Jerry Sloan resigns

Desides · Feb 10, 2011

There’s no thread on this? Really? Okay, I’ll start it. Huge loss for the Jazz and the NBA in general.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan stepped down Thursday after 23 seasons and 1,127 wins at the helm of the Utah Jazz, saying he simply ran out of energy to coach anymore.

"I had a feeling this time was the time to move on," an emotional Sloan said during a Thursday afternoon news conference. "[That's] a long time to be in one organization. Again, I've been blessed. Today is a new day. When I get this over with, I'll feel better. My time is up and it's time to move on."

Longtime assistant Phil Johnson also resigned, surprising even Sloan during their postgame chat Wednesday night with general manager Kevin O’Connor.

"I came with him and I'll leave with him," the 69-year-old Johnson said Thursday.

The two men agreed to sleep on their decisions Wednesday night at the request of team owners and O'Connor.

Nothing changed in the morning and Sloan reported sleeping better than he has in weeks. Asked what he'll do now, he didn't know, and said he expected to be a "dizzy duck" for a while.

Jazz CEO Greg Miller said he tried to talk Sloan out of retiring.

"I want to make it clear that nobody pushed Jerry or Phil out," Miller said. "I loved and respected Jerry for as long as I can remember... I will miss him but benefit from the things he taught me for the rest of my life."

Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin was named the new coach, and team officials made it clear there is no "interim" tag next to his name.

…

Two sources close to the situation told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that Sloan reacted angrily during the home loss when guard Deron Williams called a play on the floor that was different from the one Sloan called from the sideline.

That led to an emotional dispute at halftime, sources said, which was followed by Sloan's closed-door meeting with O'Connor after the game.

Sloan, the longest-tenured coach in the four major professional sports, insisted that wasn't the final straw.

But one source stressed that the play-calling flap was just one incident among a number of flare-ups in recent weeks, indicating Sloan's relationship with Williams has been deteriorating.

O'Connor said reports that Williams had said it was either "me or Sloan" were false and unfair to Williams.

Afterward, Sloan hinted that something was in the works after delaying his postgame press conference more than 30 minutes.
Click to expand...

With Sloan now gone, the title of “best active NBA coach” comes down to a duel to the death between Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich.

PhiNomina · Feb 11, 2011

The NBA is such a player-driven league compared to other major sports. And for good reason - it is much harder to find a star player than a good coach (and has much more impact).

But compare this to McDaniels going to Denver and shipping out Cutler and Marshall.

Crazy.

Log in / Register

Forums

Jerry Sloan resigns

Desides Well-Known Member

PhiNomina White-Collar Redneck

Share This Page

Log in / Register

Useful Searches

Jerry Sloan resigns

Desides Well-Known Member

PhiNomina White-Collar Redneck

Share This Page