The Downbeat: Mr. Sloan Goes To Milwaukee Edition

There has been a lot of talk of Ante Tomic lately. One by David Locke here, one by YahooSports here, and one by Amar who tried to April-Fool us all that Tomic was coming over the pond midseason here.

While it still feels like we're in the realm of "not likely leaving for the NBA" when we refer to Tomic, we can say that there is heightened interest in him. He is improving. Having averaged 12 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1 bpg in only 24 minutes a game. Basically he's a 3rd big in a rotation just waiting to happen. Which is why now makes sense for him.

He would have been out of his mind to cross the pond to the Jazz when they Jazz had Boozer, Millsap, Okur, Fesenko, and Collins. He would have been crazy to do the same with Jefferson, Millsap, Evans, Kanter, and Favors. But now it's different. The Jazz only have Kanter, Favors, and Evans on the roster. There is not an established 3rd big in the rotation. We are not privy to his contract stipulations with FC Barcelona right now. We don't know the specifics or its outs. But the sheer fact that we have representation at the Euro Final Four to watch him play is cause for alarm. After all, when he was having success two years ago there wasn't a Jazz representative there at the game. Something tells me the Jazz are working hard to have him come over.

With that said, I believe the Jazz are seriously moving past the Millsap era. They are also moving past the Jefferson era. Unless we just have a fascination with creating logjams at the Power Forward position (which wouldn't surprise me) I believe the Jazz looking at big men in the draft and focusing in on Tomic overseas shows a paradigm shift. The Jazz are going young, folks. Get excited.

Jerry Sloan has been contacted by the Milwaukee Bucks to coach. This is alarming seeing as Milwaukee is only 3 hours and 18 minutes away from John Deere Headquarters in Moline, IL. Wisconsin makes a lot of cheese. So it would only make sense to hire a coach to create a lot of whine to go with their cheese. This is scary stuff folks.

Another coaching vacancy. Another Jerry Sloan mention.

This one, however, seems to have legs under it.

The former Utah Jazz coach has met with the Milwaukee Bucks and "is being seriously considered" for that franchise's head coaching vacancy, according to USA Today.

Since his shocking midseason resignation from the Jazz in February 2011, Sloan's name has popped up in reports and rumors with multiple coaching gigs — including Portland, Los Angeles and Brooklyn, to name a few.

Milwaukee is looking for a replacement for Scott Skiles, who like Sloan, left in the middle of the season. Assistant Jim Boylan took over on an interim basis, but he didn't get permanently hired after the Bucks' late-season slide.

USA Today reported that Sloan "has been looking for a landing spot for quite some time, but he could be a tailor-made fit for a Bucks situation that has much in common with the Utah job he held for 23 years."

Look, if he met with Milwaukee, he was serious about meeting with them because I don't think he'd waste anybody's time in doing that," O'Connor, who worked with Sloan from 1999 through 2011, told The Big Show. "If Milwaukee's smart, they'd hire him if he wanted to take the job.

Yep. If Milwaukee's smart, they'd hire him. Unfortunately, the Utah Jazz won't. WELP.

In two days, our fearless leader, Amar, and I will be in Chicago to cover the NBA draft combine. Provided we actually get in and this isn't a huge practical joke on their part we will provide you up to the minute information on what is going on. We will try not to embarrass anyone from Utah. Luckily, neither of us are from Utah so we won't be able to embarrass you. Basically, I just want to tell you guys we won't let you down and just get excited. We got some good representation at this thing.

The NBA Draft Lottery is going to be held on week from today on the 21st of May. In that lottery the Jazz will have a .5% of winning it. SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE!!! But in all seriousness the Jazz really have no shot of winning this thing. Go ahead and click the NBA Draft Machine button 200 times to get the right scenario for the Jazz to win. Go ahead. I dare you. You did? How long did that take? An hour? Feel proud of yourself? I bet you do. Here's a list of things the Jazz have a greater chance of doing than winning the NBA Draft Lottery. (Not really, but some of these are just funny.)

Odds of bowling a 300 game: 11,500 to 1

Odds of getting a hole in one: 5,000 to 1

Odds of getting canonized: 20,000,000 to 1

Odds of being an astronaut: 13,200,000 to 1

Odds of winning an Olympic medal: 662,000 to 1

Odds of an American speaking Cherokee: 15,000 to 1

Odds that a person between the age of 18 and 29 does NOT read a newspaper regularly: 3 to 1

Odds that an American adult does not want to live to age 120 under any circumstances: 3 to 2

Odds of injury from fireworks: 19,556 to 1

Odds of injury from shaving: 6,585 to 1

Odds of injury from using a chain saw: 4,464 to 1

Odds of injury from mowing the lawn: 3,623 to 1

Odds of fatally slipping in bath or shower: 2,232 to 1

Odds of drowning in a bathtub: 685,000 to 1

Odds of being killed on a 5-mile bus trip: 500,000,000 to 1

Odds of being killed sometime in the next year in any sort of transportation accident: 77 to 1

Odds of being killed in any sort of non-transportation accident: 69 to 1

Odds of being struck by lightning: 576,000 to 1

Odds of being killed by lightning: 2,320,000 to 1

Odds of being murdered: 18,000 to 1

Odds of getting away with murder: 2 to 1

Odds of being the victim of serious crime in your lifetime: 20 to 1

Odds of dating a supermodel: 88,000 to 1

Odds of being considered possessed by Satan: 7,000 to 1

Odds that a first marriage will survive without separation or divorce for 15 years: 1.3 to 1

Odds that a celebrity marriage will last a lifetime: 3 to 1

Odds of getting hemorrhoids: 25 to 1

Odds of being born a twin in North America: 90 to 1

Odds of being on plane with a drunken pilot: 117 to 1

Odds of being audited by the IRS: 175 to 1

Odds of having your identity stolen: 200 to 1

Odds of dating a millionaire: 215 to 1

Odds of dating a supermodel: 88,000 to 1

Odds of finding out your child is a genius: 250 to 1

Odds of catching a ball at a major league ballgame: 563 to 1

Odds of becoming a pro athlete: 22,000 to 1

Odds of finding a four-leaf clover on first try: 10,000 to 1

Odds of a person in the military winning the Medal of Honor: 11,000 to 1

Odds of winning an Academy Award: 11,500 to 1

Odds of striking it rich on Antiques Roadshow: 60,000 to 1

Odds of getting a royal flush in poker on first five cards dealt: 649,740 to 1

Via Funny2.com