Tyrone Corbin was thrown into one of the most hostile situations of any head basketball coach in the association. He has the reward of being named the head coach of the Utah Jazz, who are currently without the legendary Jerry Sloan. Now that Corbin has had his debut with the Jazz, which was a home game against the red hot Phoenix Suns, and lost, what’s next for the young coach?
Every Jazz fan who has watched the team for any of the last 23 seasons, knew that Sloan was a great coach. They came to expect a deep playoff run, and nothing less from the sure-fire Hall of Fame candidate. In steps Corbin. It is known that Corbin was one of the most respected assistant coaches in the entire NBA, and more than likely would have been offered a head coaching job somewhere else in this offseason. The Jazz have so much faith in Corbin that they are not even addressing him as, ‘The Interim Head Coach,’ but simply, ‘The Head Coach.’
As expected, the Jazz lost their first game without Sloan at the helm. But does this suddenly mean that the Jazz’s season is doomed and that they might as well just start playing to end the season? Does this mean that Corbin will never be able to coach at the same level as Sloan, and that the Jazz will still never win a Championship? Utah fans, I have one word- Patience.
It’s not going to be an easy task to get over a coach who has been on the same team for 23 years. The transition from Sloan to Corbin is not going to be seamless, and the switch is not going to result in instant wins. This is one of the few things in sports that can’t be fixed by an All-Star player (Deron Williams), or an amazing fan base. This is something that the Utah Jazz organization and their players need to work out.
The Jazz had great chemistry when Sloan was coaching, whether or not Deron Williams was involved, and it translated directly to wins. To develop chemistry with a coach like the Jazz had with Sloan, it does not happen overnight. It is something that is going to take time, and although Jazz fans don’t want to hear it, there is going to be a few more losses than usual down the line. Although, when that chemistry is found, the Jazz will start to click.
Corbin was able to learn under Sloan for an abundance of years, and there is no reason that he won’t be able to bring the fire just like Sloan did in his younger days. Corbin may by Sloan 2.0 and the Jazz have no idea. It’s possible that Corbin will turn this season around and he will be able to lead the Jazz to a Championship. Who knows if Jazz fans don’t even give the guy a shot. People need to get over the, ‘Sloan or no deal,’ mentality, because it is the opposite of what Corbin, and the Jazz need.
I wish I could predict how many games it will take the Jazz to start flowing again. I really do wish that there was a number floating out there in reality that would tell everyone when Corbin and the Jazz will start dominating again. It could be in a week, it could be in two seasons. Utah just needs to take a step back, observe what is going on with the team, and get ready for the big change in play. Just be patient.


February 15th, 2011
Troy Ballard
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