Post by mexicanjunior on Feb 10, 2011 14:05:03 GMT -6
www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/jazz/2011-02-10-jerry-sloan-stepping-down-as-coach_N.htm
This is shocking...I thought he would be there forever...
Hall of Famer Jazz Jerry Sloan, the dean of NBA coaches, and longtime Utah Jazz assistant Phil Johnson will be stepping down later Thursday and appear at a news conference, Salt Lake City's KSL Newsradio reported.
The Jazz, 31-23 and sixth in the Western Conference playoff standings, lost 91-86 Wednesday to the visiting Chicago Bulls, who have former Utah players Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer.
After the game, Sloan and Jazz General Manager Kevin O'Connor got into a heated exchange, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. Sloan kept the locker room closed longer than usual and would not address any questions about possible trades and a shakeup.
"We just had something we had to discuss," Sloan said, "and we'll talk to you all later on about that."
As Brian Smith of The Tribune wrote: "During and following the conversation involving Sloan and O'Connor, a practice scheduled for Thursday morning was abruptly canceled, forward Andrei Kirilenko emerged from the coaches' room and not the locker room, and multiple players acknowledged that there was a weird vibe after the game.
Meanwhile, Sloan vaguely hinted that an update would be provided in the future about his discussion involving O'Connor, while a request for an interview with O'Connor was quickly denied. However, no indication was given that anything drastic is expected to happen with the Jazz, Sloan or O'Connor."
Sloan has been coaching the Jazz for 23 years, with only one losing season, and has a 60% winning percentage.
The Jazz have lost 10 of their last 14 games.
This is shocking...I thought he would be there forever...
