Coach admits Jazz 'zoned' out

PHOENIX — After finishing a ridiculous stretch in the schedule calling for six of seven games on the road and outings in the Eastern time zone Friday in Toronto, the Central time zone Saturday in Chicago, the Mountain time zone Monday at home in Utah and the Pacific time zone Tuesday at Sacramento, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan made a concession he normally would not.

He has a tired team.

"I was proud of our guys for fighting to try to get back in it," Sloan said after the Jazz cut a first-quarter lead of 21 to three in the second quarter before eventually losing 119-83 to the Kings on Tuesday. "But we just play the game so casual to start off with. I don't know if we're afraid we're gonna get tired at times when we're out there, or what. . . . We've got to compete and let it all go.

"Part of that, has to do with we probably are a little bit tired, in all fairness to these guys," added Sloan, whose Jazz are idle until playing at Phoenix on Friday. "I hate to say that. Nobody in their right mind wants to read that in the newspaper.

"But I have to be honest a little bit, because, you know, we've played in four different zones in five days. That's a little bit tougher than people realize."

CALLING STOCKTON, MALONE? After owner Larry H. Miller's much-publicized tirade directed toward Jazz players and coaches between the third and fourth quarters of Utah's loss to New York on Monday, current Jazz swingman and ex-San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Brown was asked what he thought.

"We were sinking a little bit. Just trying to keep the ship going," Brown said. "So, anything that he was saying really didn't have a part in what we were trying to do."

The Jazz, Brown seemed to suggest, simply tuned out Miller while in the heat of battle.

In San Antonio, where he played before joining the Jazz as a free agent this past offseason, Brown recalls enduring no such rants from ownership. Rather, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich simply called in The Admiral when the Spurs' ship started to take on water.

"There are times in a season when a coach will call on certain guys," Brown said. "If we had lost two in a row, (David) Robinson would come from Hawaii. Just his presence in the locker room said enough.

"Not really a vocal guy," Brown added with reference to Robinson, San Antonio's retired former NBA MVP. "Just kind of came, and was walking around the locker room before the game, and everybody knew, 'OK, let's pick it up.' "