lunch with sloan at delta center- i just got back from lunch at the delta center with sloan. it was fun, see pictures at
jazzcrap.com.
here's my post from the message boards.
so i just got back from having lunch at the Delta Center with Jerry Sloan. Snyder was also there, but didn't speak at all. i guess once a month they arrange to have a group of season ticket holders to have lunch with the coach. there was probably 50-60 people there, sloan talked and then answered a few questions. food was ok too..
it was fun, a really good time.. i sat at a table with two guys, a jazz ticket sales rep, and the jazz director of media relations, i guess her name is cindy.. kirk snyder sat at the table next to us, pretty close to us still.
jerry first came up to the podium and started off by saying "i just don't know what to say. we've had an outstanding season," prompting laughter from the crowd. "it's been a lot of fun." he said he was thankful he still has a job considering all of the coaches who have been recently fired, especially with the 40+ loss season. he was happy to be part of the organization..
someone asked him if there was a specific player in the draft the jazz were looking at, he says he doesn't really have time to watch college ball, but everyone knows about the big man up at utah. he was the only one mentioned specifically..
about having a sloan statue next to stockton and malones - jerry says he really isn't a "statue person" so he doesn't mind not having one.. that was funny, we were all laughing.
asking about how the jazz give up so many 3's and defense just isn't working against the long ball - he says to be a playoff team, you can't give up easy baskets. he'd rather have space for the 3 than give up easy layups every time down the court.
shot clock violations - jerry said he'd rather have a shot clock violation than a wild shot, which could turn into a fast break for the other team. he doesn't like making his players run 94 feet back to the other side to play defense..
about boozer and memo's acquisition - he says in their old teams, they were support players. this year, they have had a bigger role and they will fit into the roll eventually. he says he hopes they will work in the offseason and come back at the beginning of next season, in shape and ready to go.
about carlos arroyo's trade to detroit, basically for nothing - he says when we started off so strong with mcleod in the lineup, arroyo came back and we started losing, then he sprained his ankle and missed 10 games.. he talked about how he always likes to have 3 point guards on the roster, in case one gets sick they still have enough to go around. he didn't speculate much other than that.
about when boozer will be back - he says boozer had a cast removed and is now in a boot for about 2 weeks, says about another week in the boot or so.. he says he looked at boozers x-rays, he says it doesn't look good and he isn't even a doctor. he said the injury is minor, he's not sure if surgery is necessary or not, but i heard him mention that.
about who calls the plays, the point guard or the coach - he says even in the days of stockton, he was always the one calling all of the plays. stock used to say he was busy worrying about running the show, getting players to go where they need to, he didn't want to also have the burden of playcalling as well, so sloan called the plays. he says the same system has been going on this year as well.
it was fun to be there. when we left, we got hats that snyder signed for us as we walked out. i am working on some pictures now.
