Jerry Sloan vs. Obie

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Insider did a decent piece today on Jerry Sloan. I found it interesting because of the contrasts between Sloan and Obie. I've highlighted the quotes of interest below. Read those quotes and ask yourself if the same is true of Obie. I'd argue that, in truth, Obie is just the opposite. What do the rest of you think?

Mark


Is Jerry Sloan the best coach in the NBA? 
Phil Jackson has more rings. Larry Brown has more accolades. Pat Riley has a longer reputation. But Sloan has gotten the most from the least in his career. Isn't that what good coaching is all about? 
"The media weren't the only ones who missed on the Jazz this year," one GM told Insider. "I didn't talk to one person in the NBA who thought they'd be this good." 
To put it into perspective, good is a relative term. The team is 11-9 and just got blown out by the lowly Celtics at home. But for a team many thought would be one of the worst ever, 11 wins in early December is down right amazing. 
Ben Handlogten?
Even more amazing is who Sloan is getting production from. Only one player on his roster, Andrei Kirilenko <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3347> , looked like he had the makings of a star before the season. One more, Matt Harpring <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3258> , was Sloan's success story last season. Under Sloan's tutelage, Harpring went from a decent role player to a breakout star with the Jazz last season. 
The rest of this season's roster was a hodgepodge of rookies and journeymen who had never done much in the NBA. Carlos Arroyo <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3585> , DeShawn Stevenson <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3422> , Greg Ostertag <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3030>  and Raja Bell <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3467>  are all having career years, exceeding even the most optimistic of projections. Rookies Raul Lopez <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3538> , Alexsandar Pavlovic, Maurice Williams <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3750> , Curtis Borchardt <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3616>  and Ben Handlogten are having unusually good freshman seasons. (My comment... Look at all those young players. I guess young guys can learn how to play NBA basketball... )
The credit goes to Sloan. "He's such a great teacher," Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor told Insider recently. "I think a lot of people expected Jerry to step down when Karl [Malone] left and John [Stockton] retired, but he really wanted this challenge. Deep down Jerry believed that hard work and a good system could overcome our lack of experience." 
For many years, folks wrote of Sloan because he had two dominant players running a simple pick-and-roll offense to perfection. With Stockton and Malone gone, everyone is seeing that Sloan has plenty of other tricks up his sleeve. Two months after I sat down with Sloan during the Jazz's training camp, his words seem prophetic. 
"Basketball hasn't changed," Sloan told Insider then. "All it is is basketball. Some teams are going to be better than others. But if you love basketball, you keep working your butt off." 
"Hard work will give them the chance to get better," he said. "If players work hard they usually improve ... Will that add up to a lot of wins or a lot of losses? People say that it will add up to a lot of losses but I don't think you try to go out and get better with the idea that you're going to lose. I've always believed that you try to win. Anything less than that you're a loser." 
"We're here, we've got a job to do - so go out, bust your butt and go home." 
On most nights, the Jazz do bust their butts. Sloan's decision versus the Lakers on Sunday to play a roster of Williams, Bell, Pavlovic, Handlogten and Collins the entire fourth quarter against future of Hall of Famers Shaquille O'Neal <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=847> , Kobe Bryant <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3118>  and Gary Payton <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=259>  defines him. 
With Sloan's three best players sitting on the bench, he challenged a group that would struggle to win in the NDBL to come back from a 20-point deficit and defeat the mighty Lakers. The reserves outscored the Lakers 32-20 in the fourth and were a last-second Devean George <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3346>  3-pointer away from toppling the Lakers at the Staples Center. 
Said Sloan of his decision. "Whenever we can't find somebody, we keep searching to find someone that wants to play hard," Sloan said. 
The Sloan Resurrection Program
Since when did Sloan get the title of Master Teacher added to his name? 
"I think Jerry's been doing this for years," another GM said. "Matt Harpring, Shandon Anderson <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3081> , Howard Eisley <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=2653> , Donyell Marshall <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=2627>  and Bryon Russell <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=1316>  did things in Utah that they haven't done anywhere else. There's a pattern there of Jerry maximizing a guys talent and putting him into situations where he can be successful." 
(My comment... this is exactly my problem with Obie. Players come into Boston and get worse. Rodney Rogers became a spot-up three-point shooter. Same with Tony Delk. Now Raef Lafrentz and Jumaine Jones. Is he putting these guys in position to succeed? No, he's trying to fit them into already defined roles. Don't you think Sloan would find a way to get Lafrentz 12-15 shots a game from 18 feet and in?)