Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan went 262-174 and won four playoff series in five-plus seasons together. Since their much-publicized split, Williams has gone 71-77 and won zero playoff series, and Sloan hasn’t coached in the NBA.
Williams obviously wants to return to winning more often than not, and Sloan sounds like he wants to return to the sideline. With Williams’ Nets in the market for a coach, could a reunion be in order?
Deron Williams said he’d love to play for Sloan again, and believes he would bring the toughness out of them #Nets
Nets General Manager Billy King has yet to reach out to the Hall-of-Fame coach. And if he did so, Sloan isn’t against the idea of coaching his former All-Star point guard.
“I’m open, I would listen,” Sloan told CSNNW.com via phone. “I haven’t done the research on their roster, but I would definitely listen if they called.”
The increasingly contentious relationship between Sloan and Williams boiled over when they clashed at halftime of a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The showdown between Sloan and Williams became so heated on Wednesday, at least two Jazz players feared that the coach and star could come to blows – even though the confrontation ended before reaching that point.
But both Sloan and Williams must know they’d face an enormity of media attention if the Nets hire Sloan, and the probing would continue at even the slightest hint of disharmony throughout the season. Maybe, though, dealing with annoyances like that are worth it in the end.