Catch and Shoot: Jerry Sloan

Sloan is expected to resign as Jazz coach.

Jerry Sloan was one of the few coaches in the NBA capable of making a tangible difference.  There are plenty of teams that have had more talent through the years than his Jazz teams had, but he was always in contention.  The three greatest players he ever had were Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Deron Williams.  That's not exactly Jordan, Pippen, Shaq, or Kobe.  In many ways, he came on the scene at the wrong time–Jordan years/Shaq and Kobe years.  His pinnacle was making the Finals two years in a row but losing in six games both times to Jordan's Bulls.  If he had made it the years Jordan was playing baseball/staging his comeback, he could have two rings on his fingers.

His teams always played defense, always moved the ball, and always played hard.  Kobe Bryant has said that Sloan was one of his favorite players growing up because of his toughness.  That's a huge compliment and is indicative of just how hard-nosed Sloan was.  His teams reflected that toughness.  As a player, Sloan averaged 7.5 rebounds per game at just 6'5"–that ain't easy–and as a coach, he had a fantastic .600 career winning percentage.

Salt Lake is a small market that today's player doesn't want to be in.  The Jazz never spent a lot of money, and usually weren't drafting in the lottery, so Sloan was always working with less than other coaches.  He's one of those guys that people will always say, "yeah but, he never won a ring," but that really is a lazy argument.  He was an excellent coach, and never forced his way out of teams he thought couldn't go all the way (ahem, Larry Brown).  He was a guy more interested in process than results; he loved coaching more than the spotlight.  In a different scenario he could have won multiple championships, but he was loyal in a disloyal league.  He should be commended, not judged for his lack of titles.  He did everything a coach needs to in order to win, he just never quite had the level of talent throughout his run to get to the mountain top.

--from Adam

(image from sloanhands.blogspot.com)