Even though you can't ever really unsee things, I've mostly blocked out the Milt Palacio Experience. I had moved to LA and had a roommate who was a Philly fan through all of that. He'd sometimes sit down with me during games and amuse himself by watching me lose my mind that Palacio was constantly playing in real NBA games in front of Deron Williams. I never had one decent answer for that. But it does illuminate an interesting point.
Jerry actually has gotten better. He got worse after the Palacio season trying to run the team like he always had with his iron clad substitution patterns. And it looked hopeless after the Brevin Knight Experiment, coupled with Harpring dragging his colostomy bag up and down the floor for absurd stretches, but the injuries of 2008 actually made him a better coach. Or at least it showed he really wasn't an old man who would lose his mind if the diner ran out of oatmeal. He got creative.
He's still not a guy who would recognize a Shannon Brown who fell into his lap and actually play him, but Sloan has shown far more flexibility than I ever dreamed these last two years. My fear is he doesn't personally like it, or learned nothing from it, and is dying to get back to mailing in minutes for trusted stalwarts like Palacio, Harpring, Knight, and I won't even mention the older guys.
