Retire Sloan Mission Statement

In lieu of the last six Utah Jazz games, we at Benoitfor3 have felt compelled to redesign, shift gears, and change names. This post and the previous are far more serious than we would like, but there is an immediate need to help nudge a faithful old stead down to rest.

It is important to acknowledge what Sloan has done for the Utah Jazz organization. The team won more games in the 1990s than any other organization in the NBA, including the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. Upon reflection, we feel that some day this feat will gain the appreciation it deserves. Sloan’s amazingly long tenure has been invaluable to the franchise. Consistency is a word that will forever be associated with the Jerry Sloan system of old school basketball which Karl Malone and John Stockton benefited from on their way to Hall of Fame and record-breaking careers.

Not since Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry has a coach been so in tune with the community he represents. Sloan's hard nose, no nonsense demeanor wouldn’t have worked for as long anywhere other than Salt Lake. However, it is time for a change.[1] The current Utah Jazz team is the most talented squad the organization has ever assembled, which heightens the urgency for new direction. Sloan is misusing, or abusing, many of the players potential.[2]

Sloan's accomplishments are many, but his failures are also plentiful. Unfortunately, now it is clear the negatives now outweigh any positives. There is another side to the coach's consistency and that’s his predictability—including an inability to adapt dynamically to change as it occurs on the court. Sloan’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness.

When Sloan’s preconceived notions go awry he does not alter his plans. Rather he digs his feet into the dirt and plows against the unforgiving soil, believing his strength of will can overcome any obstacle. Sloan’s substitution patterns have always reflected his obstinacy, but recently they have gotten worse. When something is clearly not working on the court—say Derek Fisher guarding a player twice his size, CJ Miles’ failure to recognize the shape of a basketball hoop, Harping’s inability to defend anyone faster than Dick Bavetta—Sloan does not try alternate options, he sticks with said option until the game has gotten out of hand and the final buzzer has sounded.

Sloan is often lionized for representing traditional values in American sports. While he is an endearing curmudgeon, he is also deceptively hypocritical. When predictably poor tactics and rotations bequeath losses from the jaws of victory, he throws up his hands and takes no responsibility, instead blaming his own players lack of effort. (Somehow, he even manages to undermine a players work ethic before they have ever even donned a uniform...watch the video.) Such behavior is traitorous to his own values—discipline, accepting responsibility, no excuses. The coach expects accountability and responsibility from everyone not named Jerry Sloan.

In three weeks, following a thrashing by the Houston Rockets, I fully expect to read this post-game response from Sloan, "Look, I can't teach Brown how to be tall, okay? It wouldn't have mattered who was guarding Yao, I figured I might as well give Dee a shot. There is really nothing you can do in those kind of situations. The guy was just on a roll."

A coach absolving himself of responsibility is like Ken Lay saying he had no idea Enron’s accounting practices were faulty.

Oddly, the Utah sports press embraces Sloan’s rebuffs. Jerry must know what he’s doing, they say. This has led to a culture where fans also give Sloan the benefit of the doubt. However, that culture of trust is receding and for good reason. The rotten core of the apple is coming to the surface and browning the skin. Please, Jerry, give somebody else a chance to make this farm grow.

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[1] There are many talented and creative coaches out there willing to work within the modern boundaries of the NBA that include the new defensive rules and an up-tempo system of play which David Stern has demanded. We feel Stan Van Gundy or Marc Iavaroni would be very good replacements. Iavaroni is a former Jazz player and the top assistant on the most creative club in the NBA. He is anxious for a top coaching gig and could provide a system that would be both fun to watch and successful.

Van Gundy has a proven record of success in Miami. He might be a very good coach to develop Andrei Kirilenko’s unique distributor potential. The style of play he initiated in Miami utilized multiple ball-handlers and free-flowing ball movement that confused opposing teams.

[2] Deron Williams is immensely talented, but he is not John Stockton. However, this does not stop Sloan from trying to mould him into his favorite pet of old. Williams offensive potential is being under utilized because he is crammed into the Stockton’s old shorts. He is starting to shoot only when Sloan has deemed the “percentages” to be correct...which couldn't be more disturbing.

• Carlos Boozer is not Karl Malone. He does not, and probably cannot, play defense with the same ability. Boozer is very useful, but simply because he is a sieve on defense means he cannot be the franchise player Sloan wishes him to be.

• Andrei Kirilenko is one of the most unique talents in the NBA, many coaches would die to have the chance to work with someone of his ability. Rather than design a system to accommodate AK’s unusual abilities, Sloan has decided to blame most everything on Kirilenko.

• Lastly, Ronnie Brewer. This has been addressed in our previous incarnation Benoitfor3 (below see: "Sloan's deep dark secret...") in such detail to this point, we will not rehash.