Deron Williams likes Jerry Sloan

[carrottop12]

http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_8542553

In the midst of questions about all things Illini, though, Williams offered a strong endorsement of the three years he has spent playing for Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
"I got blessed into a great situation and a great coach,'' Williams said. "I had to earn his trust my first year and go through some hard times, but the payoff is a lot better.
"I'm having fun and I get a chance to win. Not a lot of guys that get drafted in the top five get a chance to win this early in their career."

[Duiz]

lol... funny he says that. From the same draft of his, Bogut is still not winning.

[xstockholmsyndromex]

Looks like D-Will has worked out his issues from his rookie year, and realized that what Sloan did was to help him in his career, not to hinder him in any way....so eat that Sloan haters!!

[Buckeye-NBAFan]

lol... funny he says that. From the same draft of his, Bogut is still not winning.

Marvin Williams isn't winning either, but he's in the playoffs. That's funnier.

[el loco]

http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_8542553

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I love to hate on the Jazz in good fun, and usually you guys get the last laugh, but that it is a pretty damn nice compliment from a player to his coach. Some guys in this league just catch on and some never do.

[kerplunk]

ohhhh. I love Deron

[Duiz]

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Marvin Williams isn't winning either, but he's in the playoffs. That's funnier.

It sounds like a Joe Smith, Michael Olowakandi, Darko Milicic, or Kwame Brown moment for him... although he still has a lot more to prove.

[erudite23]

Yeah, it never made sense to me the way that people tried to make a rift between the two of them.

Now we have--in no uncertain terms--a confirmation of what most reasonable people thought all along.

[jazzfan1971]

It's practically a love fest between these two lately.

No wonder as Deron is really become the heart of the team.

[Racer X]

I still think that we could of made the playoffs Deron's rookie year if Sloan would have just gotten off his high horse sooner.

[ColdBlue]

Yeah, it never made sense to me the way that people tried to make a rift between the two of them.

Now we have--in no uncertain terms--a confirmation of what most reasonable people thought all along.

What seems rather strange is that if there was no rift like you are claiming, why did Deron bring it up 2 years later?

Reason with that little obvious fact.

Look, it's pretty well known that I'm not a fan of Sloan, but if you knobbers don't think it was an issue, then you just don't understand what drives Deron.

OT: Why is there a Mormon.org ad on my screen next to the ticker? I thought this was a basketball forum.

[Racer X]

http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_8570046


Here is a nice article about Sloan and Deron's relationship. Its incredibly interesting to see the differences in Stockton and Deron.

[loserX]

What seems rather strange is that if there was no rift like you are claiming, why did Deron bring it up 2 years later?

Well, given that interviews rarely proceed with the interviewer saying "I'm just going to turn on the recorder and you can say whatever you want, I'm going to go get a sandwich," it's entirely plausible that Deron was asked about it. Obviously there's no way to know either way what prompted the response, so your calling it "obvious fact" is a little specious.

Look, it's pretty well known that I'm not a fan of Sloan, but if you knobbers don't think it was an issue, then you just don't understand what drives Deron.

Nobody said it wasn't an issue back then. (Even Sloan says so in the article.) But there's a big difference between that, and implying that there's been a rift ever since. BIG difference.

[erudite23]

I was going to reply, but after that smackdown there is no need.

[ColdBlue]

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Well, given that interviews rarely proceed with the interviewer saying "I'm just going to turn on the recorder and you can say whatever you want, I'm going to go get a sandwich," it's entirely plausible that Deron was asked about it. Obviously there's no way to know either way what prompted the response, so your calling it "obvious fact" is a little specious.

Nobody said it wasn't an issue back then. (Even Sloan says so in the article.) But there's a big difference between that, and implying that there's been a rift ever since. BIG difference.

I saw the interview. It was with Ahmad Rashad. Deron brought it up with his own volition.

Also, if you want to argue semantics between the definition of a rift vs issue and how it applies to the scenario... I'll pass.

My point is that 2 years later, it's still on Deron's mind. It sure glares out for me as an indication that there was something (issue... rift... power struggle... whatever) strong enough that two years of relateive success didn't erase it.

I guess maybe if you saw the interview yourself you would have drawn the same conclusions.

Hey and E23 - if you call that a smackdown, I cringe to hear what YOU would have said.

[loserX]

Also, if you want to argue semantics between the definition of a rift vs issue and how it applies to the scenario... I'll pass.

The semantic issue isn't "rift vs. issue", it's "was back then vs. is now". There have been numerous intimations from the anti-Sloan camp here that Deron still carries a huge grudge against Sloan for "slighting" him, that is just seething under the surface.

I admit: I did not see the interview in question. All I have to go by is the quote in the Tribune:

"I got blessed into a great situation and a great coach,'' Williams said. "I had to earn his trust my first year and go through some hard times, but the payoff is a lot better.
"I'm having fun and I get a chance to win. Not a lot of guys that get drafted in the top five get a chance to win this early in their career."

I see no bitterness or grudge or rift anywhere in that quotation. If there is more in that interview to suggest that there is, please cite it for those of us who did not get to see. There's a big difference between remembering something and still being tense about it (one can forgive without forgetting )

My point is that 2 years later, it's still on Deron's mind. It sure glares out for me as an indication that there was something (issue... rift... power struggle... whatever) strong enough that two years of relateive success didn't erase it.

See, this is the part we're disagreeing on. Where did you get this part from? "I had to go through some hard times" certainly doesn't cut it.

Is Deron going to pretend it didn't happen? Of course not, neither is Sloan. But where's this supposed "rift" you're talking about now? Again, if there's more to the interview (and maybe there is...I reiterate that I didn't see it) that suggests Deron is still seething, rather than just having learned from the experience and gotten stronger, it'd be a lot better if someone could post it.

[ColdBlue]

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See, this is the part we're disagreeing on. Where did you get this part from? "I had to go through some hard times" certainly doesn't cut it.

Is Deron going to pretend it didn't happen? Of course not, neither is Sloan. But where's this supposed "rift" you're talking about now? Again, if there's more to the interview (and maybe there is...I reiterate that I didn't see it) that suggests Deron is still seething, rather than just having learned from the experience and gotten stronger, it'd be a lot better if someone could post it.

I'm talking about E23's claim that reasonable people thought there never was a 'rift or issue or whatever' between Deron and Sloan.

All I'm saying is that if Deron is bringing it up after 2 years, then it must have been substantial before.

I have not made any claim that it still exists, nor do I think that it still exists. This is Deron's team now. No doubt about it.

BTW, the Ahmad Rashad interveiw was the same one where Ahmad was talking about a nickname for Deron instead of DWill. Ahmad came up with 'sweet'.

Better than Boler for what it's worth.

[loserX]

I'm talking about E23's claim that reasonable people thought there never was a 'rift or issue or whatever' between Deron and Sloan.

All I'm saying is that if Deron is bringing it up after 2 years, then it must have been substantial before.

I have not made any claim that it still exists, nor do I think that it still exists. This is Deron's team now. No doubt about it.

Gotcha. Sounds as if we're on the same page after all

BTW, the Ahmad Rashad interveiw was the same one where Ahmad was talking about a nickname for Deron instead of DWill. Ahmad came up with 'sweet'.

Bahahaha. He must have been up all night coming up with that beaut.

[ColdBlue]

[erudite23]

I'm talking about E23's claim that reasonable people thought there never was a 'rift or issue or whatever' between Deron and Sloan.

All I'm saying is that if Deron is bringing it up after 2 years, then it must have been substantial before.

I have not made any claim that it still exists, nor do I think that it still exists. This is Deron's team now. No doubt about it.

What I said is that I never understood why people tried to make a rift between the two of them. That is a little unclear, but I was referring to last year. Its obvious that there was a lot of head-butting going on back in Deron's rookie season, no argument there. But people all throughout last season (and into the off season, iirc) were trying to make out that Deron was harboring bad feelings toward Jerry, that Deron resented him for what happened, that Deron wasn't going to ever get over it, and some even went so far as to suggest that the Jazz would have a hard time retaining Deron because of it.

My take on the whole thing from the beginning was that Deron simply had to learn to observe certain restrictions that Jerry has on his players for the good of the team, and that once Deron accepted that, his game began to take off, and Jerry gave him all the playing time he could take.

Many tried to make out that because Deron didn't take every opportunity to express his undying devotion to his coach, then that was a means of showing his lack of loyalty to JS; that what he DIDN'T say was more important than anything else. Well, now we have unequivocal proof that all that talk was exactly that: talk.