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I personally think he should have won it in 2004...but I digress.

I think its become pretty apparent that the rest of the basketball universe does not value Sloan the way the Utah Jazz organization and its fans did. There were reports that he wasnt all that interested in the Bobcats or Magic jobs, because he was waiting for the big fish Lakers job when it opened up.

Well, it opened up and he wasnt on the list. Lakers went to Phil and DAntoni. I think the general view of Sloan around the league is that the game has passed him by and his big weakness was always an inability to adjust.

He never won COY because he never did more than was expected of him, having 2 HOF players for 18 years. Sloan was simply damned lucky to have fallen in favor with a loyal-to-a-fault franchise......

If I am wrong, why hasnt anyone knocked down his door to hire him? I know he wants to be involved in basketball.......

thoughts?

I think the reason he hasn't been hired is because Sloan demands a level of control over the franchise and management backing that no teams are willing to give him. I think Sloan won't coach again unless a team steps up and gives him the same level of control he had in Utah for years.

That Laker talk was absolute rubbish! Take a second to think about it, why the hell would Sloan want to coach in L.A.? He apparently didn't care for D-Will's ego, so he's going to coach Kobe, Metta and Dwight?! Come on, what a joke of an article.

And you can't say Sloan "never did more than was expected of him". Go back and refresh yourself on his 2003-04 roster and win/loss record. That was possibly one of the greatest coaching jobs EVER. Your argument might hold merit if not for that season. It was a travesty that he didn't win COY when he achieved a winning record with a team that was supposed to be the "worst team ever", according to experts.

I don't think he's a guy who could step into a situation like the one in LA (high expectations, big egos) and thrive. I could see him taking an interim job after someone gets fired just to see if he really wants to coach still.

I'll go one step further: it's very possible he ends up coaching the Pistons before the season is done.

It also hurts Sloan that he doesn't have an agent to make calls for him and keep his name out there. I would've loved to see him in LA and think he would have done a good job, which I would also hate.

It's really hard for me to think of someone as one of the "greatest coaches" if they have coached for over 20 seasons and never won a championship. Always thought Sloan was a consistently good coach but nothing special.

PersianCeltic wrote:It's really hard for me to think of someone as one of the "greatest coaches" if they have coached for over 20 seasons and never won a championship. Always thought Sloan was a consistently good coach but nothing special.

This kind of thinking is so terrible...

Sloan would've won more rings than anyone in history if he had the teams Phil Jackson had.

Sloan is the most underrated coach in NBA history. The things he did with what he had is just incredible. Never been given the kind of respect he deserves.

UTJazzFan_Echo1 wrote:

PersianCeltic wrote:It's really hard for me to think of someone as one of the "greatest coaches" if they have coached for over 20 seasons and never won a championship. Always thought Sloan was a consistently good coach but nothing special.

This kind of thinking is so terrible...

Sloan would've won more rings than anyone in history if he had the teams Phil Jackson had.

Sloan is the most underrated coach in NBA history. The things he did with what he had is just incredible. Never been given the kind of respect he deserves.

Were Sloan's teams really that bad? He did have one of the best point guards and power forwards of all time for their careers while they were in there prime. I understand your point about Phil Jackson. Jackson is the most overrated coach in the history of basketball.

QuantumMacgyver wrote:That Laker talk was absolute rubbish! Take a second to think about it, why the hell would Sloan want to coach in L.A.? He apparently didn't care for D-Will's ego, so he's going to coach Kobe, Metta and Dwight?! Come on, what a joke of an article.

And you can't say Sloan "never did more than was expected of him". Go back and refresh yourself on his 2003-04 roster and win/loss record. That was possibly one of the greatest coaching jobs EVER. Your argument might hold merit if not for that season. It was a travesty that he didn't win COY when he achieved a winning record with a team that was supposed to be the "worst team ever", according to experts.

1. Read my post again. I said I thought he deserved it in 2004.

2. Dealing with egos is a part of the job. This is the NBA. Popp coached a team with Steven Jackson to a title. Phil with MJ, Kobe, Shaq, and the rest. So for you to argue that Sloan doesnt want to coach egos is an argument against him having the ability that great coaches must possess....

In many ways the game has passed him by, which really isn't his fault. He's just old.

He was a great coach, but I'd put him a step below guys like Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich. I firmly believe if any one of those guys (in his prime) had been at the helm of the Jazz during their prime there would be at least two championship banners hanging in the rafters of ESA.

But he totally deserved COY in 2004. One of the great NBA award injustices of the past decade (along with Rose over LeBron).

What exactly did Sloan do that is extraordinary? Not calling a timeout? Not changing a rotation? Not altering a game plan?

Sloan was a coach that was so predictable that other coaches used his lack of flexibility against him. His greatest strength was his greatest weakness.

ColdBlue wrote:What exactly did Sloan do that is extraordinary? Not calling a timeout? Not changing a rotation? Not altering a game plan?

Sloan was a coach that was so predictable that other coaches used his lack of flexibility against him. His greatest strength was his greatest weakness.

100% agree

Sloan is a VERY good basketball coach, but has always lacked the flexibility and innovation to win a championship. LA Lakers demand championships every year so Sloan made no sense there. I don't think D'Antoni will get it done either tho.

It's kind of sad for me to see what some Jazz fans say about him. I really respect him as a great coach and as a loyal Jazz coach.

He had strong believes, but he made a small market team one of the greats in the league for years and years. Even after Karl and John. That's really hard to do. He never won it all? Maybe not. But still, I'd expect a little more respect at least inside the Jazz comunity.