"If I was a basketball player, I think I'd try to find out as much as I could from him," said Sloan, who took time out of his postgame news conference to greet Jordan as he walked past. "Obviously, he's such a great player — how can you go wrong?"

SLOAN ON TNT: Sloan recently sat down with TNT's John Thompson, the ex-Georgetown coach, for a "Timeout With Thompson" segment that will air during tonight's TNT's postgame show, "Inside the NBA."

A sampling of Sloan's remarks:

• On Frank Layden, whom he succeeded as Jazz coach in 1988: "I'd be working for him still if he didn't step down. His coaching was never recognized as much as it should because he was so popular, but I've never been around a guy who could teach what was important on and off the floor the way he did. No one challenged him. He loved to have fun, but he got guys to play as hard as anyone, and in coaching you are very lucky if you can get guys to play hard."

• On his players: " ... when I have a problem with a player, I see how he gets on the bus the next morning to see who he is deep down."

• On the Hall of Fame: "I'm not worried about it. Never think about it, and don't think of me as that. Never have and never will."

MISC.: Backup center Jarron Collins made a fourth straight start in place of Mehmet Okur, who has missed five straight games with a strained left shoulder. ... Collins sustained a slight muscle strain on his right hip-area side Wednesday, but finished the game. ... Okur's status for Friday is uncertain. ... Backup forward Matt Harpring, who missed his third straight game due to gastrointestinal issues, still is expected to rejoin the team in time for Friday's game.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com