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Adande: Sloan for COY and the Jazz break an NBA record

BabyPeterzz

BabyPeterzz

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https://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/21537/could-this-be-the-year-of-the-sloan

When I chose Jerry Sloan for Coach of the Year in our preseason picks it was more an act of stubborn optimism than actual prognostication. He’d lost leading scorer Carlos Boozer and top three-point shooter Kyle Korver, so I didn't expect a stellar season. Still, Sloan’s been too good for too long to go his entire career without ever winning the coach of the year award. I’ll keep hoping and calling for him to get it until he does.

All of a sudden I don’t expect the wait to last much longer.

We’re only 10 percent of the way through the season, but you can’t tell me any coach has done a better job than Sloan so far. Certainly no team has done better on back-to-back nights than the Utah Jazz in comeback victories at Miami Tuesday and Orlando Wednesday.

Sloan made some critical second-half adjustments, including playing Deron Williams at shooting guard in Miami and using a zone defense in Orlando. Another tactical decision wound up paying unintentional dividends. Sloan sat Al Jefferson for much of the second half of the Miami game and Jefferson played only 28 minutes total. So who had fresh legs the next night and carried the Jazz down the stretch with nine points in the final 4 minutes and 30 seconds against the Magic? Al Jefferson.
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But they’ve kept playing, becoming the first team in the shot clock era to win three consecutive games after trailing by 10 points or more at halftime.
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Heh, Baby, I just posted the whole article in a different thread at the same time, eh? I guess it just proves the ole adage: Crappy kinda minds, they think just alike.
 
Worth mentioning that Adande gets a basic fact wrong, says Sloan has had two losing seasons in 21 years. He's only had one. (Plus a 41-41 season.)
 
Archie Moses said:
Sloan's message to all the haters is simply: FTH's.
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Glad I'm not one of 'em . . .

What stands out to me is Adande's mention of adjustments (i.e., strategy); this is the crucial factor IMHO. Sloan has a good chance of winning a COY nod (and a title, for that matter) if he brings both motivation and in-game adjustments when necessary. If not the latter, then he's just eligible based on longevity and motivation. In the NBA, longevity is rare, and motivation is, too--but not that rare. Even teams without a "system" can get motivation from their coaches.

In early tracking, Byron Scott is probably a candidate, too.
 
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