Jerry Sloan Could Return Suddenly - The Downbeat - #578

   Whenever Jerry Sloan was asked about his tenure with the Jazz, he always said something along the lines of "Well, one day I could wake up and decide that's it."  So since he retired/resigned from the Jazz, he's been asked in nearly every interview if he's coming back.  Though he hasn't said it, I think you apply his same cookie-cutter answer, Well, one day I could wake up and decide to coach again."

If he decided that, he wouldn't have any shortage of suitors.  Next year's positions seem to be taken care of at the moment so 2012-13 would be the earliest that we could see Sloan again.  Although, if there's no season, would any head coaches lose their job?

About this same time last season, Sloan told Jody Genessy of the Deseret News what his motivation is to keep coaching,

 I don't know what I'd do. (I'd be bored) if I just went in the house and sat down. I don't see any excitement about that. I'm fortunate they've allowed me to come back. I've never looked for another job since I've been here, and if I leave this job then I'll have to look for another job ... whether it's a Walmart greeter or what have you.    

Sloan hasn't taken another job since February that I know of.  There were a multitude of reasons as to why I couldn't believe Sloan would step down as abruptly as he did.  In interviews and his press conference, he cited fatigue as the main factor for hanging things up.  After having the structure and routine that comes from playing and coaching basketball for the majority of his life, I believed the biggest reason why he would never quit, would be that he couldn't take doing nothing.

Steve Luhm caught up with Sloan and his wife Tammy at their home where she expresses the same,

Acknowledging that life these days is "different," Tammy Sloan sees her husband-in-retirement as a double-edged event.

"When he's at the farm, he's just fine," she said. "He's entertained all day. He gets up at 5 or 6 in the morning and messes around, taking care of stuff."

But?

"When he's here in Utah, he's bored out of his mind," she said. "He walks and he works out, but he's still looking for enough things to keep him busy."

Sloan goes on to say that he hasn't missed the game as much as he thought he would and that "[he] thought it would probably be a little more overwhelming that it has been."

If Sloan does get back into coaching, it may come as suddenly as his departure.

(Make sure to read the sidebar on Phil Johnson in Luhm's article.)

  Brian T. Smith headed south to catch up with Jeremy Evans at the Impact League.  Part of that was to gather questions on Twitter for Evans (since he isn't on twitter - but gets addressed in the interview) from the fans.  We will soon have the eating habits of every Jazz player,

Favorite place to eat in Salt Lake City: Ooh. Ever since they gave me this Cafe Rio card, I've been trying to use that because I don't want to waste it. They give me so much money on this card I'm trying to use it up. Just be respectful. They gave it to us, I'm using it.

If there is some kind of Cafe Rio black card, then I must have it.  Subway and Olive Garden better step up their game.

Smith also posted a little game action where defense was on full display.  This is the game where Evans was 8 for 8 from the field for 17 & 10.  He doesn't look like he's filled out much.  Better skip the chicken salads and double down on the steak burritos.

The second week of the Impact league kicks off today.  No word on whether Evans will continue to participate.

  Andrei Kirilenko and Russia finished up Eurobasket 2011 by beating Macedonia in the bronze metal game over the weekend.  AK was named to the All-Tournament team along with Pau Gasol, Bo McCalebb, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Tony Parker.

AK finished the tournament averaging 15 & 6 along with 2.3 steals and 2.6 assists per game.  He led the tournament in steals per game and shot 40.7% from three.

Kyrylo Fesenko didn't get much playing time, just 9.6 minutes per game.  His best game came against Slovenia when he shot 4 of 5 from the field and 3 of 5 from the line for 11 points.  Of course his tournament ended early when he suffered a knee injury against Belgium.

Enes Kanter was impressive in his Eurobasket debut.  He was noticeably rusty in some of the early friendlies, but once the tournament rolled around, he put up solid numbers and showed some promise.  He shot 60% (4th) from the field while averaging nearly 10 point and 4 rebounds a game.  That equates to about 19 & 8 per 36 minutes.  His best game came against Poland when he was 5/8 from the field and 9/10 from the line for 19 points.

Finally, Croatia and Ante Tomic didn't advance far, but Tomic had some strong games.  He put up 16 & 6 for the tournament while shooting 74% from the field.  He also shot 88% from the stripe, and aspect of his game that he has improved over the past few years.  I don't know what will become of Tomic and the Jazz. He signed a deal with Real Madrid in 2010 that will keep him in Spain through the 2013 season.  He will be 26 by the time that contract is up.

With Eurobasket done and the NBA and its players still at an impasse, we could see a bit more of an influx of players inking deals.  Fesenko was rumored to be signing with a club before his injury.  Kanter could and should end up on a team.  Andrei will have several options, including returning to CSKA Moscow.

  Lockout updates

NBA agents growing in favor of union decertification - Sam Amick - SI.com

According to two sources close to the situation, the agent for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and many more stars, CAA lead man Leon Rose, has privately made it known that he is in favor of the strategy that union officials have consistently resisted and deemed a "nuclear option." It's a potentially significant addition to a camp that already included a number of the most influential agents in the game, among them Arn Tellem (Wasserman Media Group), Dan Fegan (Lagardere Unlimited), Bill Duffy (BDA Sports), Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports), and Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management).

 

Some big-market owners hawkish on hard cap - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
But in actuality, several large-market owners are hawkish on the hard cap, according to sources close to the situation. The reason for this seeming contradiction is related to the enhanced revenue-sharing system the league will implement. The big-market owners will bear the brunt of the new system and, according to sources, some of them are adamant about having a hard cap so that if they must share revenues, they’ll have more money from which to pull.

...

One of the sources added that some large-market owners want to delay revenue-sharing for at least one season. This illustrates the complexity of the situation, and why the "large-markets-are-doves/small-markets-are-hawks’’ equation doesn’t work. For instance, while it’s long been reported that Phoenix’s Robert Sarver is a hawk, two sources close to the situation insist he’s one of the biggest doves in the ownership ranks.