Jerry Sloan once coached temperamental star Karl Malone for 15 years. Perhaps his next challenge could be another such guy, Dwight Howard.
Sloan told FOX Sports Florida on Tuesday he has interest in the Orlando Magic job, which became open Monday when Stan Van Gundy was fired.
“Yes, I think so,’’ Sloan said from his farm in McLeansboro, Ill., about his interest. “It would be very intriguing. But they would have to be interested in me.’’
Sloan, a Hall of Famer, resigned from the Utah Jazz in February 2011 after 23 seasons. But he said not long after that he got the urge to return to coaching.
Even though he’s never won a ring, Sloan is rightly considered one of the best coaches of all time, and would certainly be the biggest name available to replace Stan Van Gundy. Still, there are plenty of reasons to think that this won’t happen in Orlando. Sloan resigned from the Jazz position after publicly clashing with superstar point guard Deron Williams, who would be Howard’s running mate if Dwight does manage to get himself traded to the Brooklyn Nets, and has not traditionally been known as a “player’s coach.” He likes to fit his players to the complex version of the Flex Offense he’s become famous for running in the NBA, not the other way around, which would make him something of an illogical choice for a position in which immediate success would be a requirement.
Sloan is a fantastic coach, and could do wonders with the Magic if the team and Dwight Howard was willing to be patient with him, but right now, Dwight Howard wants Mike Malone or Brian Shaw, so I’d be surprised if anyone not named Mike Malone or Brian Shaw was coaching the Magic next season. Still, anything can happen.
