Jazz turn to the past in hopes for a better future


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz fans sure do miss the good old days. And it looks like the organization feels the same way.

The Jazz aren't used to mediocrity, and based on their actions so far this offseason, they are determined to do something about it. They didn't win enough games to make the playoffs, but they are well on their way to winning the offseason.

General Manager Dennis Lindsay and his staff have been holding more auditions than a casting director for a broadway musical.

They have worked out nearly 70 draft prospects and they also hosted a free agent mini-camp that featured 24 free agents who spent last year in the D-League or Europe.

This is Lindsay's first full offseason as the General Manager of the Jazz and he his certainly working hard to get this draft right and put his stamp on the organization. If this new approach is something he's brought with him from San Antonio then fans can't help but get excited about that.

While they are conducting this new and thorough evaluation of draft prospects one of the evaluators is an old and familiar face.

Jerry Sloan joined his former assistant and now head coach Ty Corbin at the NBA Scouting Combine in Chicago last month.

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He has attended most of the pre-draft workouts at the practice facility. He watches the workouts and members of the front office ask him for his opinion on what he observes.

It became official on Wednesday that Sloan has accepted a new role as a senior basketball advisor with the Jazz.

Jerry Sloan is back.

"I'm just happy to be back and hope that I can lend some advice as we go forward," Jerry said.

Who wouldn't mind having a Hall of Famer to lean on for advice. That will be a luxury available to Utah Jazz head coach Ty Corbin who enters the final year of his contract. He seems open to advice from his mentor as he deals with the challenges and criticism that come with being a young head coach in the NBA.

"I know the man," Corbin said. "And I know the knowledge and the loyalty that he has, not only to me but to this organization and to this community and how much of a passion he has for us to succeed."

Sloan made it clear he isn't coming back to step on any toes and Corbin made it clear he is open to the honest evaluations from the Hall of Famer.


I know the man. And I know the knowledge and the loyalty that he has, not only to me but to this organization and to this community and how much of a passion he has for us to succeed.

–Ty Corbin


"I will lean on him in a lot of ways just to help me grow through this process," Corbin said.

Karl Malone also made it clear that he won't be stepping on Corbin's toes in his new role as a part-time big man coach.

The thought of the Mailman taking Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter under his wing and putting them through a grueling workout sounds like a great plot for a reality tv show. The reality for the Jazz is the hope that a little bit of what makes Karl Malone great can rub off on their talented young bigs.

What impact Karl's role as a coach will have on the Jazz remains to be seen but his return to the franchise is significant for another reason.

A year ago a spat between Karl and Jazz CEO Greg Miller played out in public. The thought of the Hall of Famer and one of the two most important players in Jazz history being sideways with the organization was unsettling for fans.

His return to the organization signified to fans that Miller and Malone had not only settled their differences, but found a way to allow Malone to be a part of the organization and help them win games.

Now that Malone and Sloan have been reunited with the Jazz why not get the whole band back together?

Somebody call John Stockton.

It turns out someone already did.

"We'll see," said Corbin. "We had a phone conversation with him."

Stay tuned.

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Jeremiah Jensen

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