I don't really care for the whole "Hey, I'm a gay athlete and have a book!" thing, but this article sheds some interesting light on how things are in the NBA: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=espnmag/amaechi
Jerry Sloan an a-hole, according to Amaechi Who'd a thunk it? Here's an excerpt from his book: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=espnmag/amaechi&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1 I was no Karl Malone. Coach Jerry Sloan had signed me in the summer of 2001 because I was a 30-year-old big man with some nifty low-post moves and a smooth jumper and could score pretty consistently from 15 feet in. I lacked Karl's dominating presence (who doesn't?), but I was capable and eager. When I brought up the ways the system didn't work for me, Jerry looked like he wanted to shoot holes right through my heart. During one home game, I got slapped with a three-second violation. "Stupid f---ing c--t!" he screamed at me. The notion that he could motivate by name-calling showed how out of touch he was. Perhaps that tactic works with scared schoolkids. We were grown men. "F--- you, Jerry! F--- you!" I screamed right back. Jerry practically hit the Delta Center roof. Yanking me from the game, he pointed a long, bony finger in my face and ordered me out of the arena. I refused, planting myself in the middle of the bench. What was he going to do, have me arrested? After the game, he suspended me. I'm a thoroughly nonviolent person by both temperament and philosophy, but I couldn't help fantasizing about a Latrell Sprewell moment. Jerry raged against players who he thought didn't play hard enough. If we lost two or three in a row, he'd stride into practice yelling, "You f---ing a-- holes are trying to get me fired! I'm not losing my job because you guys aren't hustling." During one of these job-insecurity diatribes, Karl looked at me and smirked, "If only we were so lucky." Then he went back to the posture he'd long ago adopted: working diligently while pretending Jerry didn't exist. The whole "love the game" debate was absurd. I knew for a fact that plenty of guys didn't enjoy the game, because they told me so. Several of my teammates joked that they deserved their fat bank accounts, fancy cars and mansions just for "putting up with Jerry's s---." I wasn't going to be embarrassed by Jerry Sloan, because basketball had a proper role in my balanced life. I had a sneaking suspicion my basketball philosophy wasn't the bottom line anyway.
It's a long article, so I bolded the parts I thought were interesting. I have my reservations about people making money with book deals. Nevertheless, I found this to be quite interesting, and I think it's disappointing (though not surprising) that there's a good deal of anti-gay sentiment in the NBA. It's one thing to feel weird about being in the locker room with a gay guy, but to fire someone for being gay is another thing entirely.
Does this mean JVG has a better chance of winning COY now that his main competition's reputation has been besmirched?
I agree to some extent, but the fact that Karl Malone mocked Sloan's behavior says something. If the majority of the players felt the same way, then it seems the problem is more with the coach.
No, Jerry's an ass and its a well known fact. This just sort of confirms that a little more. Maybe it is whining but then using that logic you could declare the whole book is whining since it is a criticism of the homophobic conditions bred by NBA players and locker-rooms. I've never heard a positive comment from any NBA player about Sloan so until I do, I don't think Amaechi is stretching anything Also, doesnt this make everyone a little happier we have Van Gundy who pretty much has the opposite reputation from players.
I have never heard anything bad about SLoan. what I do know about him is that he's a damn fine coach. He's never shown any opponent up on the court and has done wonders with limited talent in Utah.
It's funny how Amaechi always takes an arrogant position even when he's a cancer on a team. He thinks Sloan's approach is idiotic, but his teams are always well-disciplined and well-prepared. He's lucky to have gotten the money he did with the attitude he had.
Wonders with limited talent? All of his success has come with two hall of famers, and in his prime as a coach he had another former all star (Hornacek). That ain't limited talent. If you cite the post Malone era as success, I'd like to point out that he's yet to make the playoffs without Malone...
"Suddenly it all made sense. I'm not sure the great Sloan hates all "fags," though I'm pretty confident he's not exactly a gay advocate. No wonder I'd spent the bulk of the season with my ass planted firmly on the bench." dude sounds like a pretty smart guy and some of the stuff he said shed some interesting light on the inside of the nba life, but i'm thinking his ass being on the bench had at least as much to do with the fact that he cussed out the coach and sucked ass at basketball.
I was referring to last year. Even this year, their talent level is not that good, but he's got them contending for HC in the playoffs with their best player having the worst year of his career by far.
Sloan is a good coach, no doubt, but it's still true he hasn't gotten any tangible results (re: playoff success) since the Malone/Stockton era.
Their talent level is not nearly as bad as you're making it out to be. Okur and Boozer were two big contract free agent acquisitions, their starting point guard was taken in the top 5 of the draft, and Kirilinko (I assume that's who you're talking about) is still solid. I'm not sure Kiri is their best player, either.
Never mind that they were 4-10 in the last 3 years of that era and lost a 2-0 lead to the Mavs in the first round...
