Utah Jazz: Change a constant for team
Sloan, who could win his 1,003rd game as the Jazz's coach tonight at home against the Milwaukee Bucks, says he doesn't like to see players traded away.
He likes familiar faces, especially when they're talented and hard-working.
He likes to stick with similar lineups and substitution patterns.
He just likes things to work steadily, reliably, like clockwork with an extra heavy emphasis on the work part, of course.
"I like for everything to be kind of consistent, have some continuity," he said Tuesday at practice. "But sometimes you can't do it."
Especially not yet this year. It's an odd twist, really. So much stayed the same on the Jazz with 13 players returning from 2007-08 squad but so much has changed and almost on a daily basis due to injuries and various other situations that have forced guys out of action.
Change has been the only constant, it seems, for the Jazz to begin the 2008-09 campaign.
Phew. If you needed an extra breath to read that sentence, try coaching it.
And that's just one position Sloan has had to juggle.
He has also had to play a balancing act at point guard between Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight because Deron Williams suffered a left sprained ankle in the preseason and has only played twice. On top of that, he had already replaced Andrei Kirilenko with C.J. Miles as the starting small forward.
Throw in other various injuries from Kirilenko's sprained right index finger, to Matt Harpring's ailing ankle, to Kyle Korver's injured right wrist, to Knight's strained groin to Fesenko's wounded visa and the Jazz's roster has been more volatile than the stock market.
So much for continuity.
Recent comments
Ijust enjoy the game. the jazz are great wether they win or loose....
Hondo | Nov. 20, 2008 at 1:23 a.m.
In your article you state, " Sloan, who could win his 1,003rd game as...
Miles 2 | Nov. 19, 2008 at 3:08 p.m.
Magnus...I thought Korver was a great example. He stands on the 3...
Miles | Nov. 19, 2008 at 12:32 p.m.
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