The Jazz are coming up on the first anniversary of Jerry Sloan's resignation as head coach in Salt Lake City and Karl Malone, no fan of Deron Williams is once again pushing the idea that Sloan quit because the Jazz owner, Greg Miller, and GM, Kevin O'Connor, refused to back Sloan in his ongoing battle with Williams, that they vetoed Sloan's plan to suspend Williams for insubordination.
"I know for a fact that [Sloan] was overridden on practices sometime on the road because Deron was calling our G.M. at that time," Malone said, among other things. " … You give a guy that much power, and he’s the kind of player you think he played hard all the time, but if he wanted to sulk he could sulk."
But Sloan and Miller both issued statements saying Malone is wrong. "It is not true that the Millers undermined my authority as head coach," wrote Sloan. "I had their complete backing to run the team as I wished and was assured that no player could ever overrule my decisions." D-WIll had his own comment about Malone, according to Jody Genessey of the Deseret News, "I don't respond to people who talk about themselves in the third person."
- Monson: A year later, Karl Malone calls out the Jazz on Jerry Sloan’s exit - Gordon Monson - Salt Lake Tribune
- Sloan denies lack of support - Brad Rock - Deseret News
- Jazz: Malone, Miller feud over Sloan, tickets - Jarom Moore - KSL
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Utah’s owner strikes back at Karl Malone - Kelly Dwyer - Ball Don't Lie
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Karl Malone - Greg Miller - Greg In Utah