Now, looking back on what has taken place over the last two weeks, it's not only a disturbing result but also a disgusting implication as to Greg Miller's ineptitude and hubris.
The scenario I see, is one where, yeah, Sloan and Deron are not getting along. And I think it was likely becoming a doomsday scenario.
Deron or Sloan. One had to go. I really think it came down to this, and that we were witness to discord and even disobedience from Deron.
Did Deron break Sloan's plays? Did Sloan try to bench him? Whatever went on, we know that KOC and GM (irony) became directly involved at halftime, at which point Sloan resigned.
What I think happened was Miller caved to the star player. He caved as gambit, one where Sloan was THE problem for Deron, and thus the franchise. By rejecting Sloan -- forcing him out by stripping him of power; trying to humiliate him -- Miller likely figured that this would convince Deron to stay.
He might have been idiotic enough to think that he could, then, get an immediate commitment from Deron by giving him what he wanted most. But psychologically, and as a spoiled brat in his own life, Miller should have known better: should have known that giving into his star player would only convince that same star of just how powerful he was, and drain any power Utah had in dealing with him.
If there was a man in Utah's organization that demanded -- commanded -- respect, it wasn't in upper management. It was on that bench, and in that office. It was the only Hall of Famer in the building that night.
Everything the Utah Jazz embodied -- all the words and cliches -- were defined and made true by Sloan.
And now it's all gone, along with him.
How did Deron end up in New Jersey, two short weeks later, after such a choice by Jazz brass?
By the very factor of that choice. Utah got even worse after the decision was made, and Deron appeared to be as petulant as ever.
Further, he went from being noncommital about Utah, to outright hostile in his statements: the LeBron James name drop could not have been any more clear. And it's certainly possible that Deron leaked the idea of moving on to the Knicks himself.
So let's say you're Miller. You're not particularly bright; in fact, you probably have thoughts that are actually padded out in Tweets. You also have little to no clue about running an NBA team, yet you have now run the Hall Of Fame Coach that defined the organization for parts of three decades out of the building.
And you did this for Williams, the player who won't commit and is dissing you in the press. You wanted Jerry there, but you didn't have the balls to stand up to this punk.
So, no, you aren't good at your 'job', as you've never really had one. And paying close attention or really thinking things through...well, that's never been an issue before, why start now?
The two things you do have, which have always been massive, are conflated and compounding: a massive ego and the money to make people pay when you feel slighted.
Looking at all these traits, what do you do with Williams after this show of disrespect, after he's made it clear again and again that he won't stay without a high-powered team that you have no interest or ability in providing?
You do the same thing you did with Boozer. Only, thanks to the meltdown that's already taken place from the Boozer mistake on, you do it immediately.
That is, you let you're personal animus guide your judgment, and let it be the new defining characteristic of an organization named the 'Utah Jazz'.
You trade Deron Williams, and pretend it's an act of great courage rather than one of pathetic short-sightedness. To make matters worse, you tear not only the roster apart, but first make possible the best coach in the league -- particularly in relation to making your sewer water into a respectable bottle of wine (say, something from Priorat) -- off the sidelines mere weeks before creating an ugly reality that he could excel with.
You tear the entire team apart over the course of 8 months, all due to your inability to think things through.
And the Jazz, as the loyal of fans of Utah have known them -- as loyal fans from around the country and world have respected or even loved them -- are no more. There's nothing left. Nothing but a logo.
But maybe, just maybe, you followed Karl Malone's advice: on talent this could be an old school roster. After all, the old school, circa 1980, Utah Jazz were so bad they couldn't give tickets away.
An amazing achievement, in that you pulled all this off in a matter of, well, take your pick: 2 years, 8 months, or even just two weeks.
So what is the future of this organization, now? How can it ever be trusted again, after this?
And that's the point, as open question and closed statement.
These aren't Stockton to Malone's Jazz. Williams to Boozer's. Jerry and Phil's.
Or your father's.
What a disgrace. To all those men. What an epic failure.
And as with so many events that are dramatic, unexpected and ugly, as quickly as it happened it's now over.
It's all over.
