Talk from the Hall of Fame
Ten of the best quotes from Hall of Fame induction weekend that I have not yet used, just to put a cap on the enshrinement of Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and and former point guard John Stockton:
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Asked what his family members' reaction was when they first heard the news that he had been elected to the Hall of Fame, Stockton said, "I don't know that my family had a lot of reaction. Similar to when I heard the news -- it was kind of wait-and-see what happens. We had no experience with this. ...
"I guess we're not a family of jumping up and down and cheering and hugging each other. In fact, the hugging part usually comes pretty hard around our house. But I think everybody [was] excited."
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On playing with Karl Malone for 18 seasons, Stockton said, "... He's just such phenomenal athlete. He'd catch the ball if you threw it at his shoelaces. If you tried to throw it over the backboard, he'd go get it there. First of all he'd catch it and then complete the play with three guys draped all over him. ...
"His impact on my career and my teammates' careers is really immeasurable. It's off the charts. And, as a friend, we learned so much about each other. We come from two different environments -- two different worlds -- and meshed quickly and continuously for a long, long time. So [he's] a great friend -- thrilled to have spent nearly my whole career with him."
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Sloan was asked about coaching Stockton's for 19 seasons, including the last 15 as head coach:
"... He was ready to play whenever he was called on to play," Sloan said. " He's a terrific guy. He was a terrific guy to coach. He was a once-in-a-lifetime guy to coach. I can't say enough about what he's been able to do. He's definitely one of the main reasons I'm here. I don't think he would let them fire me."
---
Asked if John Stockton was the "dirtiest" player in the league, ex-Chicago Bull megastar Michael Jordan said, "I wouldn't say that Stockton was the dirtiest player in the league. I could name a few other ones. But you can say 'dirty.' I would say he's a tough, hard-nosed type of guy who played with every inch of his body -- physically and mentally.
---
Former San Antonio star David Robinson delivered a lengthy analysis of the Spurs-Jazz rivalry that developed during the 1990s.
"Utah was, wow," Robinson said. "That was just a great, great rivalry for us. John was on our refrigerators as one of the most disliked guys. I think John and Karl had a nice little spot on our refrigerator.
"But they were such professionals. And I think the thing we disliked most about them was because they were so much like us. They were so disciplined and they played defense. It was kind of like playing your mirror image."
"We respected them tremendously. We knew they were going to execute. We knew they were professional. We knew when John Stockton and Karl Malone walked out on the floor, those guys were going to knock your block off. ...
"There was just a great deal of respect between the two teams. The battles were very intense. Year in and year out we were trading the division -- who was going to win the division? But I think it made both teams better. It made us both reach higher. It's what made our careers fun and exciting and great. You have to have competition like that."
---
Sloan was asked if the Jazz's win in Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference finals at Houston was his all-time favorite memory as Utah's head coach.
His answer was a little surprising, and it might have helped explain Stockton's decision to have former Piston star Isiah Thomas as his Hall of Fame presenter.
"We had a lot of good games when you look at the whole picture," Sloan said. "That game probably had the most attention drawn to it. But we had a lot of great games. We had a lot of great games with Detroit, I thought, over the years. They had very good teams -- tough teams -- and our guys battled and played them pretty well. We never got the chance to play them in the Finals, but ..."
---
Sloan is regarded by many as a demanding coach, but he disagrees.
"I was told I wouldn't last too long in coaching in the beginning because I expected too much out of players," he said. "... [But] I haven't had too many problems with players. Yeah, I've had a problem or two with players who don't really like to play -- don't like to work, that sort of thing. But guys who like to work and play, I hardly ever had a problem with them."
---
Pro basketball had a difficult time gaining a foothold in Chicago until Sloan joined the expansion Bulls and coach Dick Motta arrived a couple of years later.
Together, Sloan and Motta were the foundation of several teams that, like the Jazz, just missed winning a championship.
When I asked Sloan if he thought Motta helped the franchise survive in Chicago until Jordan arrived, he said, "No question he helped keep the team there. Same thing here when Karl and John came along. That pretty much solidified the team wasn't going to move because Larry [Miller] came in and bought the team and kept it here. There was quite a bit of talk we were going to Minnesota, but Larry bought the team and solidified the team in the community and did a great job."
---
Sloan took over as head coach from the Jazz on Dec. 9, 1988.
He replaced Frank Layden, who graciously calls the switch a turning point in the careers of Stockton and Malone.
"I never said this before and I don't say it in a condescending way," Layden said. "But when Jerry took over, I think it was in John's best interest. The system Jerry implemented used John and Karl in the best way possible. ... It was a thing of beauty."
---
What his Sloan's least favorite memory of his years in Utah?
"Every game you lose," he said. "Those are the things that make you stay awake at night. You wonder what happened -- why you did this, why did you do that, why did you substitute this guy, why didn't you call time-out? All those things. And it's not a pleasant thought all the time.
"I've always been that way, even when I played. Winning is one thing. You've got to go play again. But losing is something that really bothers you. It's not a thing that's easy to accept. But you go on and maybe it makes you work harder, as a player or a coach."
-- Steve Luhm
--
Asked what his family members' reaction was when they first heard the news that he had been elected to the Hall of Fame, Stockton said, "I don't know that my family had a lot of reaction. Similar to when I heard the news -- it was kind of wait-and-see what happens. We had no experience with this. ...
"I guess we're not a family of jumping up and down and cheering and hugging each other. In fact, the hugging part usually comes pretty hard around our house. But I think everybody [was] excited."
---
On playing with Karl Malone for 18 seasons, Stockton said, "... He's just such phenomenal athlete. He'd catch the ball if you threw it at his shoelaces. If you tried to throw it over the backboard, he'd go get it there. First of all he'd catch it and then complete the play with three guys draped all over him. ...
"His impact on my career and my teammates' careers is really immeasurable. It's off the charts. And, as a friend, we learned so much about each other. We come from two different environments -- two different worlds -- and meshed quickly and continuously for a long, long time. So [he's] a great friend -- thrilled to have spent nearly my whole career with him."
---
Sloan was asked about coaching Stockton's for 19 seasons, including the last 15 as head coach:
"... He was ready to play whenever he was called on to play," Sloan said. " He's a terrific guy. He was a terrific guy to coach. He was a once-in-a-lifetime guy to coach. I can't say enough about what he's been able to do. He's definitely one of the main reasons I'm here. I don't think he would let them fire me."
---
Asked if John Stockton was the "dirtiest" player in the league, ex-Chicago Bull megastar Michael Jordan said, "I wouldn't say that Stockton was the dirtiest player in the league. I could name a few other ones. But you can say 'dirty.' I would say he's a tough, hard-nosed type of guy who played with every inch of his body -- physically and mentally.
---
Former San Antonio star David Robinson delivered a lengthy analysis of the Spurs-Jazz rivalry that developed during the 1990s.
"Utah was, wow," Robinson said. "That was just a great, great rivalry for us. John was on our refrigerators as one of the most disliked guys. I think John and Karl had a nice little spot on our refrigerator.
"But they were such professionals. And I think the thing we disliked most about them was because they were so much like us. They were so disciplined and they played defense. It was kind of like playing your mirror image."
"We respected them tremendously. We knew they were going to execute. We knew they were professional. We knew when John Stockton and Karl Malone walked out on the floor, those guys were going to knock your block off. ...
"There was just a great deal of respect between the two teams. The battles were very intense. Year in and year out we were trading the division -- who was going to win the division? But I think it made both teams better. It made us both reach higher. It's what made our careers fun and exciting and great. You have to have competition like that."
---
Sloan was asked if the Jazz's win in Game 6 of the 1997 Western Conference finals at Houston was his all-time favorite memory as Utah's head coach.
His answer was a little surprising, and it might have helped explain Stockton's decision to have former Piston star Isiah Thomas as his Hall of Fame presenter.
"We had a lot of good games when you look at the whole picture," Sloan said. "That game probably had the most attention drawn to it. But we had a lot of great games. We had a lot of great games with Detroit, I thought, over the years. They had very good teams -- tough teams -- and our guys battled and played them pretty well. We never got the chance to play them in the Finals, but ..."
---
Sloan is regarded by many as a demanding coach, but he disagrees.
"I was told I wouldn't last too long in coaching in the beginning because I expected too much out of players," he said. "... [But] I haven't had too many problems with players. Yeah, I've had a problem or two with players who don't really like to play -- don't like to work, that sort of thing. But guys who like to work and play, I hardly ever had a problem with them."
---
Pro basketball had a difficult time gaining a foothold in Chicago until Sloan joined the expansion Bulls and coach Dick Motta arrived a couple of years later.
Together, Sloan and Motta were the foundation of several teams that, like the Jazz, just missed winning a championship.
When I asked Sloan if he thought Motta helped the franchise survive in Chicago until Jordan arrived, he said, "No question he helped keep the team there. Same thing here when Karl and John came along. That pretty much solidified the team wasn't going to move because Larry [Miller] came in and bought the team and kept it here. There was quite a bit of talk we were going to Minnesota, but Larry bought the team and solidified the team in the community and did a great job."
---
Sloan took over as head coach from the Jazz on Dec. 9, 1988.
He replaced Frank Layden, who graciously calls the switch a turning point in the careers of Stockton and Malone.
"I never said this before and I don't say it in a condescending way," Layden said. "But when Jerry took over, I think it was in John's best interest. The system Jerry implemented used John and Karl in the best way possible. ... It was a thing of beauty."
---
What his Sloan's least favorite memory of his years in Utah?
"Every game you lose," he said. "Those are the things that make you stay awake at night. You wonder what happened -- why you did this, why did you do that, why did you substitute this guy, why didn't you call time-out? All those things. And it's not a pleasant thought all the time.
"I've always been that way, even when I played. Winning is one thing. You've got to go play again. But losing is something that really bothers you. It's not a thing that's easy to accept. But you go on and maybe it makes you work harder, as a player or a coach."
-- Steve Luhm
9:36 AM
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