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The Downbeat #1366: The Anonymous GM Edition

Ostertag. Chad Ford. Randy Rigby.

By dianaallen
Caption this photo
Caption this photo
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday Greg Ostertag did a great interview with 1320 KFAN. Yesterday Dennis Lindsey did an interview on ESPN 700. I like when the other stations in the market interview Jazz people, there is always a different kind of feel to the interviews than when the same person interviews on 1280. Nothing against 1280, I am not bashing them. I just like that with the other stations you get different kinds of questions which leads to different responses which can change the whole tone of an interview.

Anyways going back to Ostertag's interview. Moni has our transcript. I listened to most of to it live, it was fun to hear Ostertag's voice.

I loved hearing about his relationship with Sloan. I think hearing it and knowing how their relationship is now just shows what great men they are. Here is what Tag had to say about Sloan:

What kind of impact did Jerry have on you?
When I was playing for him, I hated him. (laughs) …

He’s had a big impact on, especially my career after, or my life after basketball, ’cause you know, I look back a lot on the way my career went and the run-ins him and I had, and now, e–you know, everybody used to say, you know, if he didn’t care he wouldn’t yell at you. I thought he cared way too much sometimes.

But you know, looking back on it, he was really, he really was doing it in my best interests. And I fought it and fought it, and you know, now I see what was going on. And I’ve tried to use that, things he would tell me in basketball, in my everyday life. And you know, I think I’m a better person for it. I see how I more was wrong in my younger days, and he was right.

Its no secret that Ostertag and Sloan had their issues during Ostertag's playing days. Many players I imagine would never build the friendship that Sloan and Ostertag have now if they hated their coach during their career. Sloan and Greg are different that way. They are great men in that they can get past their professional relationship and hardships and become friends.

I remember shortly after Jerry left the Jazz. I was driving home from my job at the Daily Herald. I was listening to a national late night sports talk show. The guest was Ostertag. It was the kind of interview where I had to stay in my car until it finished although I arrived home. it was that good. Ostertag was fiercely loyal to Sloan in the interview. Ostertag also shared that Jerry called him the day after Jerry quit. Jerry and Ostertag also go hunting together.

I find it fascinating. Other players in the past have had these close friendships also.  A most recent example from just this past Sunday:


We need our players to have this again. With the Jazz it makes all the difference on the court.

More from the Ostertag interview:

On successful coaching and Jeff Hornacek
I still think the teams that are successful are the teams that are, you know, teams that execute and where the coach is more in control of the team. …

I think when you get teams that buy into what a coach is trying to do, and not fight the coach–I don't care if it’s up and down as fast as you can go or coming down and running the set offense and making a team play defense for 22 seconds to get the shot you want–it works.

It’s, you know, to me the teams that don't, aren't successful are the teams that go out there and they have their own idea, the players have their own idea of how things are run. And you can see it in the coach’s face. You know, he’s just kinda over there as a figure that’s supposed to be a coach. …

Great example. [Jeff Hornacek], Horny, down here. He’s done a great job with a team that nobody expected him to do anything with. They missed the playoffs by one game. And people ask me about it, and I said, "Look. If they'll listen to what he has to say, and play the way he asks them to play, they're gonna be successful."

Just is how Horny is. I mean, we'd be in the huddle in timeouts, and Horny would, you know, basically draw the play up, or say, "Let’s look at it this way," and both Phil [Johnson] and Jerry would be, "Okay, let’s do it that way." So, Horny’s gonna be really successful, especially if you can get him a, you know, another couple good players down here.

#Jazztears. That last paragraph just so many #Jazztears.

I like what Ostertag says about the coaches that are just figures that's supposed to be a coach. We don't need that again. We need a coach who will lead and guide our players.  We need a coach who will be respected enough by the players that they will buy into what the coach wants from them.

On that front no new Jazz coaching news for over a week.

Chad Ford answered a few questions about the Jazz in his chat yesterday:

Screen_shot_2014-05-29_at_9.53.42_pm_medium

Thoughts?

Then Chad Ford tweeted some things that got some Jazz fans excited but made Peter tweet some funny funny tweets.

Now Peter's response:

So funny!!

Randy Rigby always a treat on the Zone. Love his interviews. Moni has the transcript.  So much gold in it, so go read it.

This was a hot topic on Twitter.

The Jazz are holding an "open" scrimmage on July 10
We’re going to have this year, on July 10, particularly for our good sponsors, also our season ticket holders–another plug, by the way, of why you should be a season ticket holder–we’re gonna have for them, to be able to come out and see this young team in an open scrimmage practice, that is going to be hopefully a prequel to, then, the Rocky Mountain Revue next year.

But we’re gonna have them on July 10. We’re gonna do this scrimmage, that we will then have a great festival and some fun…We want our community* here to have the first taste and the first touches with this exciting young team.

Ash felt differently:

How do you feel?

This lead to a discussion about how the Jazz do in the PR department and events in general:

What are your suggestions to improve the Jazz fan experience? In no way am I bashing the Jazz. I have had amazing times at chalk talks, when my daughter was a courtside kid, and of course when I was Greg Miller's guest.  I just thought it would be fun to brainstorm all together.

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