Saddened. Shocked. Sick.
This is truly surreal for me. I knew Jerry Sloan wouldn't be the coach forever. Obviously. But I never imagined him going out like this. That is the most upsetting part about this whole thing. I hope to write a separate post as a tribute to Jerry (time permitting...), but for now I just want to get some thoughts out of my head.
Jerry was forced out. Let me explain what I DON'T mean by that. I don't mean that he was fired. I don't mean that an ultimatum was proposed.
Here's what I do mean. Jerry comes from a different era and generation of basketball. An era when, believe it or not, the coaches were in charge of the teams. I think that's how it should be. Back in his prime as a coach, he managed egos and attitudes masterfully. He dealt with the likes of Karl Malone and Greg Ostertag (among others). I'm sure that disagreements between players and coaches are a frequent occurrence. But back then, everyone knew that the coach had the final say. The coach was the boss. Sadly, in the NBA that is no longer the case. Franchises are so obsessed with catering to the every desire of their "superstar" players (who may or may not actually play like "superstars"...), that the coach's authority is basically a farce. Coaches are fired regularly. That is just the landscape of professional basketball today.
It has been well documented that Deron Williams and Coach Sloan have butted heads, particularly this season. Deron regularly takes shots at Sloan in the media, and openly criticizes the system and the plays that Sloan wants them to run. Brian T. Smith (Jazz beat writer for the Salt Lake Tribune) indicates that at least three "blowout" arguments have taken place between the two this season, the most recent of which happened in the locker room at half time last night. It apparently stemmed from a sequence in the first half when Jerry called a play from the sideline and Deron ran something completely different.
Less than a week ago, Coach Sloan signed an extension to continue coaching the Jazz for another season. After last night's disappointing loss, Sloan tendered his resignation. It is my feeling that at some point, probably gradually throughout this season, Jerry began to feel that he was no longer in charge of his team. Last night, Deron basically refused to be coached. It seems that was the straw that broke the camel's back. It obviously affected him enough to change his mind from what he had decided a week ago.
At the press conference today, the media fished for answers regarding the speculation surrounding Sloan's reason for calling it quits. They asked just about everyone if the conflicts with Deron had pushed him towards this decision. Of course everyone within the organization denied it, or side-stepped the questions. Perhaps the most telling was Jerry's own response:
Rod Zundel (KSL): "Jerry, did Deron push you out?"
Jerry Sloan: "Deron is a great player."
If the situation with Deron wasn't a major factor in his decision, a simple "no" would have sufficed.
So there you go. That's my feeling and what I've been able to piece together from media reports and such. If Jerry had decided to retire at the end of the season, I would have been sad. But the way this all went down just makes me sick. Anyone who knows anything about Jerry Sloan knows that he was not a quitter. He was a fighter. He wouldn't bail in the middle of a season just because he's tired and feels ready to be done. Especially just days after signing an extension. No. Jerry was forced out. Forced out by the fact that he feels like he can no longer be effective as the coach of this team. And why can't he be effective? Because his player(s) are no longer listening to him and doing the things he says.
And that sucks.
