Is Jerry Sloan Ready To Return To Coaching?

For 23 seasons, Jerry Sloan was the head coach for the Utah Jazz. A few disagreements between Sloan and star player Deron Williams caused Jerry to step down as the coach of the Jazz in 2011.

After just 1 season away from coaching, it looks like the 3rd winningest coach in NBA history is ready to return.

Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday that he has talked with Bobcats owner Michael Jordan about filling their coaching vacancy. Earlier that same day, he expressed interest in the Orlando Magic job with Fox Sports Florida.

Both teams would be happy to hire him as head coach. The reasons for Sloan being interested in these jobs are unknown outside of the fact that he wants to return to coaching.

But these jobs…. really? The Bobcats are far from good. The Orlando Magic are still in disarray with the Dwight Howard situation. Sloan will have to break down the pros and cons of each job before deciding on what to do.

Bobcats

Pros:

• Getting to work with Michael Jordan. Once a longtime nemesis now an ally.
• If lucky, winning the draft lottery and acquiring Anthony Davis.
• Low expectations. Years of playoff expectations in Utah are now replaced with a city hoping for a 20 win season.
• A young team to coach. Sloan is 70 years old and isn’t looking to deal with any “prima donna” players like he did in Utah.
• Charlotte. It’s not exactly the Big Apple or LA. Sloan has coached in small market Utah for 23 years.

Cons:

• A roster worthy of being in the NBA Developmental League. Being 70 with no chance at winning soon must be daunting.
• Working with Michael Jordan. Jordan has shown poor judgement as a front office guy since retiring. There is no reason to expect him to get any better now.
• Being mocked. Paul Silas was a fine coach for a long time. I doubt he enjoyed being last remembered as the guy who coached the Bobcats to the worst winning percentage ever. Sloan is old school as well. He too won’t enjoy being made fun of by every media outlet.
• Kemba Walker. Walker takes plenty of ill-advised shots. Think of him as the poorest man’s Allen Iverson. Just without the ability or on-floor leadership. It will drive Sloan up a tree.
• Losing the lottery. If the Bobcats don’t win the right to draft Anthony Davis there will be no hope for the future. Not anytime soon. Being setup as Michael Jordan’s scapegoat won’t be any fun.

Magic

Pros:

• If Dwight Howard stays you will already have a centerpiece to build around.
• A roster far superior to the Bobcats. It’s not exactly loaded but it’s not horrible either. Your closer to winning with the Magic.
• No work tax in the state of Florida. If that’s not a pro I don’t know what is.
• When Sloan gets fired he won’t have to move again to retire. Everyone knows old people move to Florida for retirement.
• Leverage. If Howard does decide to leave, Sloan will be all Orlando would have left. Sloan would than be able to build this team as he sees fit.

Cons:

• Dwight Howard. Early reports are that he wants to be traded. Regardless how this situation plays out, Sloan doesn’t have the patience to deal with a wishy-washy superstar like Howard. See Deron Williams 2011.
• No cap space. Clearly everything in Orlando depends on the Howard situation. But the Magic will still have an issue bringing in new talent. This season they had the 2nd highest payroll in the NBA. In fact, they still owe Gilbert Arenas money.
• Ownership. They have already sided with Howard. What’s not to say they wouldn’t throw Sloan under the bus if need be.
• Better opportunities. This could have been applied to the Bobcats job as well. Sloan can clearly do better than these 2 jobs. If he holds out I am sure the Knicks, Nets, Lakers, and 10 others will be open next season.
• Disney World, beaches, and bars. Sloan is 70 and by nature a coach. But he will still need activities to do in his downtime. What does a 70 year old man in Orlando do for fun? There’s only so much golf to be played.

Joseph Nardone is a Writer/Blogger for Sir Charles In Charge. You can follow him on the twitter machine@JosephNardone