Jerry Sloan is Set to Lead the Jazz For His 22nd Season; Why Has He Been Successful?

Why has Jerry Sloan succeeded in Utah?

It has always been interesting to me to hear people call for the firing of Jerry Sloan.

Some say he is too old. Others say that he doesn’t know how to manage players’ minutes on the court. Another popular argument is he won’t play rookies. All of these arguments seem odd, and off target to me.

Yet, this vocal group of Jazz fans is waiting for the day when Sloan will retire, and a new coach will take over the team. The logic of these fans is simply any change will be good change for the Jazz.

He is a coaching legend, now a Hall of Fame coach, and it is shocking that he has never won the Coach of the Year award.

Sloan isn’t perfect, but what coach ever has been? Sloan does have a resume to backup why the Jazz keep him around.

In 21 seasons as head coach of the Jazz, he has led the Jazz to the playoffs in all but three of them. Sloan has only has a single losing season with the Jazz since taking over in 1989. He also orchestrated the rebuilding of the Jazz after Stockton and Malone left.

It is clears that his strengths greatly outweigh his weaknesses.

Here is a top five reasons Jazz fans should like the way Sloan runs the Jazz.

Jerry Sloan has an offensive system.

Watching other teams around the NBA is eye opening to see the importance of having an offensive system.

All teams technically have some form of an offense, most being a motion based offense without any set plays. Normally these offenses turn into nothing more than guys playing one-on-five. Players will just sit in the corner waiting for their turn to try and create something off the dribble -- instead of screening and moving away from the ball.

Not having a system also creates discord on any team. If you ever heard Matt Harpring describe playing with Allen Iverson, then you know the bitterness Harpring had playing on a non-system team. Players on the 76ers were told to give the AI the ball and get out of the way.

The system Sloan uses elevates players to play beyond their skill level. Why? It is built around getting open looks around the rim; dunks and lay-ups. His system will make any player look good who will move without the ball.

It amazes me how often other teams, most of which are perennial losers, will wonder how Jerry Sloan has been so successful? Sloan found a system which will win basketball games, and he has stuck to the principles of that system his entire coaching career.

Sloan Intimidates NBA Officials.

Sloan once compared the NBA to WWE wrestling. His point being the known wrestlers will get the preferred treatment. In the NBA you need to have a rep to get the calls.

Young players will struggle to get calls for years. Sloan is able to use his experience in the league to help his players get calls now.

Some members of the Jazz, mainly Deron Williams, are just starting to get some calls; however, they would be getting far fewer if not for Sloan.

Coach Sloan has always told his players to go about playing, and leave the arguing with the officials to Sloan.

The intensity which Sloan uses going after officials has rubbed some officials the wrong way. Steve Javey and Joey Crawford are good examples of this fact (Both officials are known for showing up popular players and coaches).

Overall, Jerry’s ability to terrify officials gives a decided advantage to the Jazz. Officials will think twice about making certain calls and facing the wrath of Sloan. Jerry has also been so hard on officials over the years he is able to push the line further on criticizing the officials.

If a player plays hard, then Jerry Sloan will reward that player.

It doesn’t matter how much money a player makes, or his credentials before coming to the Jazz, if they work hard they will play. He will play the best players, regardless of what is going on off the court. Sloan is about winning.

Jerry Sloan’s ability to let the best players play; helps players shine when they normally wouldn’t get a chance.

Bryon Russell, Shandon Anderson, Howard Eisley, and Paul Millsap are a few examples of players who worked hard and were given a chance. Sloan allowed these players to showcase their talents.

Sometimes, Sloan does get over zealous with making players prove themselves before earning playing time. Using Deron Williams as a backup point guard for the first half of his rookie season was perhaps a bad move.

Sloan is usually on target when he evaluates talent. If you were to name the players who succeed on other teams after failing to produce under Jerry the list is very small. Jerry wants to make players better.

Jerry isn’t trying to be BIGGER than his players.

He doesn’t care about awards, he doesn’t care about accolades, and he doesn’t look for an interview.

Sloan’s Hall of Fame induction speech looked very awkward. Jerry didn’t want to be giving the speech, and he was not trying to hide the fact that he hated every minute the attention of the audience was focused on him.

He freely gives credit to the players when they win, and takes blame in loses. He has admitted that his job is to make the players look good, and to have them succeed. Even when hitting large milestones he plays off his accomplishments.

After his 1,000th victory as a head coach, the crowd at the Energy Solutions Arena stood chanting Jerry’s name. How did Sloan react?

Sloan gave a slight wave that could have been mistaken for him swatting away a fly, and walked off the court. When asked about the accomplishment by the media, he side stepped the question calling the attention on him silly.

He knows that basketball is a player’s game. He has always placed the attention win or loss on his players.

Sloan still has a passion for the game and a competitive fire to win.

There is not a single night you have to ask if Sloan cares about winning the game. He does everything in his power to try to get every ounce of effort out of his players.

He tries to keep his players on an even keel. He doesn’t let them get to high after a win, or to low after a loss. He will go after an official for a bad call whether the Jazz are up or down by thirty points.

Jazz fans don’t have to worry about Sloan taking a Pat Riley like leave of absence during the season. Jerry Sloan’s teams come to play every night. That attitude comes from the top.

The pairing of Jerry Sloan and Utah Jazz has been very successful for both sides. The only thing both the Jazz and Sloan still want is an NBA title.

Jerry Sloan probably won’t win the Coach of the Year award again this year. The thing is he won’t care either way. The only thing Sloan wants to win this season is an NBA title.

Sloan is a link to the past glory of the NBA. The way Sloan is able to run a team is a dying art. There are few coaches left in the NBA who are able to establish a “my way or the highway” philosophy.

The vocal opposition of Jazz fans against Jerry Sloan will probably look back at the Sloan era with nostalgia if the Jazz become the typical small market NBA team. Small market teams do not win consistently in the NBA.

I have to believe the one major difference between the Jazz and the rest of league is Jerry Sloan.

Read More >>>

Mark's Thoughts: Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame Speech Gave Insight into What Made Jordan the Best

Jordan's hall of fame induction speech is getting a lot of negative reviews, and it seems that people didn't understand what they were hearing...

Just to let people know, I am not a Michael Jordan apologist. In fact, I hate Michael Jordan for what he did to the Utah Jazz in the NBA finals. He pushed off on Bryon Russell! The only vindication I have is every time Jordan's shot is replayed from the 1998 finals it proves he cheated. Yet, as much as it pains me to say it, by far Michael Jordan is the best player in the history of the NBA.

Jordan was unstoppable. Every time you watched Michael Jordan play you knew you were watching something very special. Jordan had the ability to raise his game to any occasion. If he needed to be a facilitator, then he was the perfect facilitator. If he needed to be a scorer, then you couldn't stop him from getting his points. Jordan had an understanding for the flow of the game. He knew when he needed to make big plays to change the momentum of the game. Jordan was also the best finisher the game has ever seen. The game was never over as long as Jordan was still on the court.

There is no questioning the greatness of Michael Jordan. Yet, after Jordan's speech at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, many writers are attacking the merit of his speech. Adrian Wojnarowski, of Yahoo Sports, a writer I have read a few times, wrote an article calling Jordan, "petty." Wojnarowski was amazed at how Jordan brought up taunts by Byron Russell and Jeff Van Gundy during his speech. Jordan also flew out Leroy Smith, the high school teammate who beat him out for the final spot on his high school varsity team when he was a Sophomore. "Worst of all," was the tag which Wojnarowski used to describe this move by Jordan. It was clear that Wojnarowski didn't approve of such a stunt by Jordan.

While Adrian Wojnarowski reported the facts of the speech quite well, I feel that he, and other sports writers criticizing Jordan's speech, missed a chance to see what made Jordan great.

I didn't watch Jordan's speech live, and I didn't intend to ever view it. I watched Stockton and Sloan's speeches and was very happy with the ceremony. I had only seen a few clips from Sportscenter from Jordan's speech and thought I had seen enough. My father though convinced me to watch Jordan's speech. He said, "If I were a coach of any sport, I would copy his speech and force my players to watch it. Jordan explained what made him great."

On this recommendation from my dad I decided to watch, and wasn't disappointed. What writers like Adrian Wojnarowski missed is what made Jordan great; it is his ability to motivate himself. While his stunts, stories, and jokes were petty, they were also incredibly revealing. Jordan was the most gifted player on the court whenever he was playing. For most players (like LeBron for example) this will lead to slacking off, and taking games off. The difference with Jordan is he found ways to stay hungry, and competitive.

Throughout his speech he went step by step and shared how he stay focused. His logic was undeniably flawed. What Jordan said made little sense to any sane person. Jordan is different from the rest of us, and he is definitely wired mentally in an unique way. For example, Jordan felt his roommate in college had slighted him because he was named North Carolina player of the year. Why? The award was given to his roommate without Jordan having a chance to play him. What appears to most people to be a silly statement by Jordan, is really what motivated him throughout college.

In the story shared about Bryan Russell, what many people missed is the long term memory of Michael Jordan. Bryan Russell at the time of the story was even more of a nobody than he is now. Most fans only remember Russell because he was the guy that Michael Jordan hit his final great game winning shot on. Russell was a young player, a second round draft pick, who was just trying to make it in the NBA. Jordan stopped by to say hello to John and Karl, and Russell talked to Jordan. Stop for a second, and think about how many times you have talked to some random friend of a friend? Do you remember him or what he said? Jordan remembered word for word a remark by a then scrub of a player, when he wasn't even playing basketball. A comment which Russell probably said without thinking. Yet, Jordan remembered it, and Stockton from his reaction to the story also remembered this conversation. This kind of recollection from Jordan was eerie, and boarded on psychotic.

Jordan joked during his speech, "What don't people know about me?" Strange enough he answered that question. He was great because he pushed himself more than any other player. Jordan would go further than what a normal person would find acceptable. He found ways to motivate himself, and trick himself into thinking he needed to improve his game to prove someone wrong. If that included waiting until his induction speech to fly out an old high school teammate, to prove to the teammate and old high school coach that he was right and they were wrong, then so be it. Michael Jordan will not be stopped by anyone but Michael Jordan.

Adrian Wojnarowski talked in his article about the great speeches of Robinson, Stockton, Sloan, and Stringer during the ceremony. All gave great and socially acceptable speeches. Robinson, Stockton, Sloan, and Stringer are all great, but they are no Michael Jordan. Just like his talent, Jordan gave a speech which only he could give. He also gave his secret to success to all those who were listening.

At the end of his speech he also used his secret to again give himself motivational fuel. Any other player mentioning the idea of playing in their fifties would be a clear joke. Jordan looked dead serious when he stated the idea of playing in his fifties. The laughter from the audience at the apparent joke will surely give Jordan more motivation to succeed at his future goals.

It is normal? No, definitely abnormal. Just like Jordan, not like the rest of us.

Read More >>>