There's no way they're keeping their playoff-berth streak (the longest in history) with all the players they missed out on. They lost out on Elton Brand, Andre Miller, Brad Miller, and even would-be consolation prize Corey Maggette. It sounds like the only player they still have half a chance of picking up is Jason Terry... and though Jerry Sloan is still easily one of the Top 3 coaches in the game, he needs a little more than just Matt Harpring, Andre Kirilenko, and (possibly) Jason Terry to make the playoffs in the West... it's practically a miracle they even made it last year. Anyway... the point is, take this opportunity to express your joy (or disbelief) that the Jazz are finally going to be missing the party come playoff time.
How good of a coach is Jerry Sloan? He has been blessed to have talented stars of John Stockton and Karl Malone and built their system around those two stars. I think the true test of Sloan's coaching is how he does the next couple of years. His team talent level is not near where it has been in the past. If he can get his current players to play hard and be competitive, then his coaching talent will be unquestioned. Sloan's situation reminds me of Rudy's position when Hakeem could no longer be the center of his offense. Rudy was coming off his back-to-back titles and the coach of the Olympic team, and then was hit with rebuilding. Not to say that Rudy was unsuccessful in his try, but Sloan's status as a top coach is under review under his rebuilding team.
First of all, I think we may never see Sloan stick around to rebuild. He'll come back for next season, but I think his early re-sign was probably a bid of Sloan's or Larry Miller's to get Malone to stay. Now that he's gone, Sloan may quit after the next year... but you never know. Has Sloan been blessed with good players? Yeah. So have all coaches who we consider to be great... and it's difficult to separate cause and effect. For instance, I think Phil Jackson is good for nothing more than stroking egos and playing mind games, and that his technical coaching can be mainly attributed ot Tex Winter... my opinion. Also IMO, Sloan accomplished a lot even considering he had two of the top 50 players ever... 1. Rookies on a Sloan team are usually disciplined from the very beginning, though most are unspectacular, and new players are likewise quickly integrated. 2. The Jazz have consistently finished in the top 2 or 3 teams in the league in FG% for every year Sloan has coached. 3. His conservative strategy is rock solid... layups and more layups, his orders to his players to never jump for a block because it more often gets you a foul or out of position, his simple but effective playbook. 4. His ability to quickly find and exploit the strengths of the Jazz's constantly changing role players (especially after Bryon Russell left this last year and Harpring entered). Just look at Greg Foster... he looks like a fool on every other team he's been on, but for the Jazz he started for 64 games one season and was allowed to do some of what he was good at (outside shooting), while all other coaches don't seem to recognize or care about his shooting ability. In any case, go and vote and discuss on my thread on coaches that I just posted... http://bbs.clutchcity.net/php3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62279
and with the number one pick in the 2004 draft the Utah Jazz select......................................
i believe it's not even the longest current streak at 19. that would be portland's which i think is at 20. just one more thing for the spazz to be sad about.
Don't be too quick to celebrate over the Jazz's demise. The Rockets aren't looking all that great themselves... People living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones...
i think that the real question is "do you really hate the jazz, or was it just malone and stockton?" for me, now that those two are gone i dont despise and hate the jazz as much as i used to. however, i really freaking hate the lakers like no other since the late 90's jazz. if mad-dog madsen was still on that team than i dont know what i would do. mailman and madsen on the same team would have been too much for me to hate.
What??!?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!! Gimme a break! Utah sucks! Those bunch of floppers never got a championship through the late 80's early 90's during their 'window'. While we got TWO Rings!! And Now we Have Francis - Yao Ming - Eddie Griffin - Mo Taylor - Cuttino Mobley Who do your your team have: Harpring?! Kirilenko?! Stevenson ?! Oh wait! Ostertag will save us and become the focal point of the offense! FA take less to come to Houston versus Salt Lake Hellhole. No NBA players want to go there unless you overpay them!! This is payback for years of flopping and cheap, dirty play!!!
We all knew this day was coming. I have waited a very long time for this. Utah is not an attractive place for free agents. For years, the Jazz have been extending Malone and Stockton's contracts, while negleting to start the rebuilding process. Now they are stuck with a core of Harpring, Kirilenko, and Ostertag - all role players.
It would've been sweeter if Stockton and Malone had actually missed the playoffs before jetting, but I'll take what I can get.
What?! F*ck that r****ded sh*t. The Rockets look great. The Jazz can go to hell...and probably will. Evil assholes...
Only a basketball newbie or one with a bias against the Jazz would ever question Sloan's coaching ablility. Like another poster said, Sloans ability to bring up the level of play his players have is second to none. How many good players have left Utah just to appear all of a sudden very dull?
I would much rather be in the Rockets position than the Jazz. Rockets - Two championships in the last 10 years, and now have two all stars in Yao Ming and Steve Francis and are poised to make a run for the playoffs. Jazz - No championships... ever. No all stars, loads of cap space but no big name free agents to sign, and its almost certain they will miss the playoffs this season.
The only thing that could possibly be better than seeing the Jazz suck this coming season is seeing the Rockets kick ass. I hate them that much.
