The estimable Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune quotes former NBA Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden on current Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who just achieved his 1,000th victory as a coach in the NBA, regarding Sloan’s legendary toughness:
Sloan replaced Frank Layden in 1988, and this was Layden on Sloan: "Nobody fights with Jerry because you know the price would be too high. You might come out the winner, at his age, you might even lick him, but you’d lose an eye, an arm … everything would be gone.
"I know you’re going to think I’m kidding when I say this, but I saw Jerry Sloan fight at the Alamo, I saw him at Harpers Ferry, I saw him at Pearl Harbor. He’s loyal. He’s a hard worker. He’s a man.
There aren’t many men you can say that about these days.
And that is not a good thing.
This post reminds me of the recent passing of Red Aurebach of the Boston Celtics, who was one of the greatest NBA coaches. The type of team playing that was the hallmark of his coaching career is sorely missed in today’s NBA.