Jerry Sloan Resigns

[Pillorian]

Since I have known the Jazz, Coach Sloan has been there. He has coached the Utah Jazz for 23 years, the longest tenured coach in any of the four major American sports. Today, he is resigning as head coach of the Utah Jazz.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6109031

Jerry Sloan will resign as coach of the Utah Jazz on Thursday, according to media reports in Salt Lake City.

 

Sloan, who signed a one-year contract extension on Monday, said the team is planning a news conference for 5 p.m. ET on Thursday to discuss his future with the team. He did not offer further details, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin will be taking over the team, the Tribune reported.

 

Television station KSL first reported on its website that Sloan and assistant coach Phil Johnson planned to announce their resignations.

The Associated Press, citing a person with knowledge of the situation, also reported that Sloan and Johnson would resign.

On Wednesday night, Sloan kept reporters waiting more than half an hour after Utah's loss to the Chicago Bulls as he met with his assistants and general manager Kevin O'Connor. And the Jazz announced that Thursday's practice had been abruptly canceled.

Team officials were expected to meet Thursday to discuss a postgame incident Wednesday involving Sloan and O'Connor, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Two sources close to the situation told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that Sloan reacted angrily during Wednesday night's home loss when guard Deron Williams called his own play on the floor different from the play Sloan called from the sideline.

That led to an emotional dispute at halftime, sources said, which was followed by Sloan's closed-door meeting with O'Connor after the game.

But one source stressed that the play-calling flap was just one incident among a number of flare-ups in recent weeks, indicating Sloan's relationship with Williams has been deteriorating.

This is Sloan's 23rd season as Utah's coach. He started with the Jazz as a scout in 1983-84 season and one year later was an assistant under Frank Layden. He led Utah to the NBA Finals twice, losing to the Bulls both times.

Sloan, who succeeded Layden in 1988, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2009.

Before joining the Jazz, Sloan coached the Bulls for two full seasons and part of a third. He has a career coaching record of 1221-803 -- a .603 winning percentage -- and a playoff record of 98-104.

As a player, Sloan spent most of his 11-year playing career with the Bulls. He was an NBA All-Star in 1967 and 1969 and was named to the NBA's all-defensive first team four times.

 

Sloan Among NBA's Winningest

 

Jerry Sloan is third all-time in NBA coaching wins and tops among active NBA coaches as of Thursday.

CoachWinsTitlesDon Nelson1,3350Lenny Wilkens1,3321* Jerry Sloan1,2210Pat Riley1,2105* Phil Jackson1,13411* Active

Longest-Tenured NBA Coaches

 

How long has Sloan been coach in Utah? When he took over the Jazz on Dec. 8, 1988, 40 current NBA players hadn't even been born.

CoachHire DateJerry Sloan, JazzDec. 9, 1988Gregg Popovich, SpursDec. 10, 1996Doc Rivers, CelticsApril 29, 2004George Karl, NuggetsJan. 27, 2005* Phil Jackson, LakersJune 14, 2005* Second tenure with Lakers

[Pillorian]

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/02/10/sloan-breaking/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

Report: Utah coach Sloan to resign on Thursday

 

 

Posted Feb 10 2011 1:38PM - Updated Feb 10 2011 3:18PM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A person with knowledge of the situation says Jerry Sloan is stepping down as head coach of the Utah Jazz.

The person told The Associated Press on Thursday that longtime assistant Phil Johnson also will resign. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the resignations have not yet been formally announced.

Salt Lake City television station KSL first reported the pending resignations.

The team has scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference Thursday for what it called a significant announcement.

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The 68-year-old Sloan is the longest-tenured head coach in any of the four major sports.

The moves come on the heels of an emotional 91-86 loss Wednesday night to the Chicago Bulls, Utah's 10th in the last 14 games.

Sloan hinted that something was in the works after delaying his postgame press conference Wednesday for more than 30 minutes because of what he said was a meeting with Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor.

He appeared shaken when first talking with reporters, and said more would be forthcoming Thursday.

The team also immediately sent out a text saying that a Thursday practice had been canceled.

"We just had some things we had to discuss, and we'll talk to you later on about that," Sloan said.

Sloan was asked if there was need for a shake-up.

"I don't think there's any great need for panic," he said Wednesday night. "Kevin is always evaluating what we can do or what someone wants to do with another team and that's part of the business. Every day that's part of his job."

Sloan began working for the Jazz as a scout in 1983, became assistant to coach Frank Layden on Nov. 19, 1984, and was named the sixth coach in franchise history on Dec. 9, 1988, when Layden resigned.

He is the only coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games with one team, a feat he accomplished Nov. 7 against Oklahoma City. Sloan's other wins came with the Chicago Bulls from 1979 to 1982.

While he has headed the Jazz, there have been 245 coaching changes around the league - 13 alone by the Los Angeles Clippers, and five current NBA teams (Charlotte, Memphis, Toronto, Orlando and Minnesota) did not even exist when Sloan took the helm in Utah.

He ranks third all-time in NBA wins behind Don Nelson (1,335) and Lenny Wilkens (1,332).

Sloan also is one of only three coaches in NBA history with 15-plus consecutive seasons with a winning record (Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, both with 19, are the others).

As a player with the Bulls, Sloan averaged 14.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 755 games played over 11 NBA seasons. Nicknamed "The Original Bull" because he was selected in the 1966 Expansion Draft, Sloan was a two-time NBA All-Star (1967, 1969) known for his toughness and grit. He was the only player in NBA history to average 7-plus rebounds and 2-plus steals per game for his career.

Sloan recorded two triple-doubles in his career. A knee injury prematurely ended his career in 1976.

 

Sloan has been known for his straightforward answers and wry sense of humor.

He conducts his pre-game interviews next to a plastic trash receptacle rather than at a podium.

"You never know when you might be in it," he quipped before Wednesday's game. "It's why I stand here. You take what you get."

Sloan had recently signed an extension to remain with the Jazz through the 2011-12 campaign, but said then that he would not make a decision about returning to the team until after the 2010-11 season was complete.

He leaves after what started off as a promising season. The Jazz started 15-5, but January struggles continued into February.

Edited February 10, 2011 by Pillorian