Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
Larry H. admitted he came close to firing Sloan a few times. Imagine had he gone through with it and brought in Pops to run the organization.
The Officiallly Official we should have hired Pops instead of Sloan thread
- Thread starter Stifle Tower
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HipHopAnonymous
Active Member
Wonder how Sloan would have done with Duncan
DutchJazzer
Banned
BOoo this thread
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
Why, DJ? How many titles does Popovich have? How many titles does Sloan have? Pops has been a master at adding valuable role players to the roster, getting the Spurs over the top several times. Sloan allegedly had as much say in personnel matters as any Jazz GM. And drafts and FA signings during his time with Utah have often been abysmal.
Sloan is a good coach, but I don't think he would have done as well with that Spurs team.
Pops just has something elite that most coaches don't have. Even a HOF like Jerry.
Pops just has something elite that most coaches don't have. Even a HOF like Jerry.
Tim Duncan?
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
Exactly. Say what you will about tanking to get Duncan - and I think that was wrong. But Popovich has always had a great eye for talent: Leonard, Splitter, Green, Blair, Neal, etc. He just adds different pieces to his core of Parker, Duncan, and Ginobli. Jazz were never quite able to do that with the Stockton, Malone and Hornacek model. Utah was getting older players at the end of their careers. Spurs generally add young talent that can explode - and come at a huge discount over aging veterans.
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
Karl Malone? John Stockton? Both coaches have had elite players. Pops has translated that into titles. Don't get me wrong; I still think Sloan was a helluva coach. He just wasn't on the same level as Pops, Phil Jackson and a few others. With Popovich, I believe a big part of his success is due to his superior GM skills. After all, he was in the FO before stepping down to coach. Personnel, particularly the drafts in the late 80's and 90's has always been an issue with the Jazz. A ten year span when the best the Jazz ever did was Ostertag, Blue Edwards and Bryan Russell. Just think how good the team would have been had Utah found 2 or 3 more rotation players.
Jerry Sloan was no slouch at squeezing talent out of cast offs. Calbert Cheney, Shandon BiggestAssholeEver Anderson, Raja Bell, Matt Harpring's curl, Michael Ruffin... even Gordon Giricek and CJ Miles were productive under Sloan.
And could you imagine the outrage spewn here had KOC picked up Barbosa? I can because a few of us suggested it and got eaten alive for doing so. "He's a lazy fat as and he smells bad". Now Popps is a hero for getting Barbosa?
Not to mention Parker is one of the most dynamic scorers in the league, and will be a first ballot HOFer. Or that Karl Malone choked against GOAT.
green
Well-Known Member
I completely disagree. Pop has two post lottery picks that he helped become All-Stars. So did Sloan. Pop routinely makes ok players look like very good role players. So did Sloan. What's the difference between the two? A top 5 pick.
Give Sloan a top 5 pick and take Duncan away from Pop, and the argument is completely different.
These threads are becoming funny.
Darkwing Duck
Well-Known Member
The official "Should have won championships instead of not winning championships" thread.
Ellipse
Well-Known Member
Try two top 5 picks. It's kind of funny how everyone forgets David Robinson.
Edit: Actually, both Robinson and Duncan were No. 1 picks.
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Take away Duncan and give the Jazz that tank job and you would have never known who Poppovich is. Jazz didn't have a Ginobili either, they had a shooting guard playing in a point guard's body. Sloan was hamstringed by management unwilling to spend, by the market, and with contract after contract.
They'll never convince me Poppovich is better. Nor Phil Jackson. Never. It's a ludicrous notion that has no place on a Jazz message board.
green
Well-Known Member
Yes.
Getting Traded
Banned
Hard to say. Sloan was a good coach but not the greatest, and Pop just might be the best NBA coach ever -- Phil and Riley were good but look at the players they had -- Magic, Kareem, MJ, Kobe, Shaq among other HOF'rs