I think I'm done." I'll always remember Jerry telling us, in the hallway in Boston, how worried he was about his wife Bobbi because she had the flu and couldn't get rid of it; three weeks later, we found out it was cancer. And the game a few months later that Carlos Arroyo won at the buzzer, the last game Bobbi watched in person.
Q: What do you miss about covering the NBA now that you're a baseball writer? What's the best part about being a baseball writer?
A: What do I miss? The sane, relaxing, easygoing NBA schedule. I used to complain about the weeks the Jazz would play four games, and yes, I feel silly about that now. Not until you see it (and live it) up close do you realize how many games 162 is, and what a brutal, relentless schedule that is. The best part, well, let's just say that training camp for the Jazz amounted to a week in Boise. Here, it's seven weeks on the Florida coast during the dead of winter.
Q: How much worse is a Minnesota winter than a Utah winter?
A: See previous answer. I do a lot less skiing, but Minnesota's winter seems much better than Utah's, because for me, it ends in mid-February, when training camp opens.
Many thanks to Phil for taking the time to do this Q-and-A with the Twins in the midst of a pennant race with the White Sox. I think he's the one person excited about Jerry Sloan's 20th anniversary game being in Minneapolis in December, because it'll give him the chance to attend. If you're interested in sending Phil a greeting, his e-mail is pmiller@pioneerpress.com.
--Ross Siler
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