Jerry Sloan for COY

[Girasuck]

Great article...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AppIZpLuWmSFJVmz8mzF3E1gPaB4?slug=awards watchitsabouttimes&prov=tsn&type=lgns


Anybody else stick around after the Lakers-Celtics overtime slugfest last night? Because there was a second nationally televised game. Anyone? Mavericks and Jazz? No?

There are quite a few reasons behind the greatest running embarrassment for modern NBA journalists—the failure of us, as a group, to vote for Jerry Sloan as Coach of the Year at any point in his 20 years as Utah Jazz coach. The obvious reason behind Sloan’s snubbing is that he had John Stockton and Karl Malone for most of his coaching career, and those of us in the keyboard fraternity long said to ourselves, “Anybody could win with those two.”

That’s probably part of the problem. But Stockton and Malone have been gone for more than five years now. That excuse is gone. Now, the reason Sloan does not get more attention is probably demonstrated by the fact that there were very few of us who stuck around for the second part of the national doubleheader last night. The Jazz just do not get much attention, the consequence of being in a small market and playing late games. If more folks had watched last night, they’d have seen the Jazz, still playing without Andrei Kirilenko, C.J. Miles and Carlos Boozer, wallop the Mavericks—winners of four straight—by 28 points.

The Jazz have played 50 games. Point guard Deron Williams, the team’s best player, has missed 14 games. The second-best player, Boozer, has missed 38 games. Kirilenko, arguably third-best, has missed 12. Take a stab at guessing how many times Utah has had its full starting five—Williams, Ronnie Brewer, Miles, Boozer and Mehmet Okur—healthy at the same time?

Yep, zero. At various times this year, Sloan has been forced to start guys like Kyrylo Fesenko, Jarron Collins, Morris Almond, Ronnie Price and rookie Kosta Koufos. And yet, they’re 28-22 and hanging in the West’s playoff picture with the No. 8 seed.

That’s a credit to the coach, and just another sign that those of us who vote on these things need to undo an injustice that has been perpetrated for far too long. We love to give the award to the coach of the year’s biggest surprise team, which very often has nothing to do with coaching. We have voted for Mike Schuler, Don Chaney, Del Harris, Sam Mitchell and Avery Johnson. None stuck around very long. Several of the Coaches of the Year we’ve chosen have gotten fired within the next couple of seasons.

Enough, I say. It’s time to put a stop to 20 years of absurdity. If you want to look at giving Sloan the Coach of the year as some kind of career achievement award, that’s fine. But he deserves it for what’s happened this year. The fact that the Jazz are able to withstand such a dizzying litany of injuries and remain in the playoff hunt is a credit to Sloan, a credit to the system he runs and the demands he makes on all his players to know that system. The Jazz win, year after year, because of their coach.

A rundown of the top candidates for the NBA’s major awards:

Coach of the Year

1. Jerry Sloan, Jazz. It’s about time.

2. Stan Van Gundy, Magic. Orlando has had backcourt injuries all year, and if they can remain among the elite, Van Gundy will be a top COY candidate.

3. Mike Brown, Cavaliers. As great as LeBron James is, the way Brown imposes his defensive schemes is making the difference for Cleveland.

4. Nate McMillan, Blazers. He has done a wonderful job of nudging a very young team into playing like a veteran group.

5. Erik Spoelstra, Heat. Slow tempo, high defensive intensity and a lot of Dwyane Wade. Good formula for winning.

[BUMP]

EPIC FAIL

the Jazz are in the playoffs as an 8th seed as it stands now, by only a half game. i agree that it is a shame that he hasnt won it yet, but you cant just give it to him now because he deserved it a long time ago. Stan Van Gundy, Mike Brown and Spoleastra are all more deserving

[balli]

EPIC FAIL

but you cant just give it to him now because he deserved it a long time ago. Did you even read the article you just labeled as an epic fail? If so, you seem to have missed it's central thesis.

If you want to look at giving Sloan the Coach of the year as some kind of career achievement award, that’s fine. But he deserves it for what’s happened this year. The fact that the Jazz are able to withstand such a dizzying litany of injuries and remain in the playoff hunt is a credit to Sloan,



Stan Van Gundy, Mike Brown and Spoleastra are all more deserving
Another person who thinks COY should be just a glorified most improved team award.

[BUMP]

Did you even read the article you just labeled as an epic fail? If so, you seem to have missed it's central thesis.
no....actually i didnt miss the thesis

NEXT

[BlackSwordsMan]

pop = COY

[balli]

no....actually i didnt miss the thesis

NEXT

No. You still don't get it apparently.

[BUMP]

No. You still don't get it apparently.

dropping a few seeds from the year before and potentially missing the playoffs = COY performance?

[balli]

dropping a few seeds from the year before and potentially missing the playoffs = COY performance?
I haven't made up my mind one way or another. But, again, did you even read the article?

[BUMP]

I haven't made up my mind one way or another. But, again, did you even read the article?

Yes it was a Fail

[balli]

Have a shitty fucking day dude.

[Stump]

Given that we've seen nearly a third of the coaches get fired this season, not including those who got canned last offseason or may get canned in the following months, it would certainly be a pretty neat thing to give COY to Jerry Sloan. Of course, he still has to earn it by making the playoffs with atleast a top five seed or so.

[Ghazi]

I would argue that the reason teh Jazz can withstand those injuries may not necessarily be coaching

It's their home court advantage and depth. Considering Millsap exists, losing Boozer isn't even that big a deal. Guys a pussy.

[DeadlyDynasty]

dropping a few seeds from the year before and potentially missing the playoffs = COY performance?

The Jazz have had their starting PG miss 14 games, their PF 38, and their 6th man miss 12. I wonder where the Spurs would be had those same position players missed all that time. Jerry Sloan could win COY every season and I wouldnt argue.

Edit, just saw you're a Mavs fan. Take away Dirk, Kidd and Terry for that time and let's see what your record is

[BUMP]

The Jazz have had their starting PG miss 14 games, their PF 38, and their 6th man miss 12. I wonder where the Spurs would be had those same position players missed all that time. Jerry Sloan could win COY every season and I wouldnt argue.

Edit, just saw you're a Mavs fan. Take away Dirk, Kidd and Terry for that time and let's see what your record is

Dirk>all 3 combined, so u cant make that comparison

[DeadlyDynasty]

Dirk>all 3 combined, so u cant make that comparison

you're on crack...maybe better than kirilenko and boozer combined, but Deron Williams is amazing. And if Dirk is so much better than their 3 best (arguably) players, why was Utah #5 and Dallas #7 last year? and let's be honest...in a series with both these teams at full strength Utah would win in 6, if that

[BUMP]

you're on crack...maybe better than kirilenko and boozer combined, but Deron Williams is amazing. And if Dirk is so much better than their 3 best (arguably) players, why was Utah #5 and Dallas #7 last year? and let's be honest...in a series with both these teams at full strength Utah would win in 6, if that

seriously?

[Allanon]

I don't care if the team ends up out of the Playoffs, give Sloan his COY already.

[iggypop123]

of the 4 big teams winning alot none of the coaches are going to be sentimental favorites for the award, therefore it should go to sloan.

[BUMP]

Sloan=FAIL

end of story.

[DeadlyDynasty]

seriously?

Seriously, what's w/ the disrespect for Sloan...is he your stepdad or something? The man is a damn good coach

[sook]

simple answer:

Its a travesty he never received the award, but he can't recieve it this season especially considering how bad Utah is doing

[Ghazi]

Seriously, what's w/ the disrespect for Sloan...is he your stepdad or something? The man is a damn good coach



I think sloan is a great coach although he has never yielded a great defensive team,

But the reason the Jazz are this good despite all the injuries is because their roster is absolutely stacked and are really good at home.

I really thought they would be a lock for 2nd seed this year if they remained healthy and improved their road woes, but they haven't been healthy and are still horrible on the road.

So to answer where the Mavs would be if Dirk terry and Kidd missed series time, well below the Jazz, because the Jazz are the better team.

They go 12 deep though, they can just plug in quality players when injured.

[Rogue]

Jazz sucks

[balli]

Considering Millsap exists, losing Boozer isn't even that big a deal. Guys a pussy.

Boozer is pussy, but it is a big deal. Millsap was logging a lot of minutes coming off the bench behind Boozer and we miss the depth there. Particularly without AK. And Millsap's great and all, a better starter than Booze, but we used to have two high caliber PF's logging 52 minutes combined, now we have one playing 32. Anybody who would say that's not adversity doesn't understand this game.

[ElNono]

Boozer also provides scoring and spaces the floor playing inside.
Anyways, Utah has been good but not great so that plays against Sloan chances. It is indeed a travesty he never won the award, but it happens quite a bit in the league. It's like Duncan or Bowen never winning DPOY.

[BUMP]

If you don't agree with every word I say, I will eat your children

[wijayas]

simple answer:

Its a travesty he never received the award, but he can't recieve it this season especially considering how bad Utah is doing

When you lost your best player to injury and then get your players to play as hard and believe in themselves as Sloan does, you really have to give it to him.

I would have loved Pop to get the COY but Sloan is a worthy COY candidate. Pop and Sloan are made from the same cut.

[jack sommerset]

Sloan is a damn good coach but every year there are better coaches out there and he falls short to win COY kinda like his teams come close to a championship but there are always better teams that beat them.

[balli]

I don't think he deserves it this year. If we finish strong -and I do mean strong- maybe. We're atrocious defensively. Can't play the kind of no gimmick, fundamental D Sloan insists on. Don't have the personnel for it, Sloan insists on it anyway. IMO, Utah should just cash in their chips, run those traps, zone up more, get in the passing lanes and let fly in the open court. Why the fuck not? We'd win more regular season games before flaming out in the playoffs, buts it's not like we're winning shit anyway. Really, it's up to management.



Monson: Jazz are critically flawed

The Jazz may get healthier in February, both on the schedule and in the trainer's room. They may even win enough games to qualify for the playoffs, although nothing's a given, not anymore. And, if everything heals well and goes well, and they don't have to play the Lakers or Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, they could even advance a round or two in the postseason.

Not likely, but it could happen.

But here's the thing: Even if the Jazz are healthy, even if everything goes well, they are fundamentally flawed.

And it's remarkable that team management hasn't recognized that fact. If they have, it's even more remarkable that they haven't done anything about it.

Their flaw is defense.

They struggle to stop teams, especially good teams, the kind of teams they would face in the playoffs, should they be fortunate enough to get that far.

And that shortcoming gives them no chance to win a championship as presently constituted.

Some say that conclusion is unfair, given the Jazz's bad fortune with injuries this season. Wait until Carlos Boozer gets back, they say. Well, Boozer is a terrific scorer, a low-post presence that will give the Jazz 20-plus points and 10 boards a game, unless he goes into the kind of funk that plagued him during the playoffs a year ago. And that will help the Jazz score more efficiently and rebound better, but it will make them only marginally harder to score on, given Boozer's defensive board work helping reduce opponents' second-chance points.

On the other hand, Boozer is a defensive liability because of his limited lateral quickness, his lack of sound defensive anticipation and his inability or unwillingness to give a full effort at that end of the floor. It's an amazing thing, really, that an athlete who is quick enough and strong enough to maneuver himself into scoring position isn't quick enough and strong enough to stop others from scoring.

Boozer's return, whenever it comes, won't solve the Jazz's most pressing problem.

Andrei Kirilenko's return from ankle surgery will help, the forward being the Jazz's best defender, especially coming from the weak side. His on-the-ball abilities aren't bad, either, better than any of his teammates. His return in a few weeks would hold more promise if his presence before the injury had made a bigger difference.

The Jazz rank 20th in the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage, well behind most of the league's serious title contenders, including the Celtics, who rank first, the Cavs, second, the Magic, third, the Nuggets, fourth, and the Lakers, sixth. They rank 15th in average points allowed, which would be a bit more indicting if the Lakers didn't rank 16th. But the Lakers also outscore everybody, including the Jazz by nearly seven points a game.

Only a handful of teams foul more than the Jazz, who too often settle for that option rather than playing the defense required to make it unnecessary. And they rank only 19th in average rebounds.

It's curious that a Jerry Sloan-coached-and-constructed team would suffer this way on defense. The Jazz are much better offensively than defensively, and one look at the roster reveals a bunch of players who aren't exactly known for rugged D.

Mehmet Okur? Boozer? Kosta Koufos? Kyrylo Fesenko? Kyle Korver? C.J. Miles?

From whom are the stops going to come, particularly in the low blocks and out at the three-point arc, and against the West's best teams, such as the Lakers and Spurs?

Where are the defenders, inside and out?

Deron Williams is decent, although he sometimes struggles against quicker point guards. Kirilenko is an asset, unless he's trying to stop Kobe. Paul Millsap is better than Boozer. Ronnie Brewer makes good plays, and also gets burned. Matt Harpring has already used up a lot of himself.

The interior defense needs special attention.

But it does not get it.

For whatever reason, the Jazz have not made a move to bolster their deficiency, Instead, they have stayed pat with a talented-but-injured team, waiting, apparently, to see how it all plays out. Kevin O'Connor frequently makes reference to the difficulty in finding strong interior defenders, and, then, nothing changes. Some of the best deals are the ones you never make …

With potential opt-outs and free agency coming to multiple players, there are changes ahead. Still, it's interesting and puzzling that the Jazz haven't already pulled off some sort of trade, giving up some of their offense to boost their obvious weaknesses.

They won't win a championship, even if they are healthy, with their roster. And yet they make no move. Which is an admission to their fans that they are happy enough with what they've got, instead of desperate enough to do anything and everything they can, maybe even take a risk or two, to earn the title they've never had.
http://www.sltrib.com/columnists/ci_11617856

[TheMACHINE]

Jerry Sloan is always in talks for COY every year for the past 100 years.

[SpursIndonesia]

Coach Sloan deserves a COY title if his team can make it to the playoff. The west is still pretty brutal, and he still wins with such a depleted team, that says A LOT about his coaching greatness.