Miller said in the press conference that he thought he was protecting his coach over the incident, holding it against Dantley until he finally realized that such things happen.

Miller expressed regret over his own "foot-dragging."

Dantley said he has since learned that he wishes he'd been a better communicator so that he could have finished his career playing with Stockton and Malone in Utah. Instead, he was traded to Detroit.

Dantley often reiterated that Utah was his favorite place to play and a "second home" for himself and wife Dnitri, whom he married two years into his Utah career. Their two young daughters, Kalani and Kayla, attended Wednesday's ceremonies

But Dantley said he told his son, Cameron, that it costs $45,000 for him to attend Syracuse University, so he'd better stay there and complete spring football. Cameron is a redshirt sophomore and former walk-on who earned a scholarship and is now in the mix for the starting quarterback spot.

"I don't know why he played football," Dantley told the ESA crowd. Cameron has said it was to gain his own identity.

Dantley thanked Layden for his hard-driving coaching that he said made him a better player. "He always pushed the buttons," Dantley said. "He pushed them all the time with me."

And he said that now that the number retirement broke the ice with Miller and he can walk across the court and say hello to him, Dantley asked that Miller remember that current Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and assistant Phil Johnson won't be coaching forever and that, when they're done, he'd appreciate at least getting an interview for the Jazz head coaching position.

The stoic Dantley opened up during his daytime luncheon and press conference and admitted it was "an emotional day for me. I don't get emotional. I can't believe the way I'm acting," he said.

"It's a great feeling," he said, though he insisted he was frustrated at waiting so long but wasn't worried. "I knew one day my jersey would be up there."

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E-mail: lham@desnews.com