For all the KOC-hating Goons...

[steelers6timechamps]

i dont no how many of you remember bum phillips the coach of the houston oilers. they allways made it to the playoffs and alot of winning seasons. when they let him go the team from that point on went to hell. that is the way the jazz is now we should be thankfull for what we have. there is alot here who hate sloan but where would we be with out him. i no you will say he never won a world championship. but would you want to be like the clippers or other teams that lose all the time? think about it?

 

[Headtrip]

KOC is obviously a great GM. If you think just anyone can make a small market team that doesn't attract many big FAs and has to consistently stay under the luxury tax (last couple of seasons the vast exception) be this successful you are bat **** crazy. He and Sloan are great at what they do and they both benefit tremendously from the others presence.

 

[KhaOZ]

LOL. that's awesome

 

[jaytulao]

wonder what ranking KOC wouldve been had he not bagged AJ this season? For some Jazzfanz, am sure he would have been the 30th

 

[InGameStrategy]

i dont no how many of you remember bum phillips the coach of the houston oilers. they allways made it to the playoffs and alot of winning seasons. when they let him go the team from that point on went to hell. that is the way the jazz is now we should be thankfull for what we have. there is alot here who hate sloan but where would we be with out him. i no you will say he never won a world championship. but would you want to be like the clippers or other teams that lose all the time? think about it?

I do think about it, and it sounds like people who stay in relationships because of the fear of the unknown.

Sloan is a great coach for establishing a system and giving an air of an expectation of effort.
He is not so great in terms of making in-game adjustments or enforcing that effort on players who are disinterested.
Sloan's strengths have been enough to garner Jazz fans winning seasons almost every year.
His weaknesses have been enough to not get them farther than they have gone.

KOC is a great at quietly getting deals done that help the team, and his relationships and credibility are huge.
What I want to know is what the process was in evaluating Krissy Humphries, Kirk Snyder, and Curtis Borchardt, though.

 

[Stifle Tower]

Its freakin SB nation! There not that credible.

Koc has done pretty good but I believe he is not #2. He let go Mo Williams, drafted some horrid players but every GM does that and gave AK a bad contract along with Okur

At least 50% of that is on Larry H. It was a purely monetary move. Besides, Mo has a TON of drawbacks. He's not a true PG; he's a SG trying to play PG. I'd have made the decision back then to go with Arroyo and Lopez (again, not foreseeing the injury problems with Raul and the inflated ego problems with Carlos "The Dribbler").

Misses on Snyder and Humphries...forgiven. That draft was rated an A by most analysts, so I guess every "expert" screwed up. Besides, trading up from the 6th pick to grab Deron was a major coup. And it's probably one of the things that ultimately cost Pritchard his job, and has made Portland try to screw us over since. KOC is also 100% responsible for swiping Boozer before Denver could get him (and ultimately saving us from KMart).

KOC may not be #2, but I think he's top-5. He does a great job given his constraints, even when his hand is forced by Sloan (getting Korver after Jerry made it impossible to keep Giricek).

 

[steelers6timechamps]

true i think in this case it boils down to more of ownership willing to take gambles. i think that ownership is what holds up KOC & SLOAN up?

I do think about it, and it sounds like people who stay in relationships because of the fear of the unknown.

Sloan is a great coach for establishing a system and giving an air of an expectation of effort.
He is not so great in terms of making in-game adjustments or enforcing that effort on players who are disinterested.
Sloan's strengths have been enough to garner Jazz fans winning seasons almost every year.
His weaknesses have been enough to not get them farther than they have gone.

KOC is a great at quietly getting deals done that help the team, and his relationships and credibility are huge.
What I want to know is what the process was in evaluating Krissy Humphries, Kirk Snyder, and Curtis Borchardt, though.

 

[theNBAnerd]

i LIKE koc, and even i had to laugh at "make every last move count." how many of our 1st round picks from the last decade are still on the team?

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

i LIKE koc, and even i had to laugh at "make every last move count." how many of our 1st round picks from the last decade are still on the team?

...or how many of them are even still rotation players in the league....Snyder, Humphries, Pavlovic, Almond, DeShawn Stevens, Koufos, etc.

 

[mdalby]

Kevin O'Connor - 2nd Best GM in the League?

https://www.sbnation.com/2010/7/22/1582380/nba-general-manager-rankings-pat-riley-heat

O'Connor may be the most underappreciated GM in basketball. Nobody does a better job of sticking to a plan. O'Connor has committed to Jerry Sloan as his coach and finds players that perfectly fit his system. Players like Wesley Matthews, Paul Millsap, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Miles, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Matt Harpring and even Deron Williams would all have been successful elsewhere, but their success was magnified because they were all perfect fits for Sloan. O'Connor understands that you can't just throw together talent and expect it to jell. You have to find the right kind of talent, and for over a decade, he's done exactly that.

O'Connor has also done a great job managing the luxury tax, something that will always be an issue because Utah is a small market. Last season, he made cost-cutting moves that didn't affect his team's performance, then recovered from losing Carlos Boozer by trading for Al Jefferson. His one mistake was giving Andrei Kirilenko too much money in 2004, but otherwise, his record is impeccable.

The only thing lacking is a championship, but that's tough to do when you only get one top-five pick in a decade. O'Connor used that pick well, and he's made every last move count. That's the mark of a good GM.

 

[sirkickyass]

Mdalby was late to the party. Merged.

 

[Harcher]

I do think about it, and it sounds like people who stay in relationships because of the fear of the unknown.

Sloan is a great coach for establishing a system and giving an air of an expectation of effort.
He is not so great in terms of making in-game adjustments or enforcing that effort on players who are disinterested.
Sloan's strengths have been enough to garner Jazz fans winning seasons almost every year.
His weaknesses have been enough to not get them farther than they have gone.

KOC is a great at quietly getting deals done that help the team, and his relationships and credibility are huge.
What I want to know is what the process was in evaluating Krissy Humphries, Kirk Snyder, and Curtis Borchardt, though.

IGS - Wow. The essence of a "take back apology" is to apologize and end it with "but...you had it commin') And you just did the take back on KOC.

So what your really saying is that you are bigoted against the Jazz FO. What do you think of Larry's efforts over the years? If you can only note or end statements on the flaws then you have proven your bias.

Nobody bats 1.000! What sort of percentage are you thinking is good? The percentage that i think is good is Jerry's winning percentage. That measure is a reasonable measure of his skill as a coach. He's 60%. compare him to his peers below. He does not have a championship. Not too many guys have.

So look at that list below, pick out any and all names you'd put above Jerry and we'll see where Jerry fits in the ALL TIME LIST. Then list the guys that you think are up-and-comers that should have Jerry's job right now. Jerry's not perfect, but he's WAAAAAAAAY beyond good enough to warrant having your whole JazzFanzz existence be an anti-Sloan campaign.

Totals following 2008-09 Season
RANKED BY WINS
Coach Wins Lenny Wilkens 1,332
Don Nelson 1,309
Pat Riley 1,210
Jerry Sloan 1,137
Larry Brown 1,045
Phil Jackson 1,041
Bill Fitch 944
Red Auerbach 938
Dick Motta 935
George Karl 933
RANKED BY GAMES
Coach Games
Lenny Wilkens 2,487
Don Nelson 2,316
Bill Fitch 2,050
Dick Motta 1,952
Pat Riley 1,904
Larry Brown 1,892
Jerry Sloan 1,888
Jack Ramsay 1,647
Gene Shue 1,645
Cotton Fitzsimmons 1,607
RANKED BY PCT.
(Minimum 500 games) Coach Pct.
Phil Jackson .705
Billy Cunningham .698
Gregg Popovich .675
K.C. Jones .674
Red Auerbach .662
Pat Riley .636
Tom Heinsohn .619
Rick Adelman .616
Jerry Sloan .602
Flip Saunders .597

NBA Coaches with ChampionshipsPhil Jackson Chicago Bulls 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98
L.A. Lakers 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2008-09, 2009-10
9 Red Auerbach Boston Celtics 1956-57, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66
5 Pat Riley L.A. Lakers 1981-82, 1984-85, 1986-87 1987-88
Miami Heat 2005-06
5 John Kundla Minneapolis Lakers
(now L.A. Lakers) 1948-49, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54
4 Gregg Popovich San Antonio Spurs 1998-99, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2006-07
2 Bill Russell Boston Celtics 1967-68, 1968-69
2 Red Holzman New York Knicks 1969-70, 1972-73
2 Tom Heinsohn Boston Celtics 1973-74, 1975-76
2 K. C. Jones Boston Celtics 1983-84, 1985-86
2 Chuck Daly Detroit Pistons 1988-89, 1989-90
2 Rudy Tomjanovich Houston Rockets 1993-94, 1994-95
2 Alex Hannum St. Louis Hawks
(now Atlanta Hawks) 1957-58
Philadelphia 76ers 1966-67
1 Eddie Gottlieb Philadelphia Warriors
(now Golden St. Warriors) 1946-47
1 Buddy Jeannette Baltimore Bullets
(defunct franchise) 1947-48
1 Les Harrison Rochester Royals
(now Sacramento Kings) 1950-51
1 Al Cervi Syracuse Nationals
(now Philadelphia 76ers) 1954-55
1 George Senesky Philadelphia Warriors
(now Golden St. Warriors) 1955-56
1 Larry Costello Milwaukee Bucks 1970-71
1 Bill Sharman L.A. Lakers 1971-72
1 Al Attles Golden State Warriors 1974-75
1 Jack Ramsay Portland Trailblazers 1976-77
1 Dick Motta Washington Bullets
(now Washington Wizards) 1977-78
1 Lenny Wilkens Seattle Supersonics 1978-79
1 Paul Westhead L.A. Lakers 1979-80
1 Bill Fitch Boston Celtics 1980-81
1 Billy Cunningham Philadelphia 76ers 1982-83
1 Larry Brown Detroit Pistons 2003-04
1 Doc Rivers Boston Celtics 2007-08


Complete List of all who have Coached in NBA
A
Rick Adelman
Richie Adubato
Danny Ainge
Stan Albeck
LaDell Andersen
Jack Ankerson
Curly Armstrong
Al Attles
Red Auerbach
Randy Ayers
[edit]B
Johnny Bach
Ed Badger
Cliff Barker
Tony Barone
Bob Bass
Elgin Baylor
Butch Beard
Zelmo Beaty
Clair Bee
Joe Belmont
Carl Bennett
Bill Berry
Bill Bertka
Al Bianchi
Bernie Bickerstaff
Mark Binstein
Paul Birch
Larry Bird
Bill Blair
Bill Blakely
Harold Blitman
Vince Boryla
Jim Boylan
Carl Braun
Al Brightman
Allan Bristow
Jim Brovelli
Dave Brown
Herb Brown
Hubie Brown
Larry Brown
Mike Brown
Philip Brownstein
Quinn Buckner
Bucky Buckwalter
Walt Budko
Donnie Butcher
Jeff Bzdelik
[edit]C
John Calipari
Mack Calvin
P.J. Carlesimo
Rick Carlisle
Lou Carnesecca
M.L. Carr
John Carroll
Butch Carter
Fred Carter
Bill Cartwright
Don Casey
Dwane Casey
John Castellani
Vince Cazzetta
Al Cervi
Wilt Chamberlain
Don Chaney
Maurice Cheeks
John Clark
Jim Cleamons
Roy Clifford
Neil Cohalan
Jerry Colangelo
Doug Collins
Michael Cooper
Larry Costello
Bob Cousy
Dave Cowens
Billy Cunningham
Glenn Curtis
[edit]D
Mike D'Antoni
Chuck Daly
Mel Daniels
Jimmy Darden
Johnny Davis
Dave DeBusschere
Red Dehnert
Don Delaney
Harry Dinnel
Terry Dischinger
Eddie Donovan
Ike Duffey
Mike Dunleavy
[edit]E
Charley Eckman
Johnny Egan
Mike Evans
[edit]F
Mike Farmer
Bob Feerick
Bill Fitch
Dick Fitzgerald
Cotton Fitzsimmons
Tim Floyd
Chris Ford
Lawrence Frank
Mike Fratello
Burl Friddle
[edit]G
Harry Gallatin
Alvin Gentry
John Givens
Eddie Gottlieb
Ed Gregory
Alex Groza
Richie Guerin
Matt Guokas
[edit]H
Cliff Hagan
Bruce Hale
Frank Hamblen
Leonard Hamilton
Alex Hannum
Bill Hanzlik
Jim Harding
Del Harris
Les Harrison
Dick Harter
Lew Hayman
Gar Heard
Tom Heinsohn
Nat Hickey
Bob Hill
Brian Hill
Lionel Hollins
Red Holzman
Bob Hopkins
Rex Hughes
[edit]I
Marc Iavaroni
Stu Inman
George Irvine
Dan Issel
[edit]J
Phil Jackson
Stu Jackson
Buddy Jeannette
Chris Jent
Avery Johnson
Dennis Johnson
Frank Johnson
Magic Johnson
Phil Johnson
Neil Johnston
K.C. Jones
Wally Jones
Eddie Jordan
Ed Jucker
Alvin Julian
[edit]K
George Karl
Bob Kauffman
Red Kerr
Bob Kloppenburg
Lon Kruger
Larry Krystkowiak
John Kundla
[edit]L
Bob Lanier
Joe Lapchick
York Larese
Frank Layden
George Lee
Slick Leonard
Andrew Levane
Grady Lewis
Gene Littles
Earl Lloyd
Tates Locke
Ken Loeffler
John Logan
Kevin Loughery
Sidney Lowe
John Lucas
Jim Lynam
[edit]M
Ed Macauley
Bob MacKinnon
John MacLeod
Brendan Malone
Slater Martin
Babe McCarthy
Johnny McCarthy
Jack McCloskey
Dick McGuire
Frank McGuire
Kevin McHale
Morris McHone
Bones McKinney
Jack McKinney
John McLendon
Jack McMahon
Dave McMillan
Nate McMillan
Murray Mendenhall
Tom Meschery
George Mikan
Vern Mikkelsen
Sam Mitchell
Doug Moe
Mike Montgomery
Doxie Moore
Robert Morris
Dick Motta
Joe Mullaney
Bill Musselman
Eric Musselman
Pete Myers
[edit]N
Don Nelson
Tom Newell
Tom Nissalke
[edit]O
Jim O'Brien
Kevin O'Neill
Harold Olsen
[edit]P
Bob Pettit
Randy Pfund
Andy Phillip
Rick Pitino
Jim Pollard
Gregg Popovich
Terry Porter
Roger Potter
Kevin Pritchard
[edit]R
Kurt Rambis
Jack Ramsay
Frank Ramsey
Willis Reed
Chick Reiser
Jerry Reynolds
Gene Rhodes
Pat Riley
Doc Rivers
Scotty Robertson
Red Rocha
Jimmy Rodgers
Robert Rolfe
Ron Rothstein
Roy Rubin
Bill Russell
Honey Russell
[edit]S
Philip Sachs
Ed Sadowski
Tom Sanders
Flip Saunders
Herm Schaefer
Fred Schaus
Dolph Schayes
Mike Schuler
Howie Schultz
Fred Scolari
Byron Scott
Ray Scott
George Senesky
Paul Seymour
Bill Sharman
Beryl Shipley
Charley Shipp
Gene Shue
Paul Silas
Scott Skiles
Jerry Sloan
Keith Smart
Jack Smiley
Albert Soar
Erik Spoelstra
Garry St. Jean
Bob Staak
Larry Staverman
Jerry Steele
Terry Stotts
Ken Suesens
[edit]T
Jerry Tarkanian
Reggie Theus
Isiah Thomas
Rod Thorn
Jim Todd
Rolland Todd
Mike Todorovich
Rudy Tomjanovich
Bumper Tormohlen
[edit]U
Wes Unseld
[edit]V
Dick Van Arsdale
Butch Van Breda Kolff
Jeff Van Gundy
Stan Van Gundy
Dick Versace
Sam Vincent
Dick Vitale
[edit]W
Darrell Walker
Donnie Walsh
Bobby Wanzer
Jim Weaver
Bob Weiss
Jerry West
Paul Westhead
Paul Westphal
John Wetzel
Lenny Wilkens
Herb Williams
Max Williams
Tex Winter
Brian Winters
Randy Wittman
Dave Wohl
Charles Wolf
Mike Woodson
[edit]Y
Draff Young
Verl Young
[edit]Z
Max Zaslofsky
Retrieved from "https://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php?title=List_of_NBA_Coaches"

 

[InGameStrategy]

IGS - Wow. The essence of a "take back apology" is to apologize and end it with "but...you had it commin') And you just did the take back on KOC.

I don't know what you are talking about at all. All I posted was some pluses and minuses on KOC and Sloan. More often than not, I have been pleased and impressed with what KOC did. You are reading into it way too much. As I recall, this isn't the first time that you've done so.

So what your really saying is that you are bigoted against the Jazz FO. What do you think of Larry's efforts over the years? If you can only note or end statements on the flaws then you have proven your bias.

Um, no. I was quite complimentary--at least of the Jazz FO. I think that LHM did a great job of building a team with a winning tradition. I also think that he was obsessed excessively with some players (AK). I don't know how much the owners vs. Sloan vs. KoC vs. the rest of the FO are involved in each decision; say, drafts, trades, FA.

And ending statements with flaws does nothing to prove bias. If you'd prefer, I can reverse the order and go bad news first, then good news. Same diff.

I deny your claim of bigotedness. I would like nothing more as a fan to see this team win a title, and I attempt to give credit when credit is due--and the opposite also. Sometimes I may emphasize one side or another if I think that the discussion is lacking it.

Nobody bats 1.000! What sort of percentage are you thinking is good? The percentage that i think is good is Jerry's winning percentage. That measure is a reasonable measure of his skill as a coach. He's 60%. compare him to his peers below. He does not have a championship. Not too many guys have.

I think that I gave credit for Sloan being a winner. I also have stated repeatedly and consistently that better coaching could've gotten them further.

I could call you an apologist much more easily than you call me a bigot, which seems more reserved for those who have nothing nice to say.

So look at that list below, pick out any and all names you'd put above Jerry and we'll see where Jerry fits in the ALL TIME LIST. Then list the guys that you think are up-and-comers that should have Jerry's job right now. Jerry's not perfect, but he's WAAAAAAAAY beyond good enough to warrant having your whole JazzFanzz existence be an anti-Sloan campaign.

It's not an anti-Sloan campaign. It's in your head. I'll repeat it for you: Sloan has been great at establishing a system and preaching excellence on both ends of the floor. He has been less good at enforcing such excellence. Latest example is last season: great win %, but this team had the potential to do better. Not sure why complimenting and then mentioning areas of improvement is such a bee in your bonnet.

If I emphasize Sloan, it's because I think that it is the most changeable aspect--and that the changes are clear. Doesn't need to be a firing, although this FO has seemed to take a hands-off approach in terms of dealing with the coaches.

Generally the FO has done a good job. LHM had his biases (e.g., AK), and I'm not sure who was responsible for deciding on the 7-year Kirilenko contract instead of waiting a year for the 5-year max deal.

We'll see how Tom Thibodeau does--and how much of Chicago's success or lack thereof can be attributed to him. That's one guy that I think that Utah should've tried to hire. It would've been great to have Rick Adelman or maybe Flip Saunders or a healthy Rudy Tomjanovich or Mike Budenholzer (didn't make your pasted wikilist somehow) have a hand at this team. (I'm assuming that Popovich and Phil Jackson were never available to the Jazz. My "bigoted" side << rolleyes >> would prefer Sloan over PJ just because the latter is such a self-absorbed punk.) Again, my view is that Sloan's in-game management has been underwhelming. Here, I'll end this paragraph with a compliment: Sloan probably does better than most coaches at preparing teams for games, though, and he seems to have calmed down a bit in games.

And for years, I've wanted Sloan to be more astute in who he puts on the floor and when--and to abandon the robotic substitution patterns, which he seems to have done a little bit (another mild compliment btw).

While Sloan has been a winner, few coaches have the track record of Sloan alienating players like Sloan does. I'd be much more impressed if he had been able to turn them into contributors (or even a neutral impact).

If you have a problem with people criticizing your supposedly precious, pristine coach, go post somewhere else.

Oh, and you might want to consider editing your ridiculously long spew of data before posting.

 

[sirkickyass]

A complete list of all coaches ever in the NBA? Was that really necessary?

 

[bordelais7]

A complete list of all coaches ever in the NBA? Was that really necessary?

I thought it was interesting to see them ranked by their alphabetic stature.

 

[AtheistPreacher]

This list loses all credibility for me mainly for two reasons:

1) The fact it has Kevin Pritchard at #6, even though he was an idiot who only managed to spend large amounts of Paul Allen's inexhaustable money while alienating every other GM in the league along the way, and

2) That Pat Riley is #1 merely as a result of LeBron-Gate. "Nobody comes close?" Really?

I still like KOC... he's not #2, but I'd put him in the top 10.

 

[theNBAnerd]

I thought it was interesting to see them ranked by their alphabetic stature.

alphabetically speaking, i'd rank a lot of those guys over sloan. jackson, rivers, fitch, even del negro. not zaslofsky, though. that guy sucks.

 

[Hitman]

I understood that the late LHM was the driving force behind this contract. Plus this was just after Pau Gasol was given a max contract he didn't deserve which "set the market". I don't blame KOC for this contract.

I have to agree with this. The biggest reason the contract is so bad is because his role changed. He was once the first option, now he is the 4th or 5th. How can anyone live up to that contract with that? Imagine if Gasol was the 4th or 5th option on his team??


Edit: Wait. You accusin a dead guy that can't defend him self? classy!

I know you weren't actually having a dig at me, but I still thought it worth trawling teh intrawebs for a contemporary article to let LHM speak for himself. This is from the Deseret News, 6 Oct 2004:

With a late-in-the-month deadline looming, Jazz All- Star forward Andrei Kirilenko is hopeful his NBA rookie contract will be extended for seasons to come -- and Jazz owner Larry H. Miller is confident a deal to do just that can be struck.

"We'd like to extend it," said Miller, whose franchise opened training camp Tuesday morning at Dixie State College.

"I mean, Andrei's a guy who we think belongs here," the Jazz owner added during a media-day session prior to the club's Monday-night departure for St. George. "He's certainly been a huge part of the excitement of the team the last couple of years, and I think, in terms of character, he's clearly our kind of guy.

"Talent-wise, he's clearly a person anybody would want to have. So, we certainly want to make a deal with Andrei -- and we need his agent to realize that there's got to be cooperation on both sides a little bit."

Kirilenko's agent -- Connecticut-based Marc Fleisher, who also represents recently signed Jazz center Mehmet Okur and recently re-signed Jazz swingman Gordan Giricek -- was out of the country Tuesday and could not immediately be reached for comment, a spokesman said.

But Kirilenko said discussions are ongoing between Fleisher and Kevin O'Connor, the Jazz's senior vice president for basketball operations.

"They're trying to talk about numbers, or some options, some rules in the extension," the 23-year-old Russian said.

"I know everything is going," Kirilenko added. "I don't how far it's going, but it's going. So, we'll see. We'll see."

O'Connor confirmed negotiations are under way and have been for some time.

An agreement, however, does not seem imminent -- despite the fact Kirilenko would become a restricted free agent if no deal is struck by Oct. 29.

"We're gonna continue to talk and see what comes out of it," O'Connor said. "I can't say 'yes' or 'no' or anything else."

Like O'Connor, Kirilenko did not want to publicly discuss specifics regarding the negotiations.

"I have an agent; he will work on it," Kirilenko said. "He knows my price, my situation, my position. That's why I pay him money."

There are other terms to iron out, but it is money matters that must be settled foremost before the deal can be extended.

Reports suggest Fleisher has acknowledged the Jazz already have expressed a willingness to pay Kirilenko something monetarily in excess of the six-year, $68 million contract the Jazz recently used to sign free-agent power forward Carlos Boozer.

But it is not known how close they are to offering something akin to the six-year, $76 million extension New Jersey recently gave to Richard Jefferson, or something similar to the deal recently made between Memphis and Grizzlies big man Pau Gasol.

Gasol reportedly signed a six-year extension worth the max permitted by terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players union -- likely somewhere between $82 million and $86 million, depending on a variety of variable factors, after all is said and done.

The Gasol agreement did not pass without notice from Kirilenko, who finished last season as the Jazz's leader in scoring (16.2 points per game), rebounding (8.1 per game), blocks (2.76) and steals (1.92).

"I think he deserved it," Kirilenko said. "He did a great job for Memphis, for the three years.

"Right now," the Jazz forward added, "I feel a little bit unhappy - - because his deal is done, my deal is not done. But that's a work in progress."

It's also one that seemingly would work out as beneficial for both sides.

By extending him now, the Jazz would avoid exposing their lone All-Star to a market in which another team could offer Kirilenko a highly front-loaded deal designed to dissuade Utah from matching.

And by consenting to extend now, Kirilenko could guarantee himself a six-season deal -- important considering the possibility that contract lengths could soon by shortened within the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement.

"I think it makes sense," Miller said, "for both sides to do it now, especially if you look at the potential pitfalls in the collective bargaining agreement."

According to Miller, however, coming to terms will require "a little bit of conciliation -- from both sides."

If that's what it takes, Kirilenko may be willing. He has, after all, often expressed a desire to remain with the small-market Jazz.

"For sure," Kirilenko said. "Salt Lake is my first city for NBA in America, and I like everything here.

"I'm ready for anything," he added. "You know -- I think good, but I'm ready for bad."

Key points: this article quotes Miller extensively, barely mentions KOC, compares AK to Gasol, and reminds us AK was the team leader in points, boards, blocks and steals.

 

[Borat]

I understood that the late LHM was the driving force behind this contract. Plus this was just after Pau Gasol was given a max contract he didn't deserve which "set the market". I don't blame KOC for this contract.

Gasol turned out to be worth his contract though, unlike AK, who turned out to be worth 1/4 of his.

 

[freakazoid]

Buford T justice.

Don't act like you don't know the flaming chicken.

Balls.......Shaved..........