A Jazzy Article

[Skandery]

The king of constancy
 
Jack McCallum, SI.com

With one more victory, which could come Friday night in Minnesota, the Utah Jazz's Jerry Sloan will become only the fifth NBA coach to reach 1,000 wins. He won his first 94 games with the Chicago Bulls, the team for which he played as a tough-minded defensive stopper, but no other coach in history, with the exception of Boston's Red Auerbach, is so identified with a single franchise. So as Sloan looks to join that elite club (Lenny Wilkens, Don Nelson, Pat Riley and Larry Brown are the other members) we salute him in this week's five-pack. Here are some of the many things you gotta love about the NBA's king of constancy.

1. He embraced the challenge after Karl Malone and John Stockton left.

In 2002-03, when that remarkable duo was in its last season together in Utah, I asked Sloan, "Boy, you must want to feel like getting out, too." He was 61 at that time and already a legend.

"Hell, no," Sloan snapped. "The opposite, in fact."
 
He went on to talk about how amped up he was to take on the challenge of teaching again, of ingraining his possession offense into the heads of players who hadn't been born when Stockton and Malone began running their precision pick-and-rolls. And Sloan went about that task with the eagerness of a first-year coach. After a few seasons of being cursed by injuries, he now seems to have a team ready to once again challenge for a Western Conference title.

2. He cleaned himself up.

Sloan was born a country boy and he lived much of his life like the protagonist in a country song. He drank, he smoked, he stayed out late, and all the time a loyal woman, Bobbye, his high-school sweetheart before she became his wife, was home waiting for him. "We were married 38 years and at least 12 of them were pretty good," Bobbye told me once, laughing.

After she contracted cancer -- Bobbye first felt a stabbing pain in her breast on June 13, 1997, the day the Jazz were eliminated in Game 6 of their first NBA Finals -- Sloan wised up. He stopped drinking and staying out and their last years together were good ones, aside from her suffering, which ended with her death in June 2004. By that time, they had a practiced ritual -- before every game that she was in attendance, Sloan's eyes would find her in the stands before tip-off and they would press two fingers to their lips and hold those fingers aloft for a second or two.

Sloan never wanted his rehab story to become tabloid fodder -- he's as far from being a publicity-seeker as any man I've ever met -- but, when asked, he will credit Bobbye for making him happy, healthy and whole.

3. Stockton and Malone never lost respect for the man.

You spend as many seasons together (Stockton arrived in '84, Malone in '85 when Sloan was an assistant; he got the head job in '88) as these three spent and relationships are hard to maintain, particularly in a profession that's played out in the public eye. But the Mailman, who fought a couple of contract battles in Utah and sometimes felt overlooked, and the steady Stockton never had anything but good things to say about Sloan and, more to the point, the way he coached.

When I was writing a story about Sloan several years ago, I remember saying to Stockton: "With all your years in the league, I notice that you still look over at the bench to get a play call from Jerry. That's unbelievable."

Stockton looked puzzled. "Why wouldn't I?" he said. "Jerry's the coach."

That says a lot about Stockton, of course, but it says as much about Sloan.

4. Sloan's contract "negotiations" are conducted with all the pomp and circumstance of a barroom gin rummy game.

He appears in owner Larry Miller's office, wearing his beloved John Deere hat and maybe a flannel shirt, and Miller will throw out a figure. By longevity and/or success, Sloan should be the highest-paid coach in the league, but he never is. There's always one of those Brown or Phil Jackson deals out there, and sometimes there are a couple of them. But Sloan makes, as he puts it, "a good buck" (somewhere around $6 million), and he'll usually just say "Yep" to what Miller suggests, and another contract will be in place.

5. You never hear him obsessing about championships.

When we talk about the great ones who never won a title -- Stockton and Malone, Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, etc. -- we always leave out coaches, and that means we leave out Sloan, who is as deserving as anyone. His Jazz made two Finals, in '97 and '98, where he got Michael Jordan-ized both times, but I never heard him talk much about it. He went on as if it never happened, just coaching his team, getting ready for next year and spreading the gospel of taking care of the ball.

"Teaching players to play the right way is what Jerry Sloan is all about," Stockton told me once. "I'm not sure you could ask anything more out of a coach than that."

 

[westkoast]

Great article for a great guy and great coach.  It kind of sucks that he is finally getting alot of press now because the Jazz are doing so well instead of getting attention every single year.  Injuries to players do not make you less of a coach yet somehow, to the media, it does.  I also don't buy 'well why would the media cover them if they are not winning' um, most people who are not big time b-ball fans are not going to read articles on coaches anyways.

Speaking of which, a few days ago the USA TODAY ran a huge article about Deron and John Stockton working together in the off-season.  Did you guys get a chance to read that?  I think I still have the paper in my car I'll have to scan it or type it up.  Great article on Deron and how Stockton has a role similar to the role Kareem has with Bynum.  As you can see Deron is benefitting from it quite a bit.

[Joe Vancil]

Coach of the Year this year?

Of the other four guys to get to 1000 wins, all have won the Coach Of The Year.

Of the top 10 coaches in victories, only Sloan, Jack Ramsey, and Dick Motta have never won Coach Of The Year.

Of the coaches ahead of him in LOSSES, only Motta, Ramsey, and Kevin Loughery have never won Coach Of The Year. 

21 seasons, and his teams have been under .500 three times - Chicago 1980, Chicago 1982, and Utah 2005.

[Lurker]

Coach of the Year this year?

It would be well deserved based on Utah's fast start.  If the Jazz can keep a top 4 ranking in the west then he would get my vote.

However...almost everyone is overlooking the fact that Utah's schedule (like the Lakers) is heavily front loaded in home games.  The Jazz are 10-1 at home but only 5-3 on the road.  Being only 20 games into the season it seem searly to be handing out awards.

[Joe Vancil]

Well, consider these numbers:

Jerry Sloan's career winning percentage, not counting this season:  .599

There are 8 former winners of Coach Of The Year coaching in the league right now, and they've won 12 COY awards.  Their current COMBINED record this season is 77-68, or .531.

In fact, take each of them in their WINNING SEASON.  Their record is 669-283, for a .702 clip.  Sloan is currently on his way to besting that mark for his fifth time.

In fact - check this out: 

All of the winners for their careers, combined (including this year):  4527 - 2980  .603
Sloan:  999 - 662 .601   

That's awful darn close.

In fact, taking out Riley and Jackson - the only two to win rings - Sloan has been to as many finals as the rest combined - Dunleavy went in 1991 and Avery Johnson went last year.  And Sloan's record is better in the Finals.

And this guy hasn't won a COY award.

[Lurker]

In fact, taking out Riley and Jackson - the only two to win rings - Sloan has been to as many finals as the rest combined - Dunleavy went in 1991 and Avery Johnson went last year.  And Sloan's record is better in the Finals.

Joe...I would suggest you double check the COY winner for the 2002-03 season.  I believe he has been to more finals than Sloan and also has a few rings. 


EDIT:  I also believe Carlisle won COY with Detroit and has been to the finals with Indy.

[Joe Vancil]

I *THOUGHT* Popovich won a COY award.  The site I was using for my numbers - basketball-reference.com - doesn't have his COY award listed.  His numbers aren't included in the ones I posted.

The list of coaches I had was Riley, Jackson, Rivers, Dunleavy, Carlisle, Avery Johnson, Don Nelson, and D'Antoni.

As for Carlisle, he's never coached a team to the Finals.  He was Bird's assistant in 2000.

[Lurker]

I *THOUGHT* Popovich won a COY award.  The site I was using for my numbers - basketball-reference.com - doesn't have his COY award listed.  His numbers aren't included in the ones I posted.

The list of coaches I had was Riley, Jackson, Rivers, Dunleavy, Carlisle, Avery Johnson, Don Nelson, and D'Antoni.

As for Carlisle, he's never coached a team to the Finals.  He was Bird's assistant in 2000.

I was "guessing" on Carlisle's coaching in the finals...I couldn't remeber for sure. 

From http://www.nba.com/history/awards_coachofyear.html

NBA postseason awards
Coach of the Year
 
Red Auerbach Trophy
2005-06 - Avery Johnson, Dallas
2004-05 - Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix
2003-04 - Hubie Brown, Memphis
2002-03 - Gregg Popovich, San Antonio
2001-02 - Rick Carlisle, Detroit
2000-01 - Larry Brown, Philadelphia
1999-00 - Doc Rivers, Orlando
1998-99 - Mike Dunleavy, Portland
1997-98 - Larry Bird, Indiana
1996-97 - Pat Riley, Miami
1995-96 - Phil Jackson, Chicago
1994-95 - Del Harris, Los Angeles Lakers
1993-94 - Lenny Wilkens, Atlanta
1992-93 - Pat Riley, New York
1991-92 - Don Nelson, Golden State
1990-91 - Don Chaney, Houston
1989-90 - Pat Riley, Los Angeles Lakers
1988-89 - Cotton Fitzsimmons, Phoenix
1987-88 - Doug Moe, Denver
1986-87 - Mike Schuler, Portland
1985-86 - Mike Fratello, Atlanta
1984-85 - Don Nelson, Milwaukee
1983-84 - Frank Layden, Utah
1982-83 - Don Nelson, Milwaukee
1981-82 - Gene Shue, Washington
1980-81 - Jack McKinney, Indiana
1979-80 - Bill Fitch, Boston
1978-79 - Cotton Fitzsimmons, Kansas City
1977-78 - Hubie Brown, Atlanta
1976-77 - Tom Nissalke, Houston
1975-76 - Bill Fitch, Cleveland
1974-75 - Phil Johnson, Kansas City-Omaha
1973-74 - Ray Scott, Detroit
1972-73 - Tom Heinsohn, Boston
1971-72 - Bill Sharman, Los Angeles
1970-71 - Dick Motta, Chicago
1969-70 - Red Holzman, New York
1968-69 - Gene Shue, Baltimore
1967-68 - Richie Guerin, St. Louis
1966-67 - Johnny Kerr, Chicago
1965-66 - Dolph Schayes, Philadelphia
1964-65 - Red Auerbach, Boston
1963-64 - Alex Hannum, San Francisco
1962-63 - Harry Gallatin, St. Louis
 

[Lurker]

Looking down the list...Fratello also has won COY.  That makes 10 active coaches with COY awards.

[Joe Vancil]

And Motta's on there, too!

Wow.  www.basketball-reference.com sure screwed the pooch for its coaching pages.

[Randy]

We've mentioned this travesty in the past -- year after year, Sloan has been glanced over by "flashier" coaches in this league.  Bottom line is that he is one of the best coaches in this league. 

There are some great coaches in the league today:
  PJ, Avery Johnson, Carlisle, Riley, Popovic, D'Antoni, Nelson

But how would you rank them?  Most knock Pop for having players like TD and DRob and knocked PJ for having MJ and then Shaq/Kobe.  Carlisle has always had a great deal of talent as well (Detroit and now Indy).  Riles has been there with several different teams.  D'Antoni has the Suns playing great ball and his style of play has influenced the league.  Nelson brought the Mavs out of the pits and appears to be helpnig lift Golden State as well.

But Sloan is a top 3 coach, IMO.  He has done more with much less than most of the coaches in this league.  Name a coach who has done more with less that is still coaching in the NBA today?  Look at his track record. 

I know that there have been some deserving coaches in the past -- what will be the tragedy in all this is that Sloan will go down as one of the best coaches ever to coach in the NBA and will have never won a COY of the year award in the process! 

Anyone here think that Doc Rivers is going to make it to the Hall of Fame as a coach?

At some point, the league needs to stop and recognize Sloans impact into the NBA.