I was totally stunned by Jerry Sloan's sudden resignation as coach of the Jazz. I think almost everyone was. I have known Jerry personally since I came to Ch. 4 back in October of 1985, when he as an assistant coach to Frank Layden. I remembered watching him as a player with the Chicago Bulls back in the early '70's, and getting a chance to meet him was awesome. He turned out to be nothing like I imagined. He was tough and hard-nosed on the court, but in person, he was a kind and down-to-earth guy, very honest and very humble.
He was the perfect coach for the Jazz teams over the years. Sure, everyone knew the plays. But when the players executed those plays, they were hard to stop. He expected a lot from his players, demanding they give their very best. The young players had a tough time with his demands and expectations, and thought he was "old school" and that he couldn't relate to the players of today.
I think Jerry just got tired of butting heads with those kind of guys. He commanded respect, and desreved it, but if the players didn't respect him or his ways, what was the point? 5 years ago, he would have had the energy to fight those battles. Not so much any more. So he decided to get out on his terms.
Was he forced out by Deron Williams? Probably not in so many words. Did his "dustups" with D Will have something to do with it? Undoubtedly. The biggest question in my mind right now is, who is in charge? How much power does Willaims actually have? Are the inmates running the asylum? Is Ty Corbin still technically the assistant coach, with Williams being the guy calling the shots? It will be interesting to see how things play out the rest of the year and in the future. I just know the Jazz lost a couple of their best people when Sloan and Phil Johnson resigned. I miss them already.
