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TOMASSON: Sloan slip-up bedevils ESPN

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 14, 2007 at 12:45 a.m.

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Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan suffered a halftime vocabulary meltdown this week, which mistakenly was broadcast on ESPN.

Photo by Steve C. Wilson / Associated Press

Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan suffered a halftime vocabulary meltdown this week, which mistakenly was broadcast on ESPN.

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George Karl admits to swearing every once in a while.

With that in mind, the Nuggets coach was a tad wary Dec. 6 when he was one of the first two coaches miked for a nationally televised game. Mike Fratello, a TNT analyst for that night's game, went so far as to call Karl and Dallas coach Avery Johnson "pioneers."

Karl can be thankful he wasn't a pioneer for something going wrong.

During a Wednesday ESPN game, a miked Jerry Sloan used a four-letter word after addressing his team at halftime. OK, it had an "ing" at the end, making it actually seven letters.

"I was surprised," said Karl, who watched the telecast. "Did he say what I think he said? It was hard to understand. The whole thing it comes down to is, that stuff can't be on TV for many reasons. You can't even beep it off. It's just got to be cut."

What makes it such a problem is Sloan's speech wasn't live.

"We apologize for the inadvertent expletive during a taped halftime segment Wednesday night during the Utah-Phoenix telecast," ESPN spokesman Mark Mandel said, reading a prepared statement. "It was said quietly, and we missed it."

ESPN and NBA officials have been in communication with the Jazz. NBA spokesman Mark Broussard said it was a "mistake" in that the "approved segment ran 2 seconds too long."

Even before the Sloan slip-up, NBA coaches had some reservations about being miked. But the bottom line is they have no choice for national TV games, with commissioner David Stern having laid down the law at September's annual coach's meeting.

Coaches have been miked so far for four TNT games and four ESPN games. Also, for nationally televised games, the visiting coach must grant an interview after the first quarter and the home coach after the third.

Players are also being miked, but it's optional. The Nuggets' Eduardo Najera and the Mavericks' Jerry Stackhouse were wired Dec. 6. Najera, who had some discomfort early in the game wearing a microphone pack but eventually got used to it, said he would do it again.

During Wednesday's early ESPN game, Houston forward Shane Battier was the mike-wearing star. With Rockets coach Rick Adelman and Detroit counterpart Flip Saunders apparently not saying anything that would result in soaring ratings, ESPN regularly went to Battier.

"You ignore me," Battier is shown saying to affable referee Dick Bavetta. "I just want to talk to you. Say hello."

In Wednesday's ESPN nightcap, Sloan did more than say hello.

"We got to pick up some toughness somewhere," Sloan said at halftime to his team, on its way to a fifth straight loss.

After his speech, he muttered there were a "(expletive) four minutes" on the clock before the start of the second half.

"It's a scenario that needs to try to find a happy ground, a happy compromise, something that makes coaches happy and makes the game of basketball better and makes TV people feel like we're partners in their conquest to have better ratings and have a better show," Karl said Thursday.

Karl said early this week he felt "limited" addressing his team at halftime against the Mavericks, knowing he was miked. But he said he "didn't hold back that much" during the game.

"I tried not to swear as much as I normally do," he said. "I don't think I'm a big swearer anyway."

Coaches have been varied in how they feel about the new policy. Here's what some said before the Sloan incident:

* Sacramento's Reggie Theus: "The league is trying to be more TV friendly and fan friendly. I think it's great for that. I think there are coaches who feel like Big Brother is watching them."

* Johnson: "With the company I work for, it's mandatory."

* Cleveland's Mike Brown: "I make great money. Mr. Stern has done a terrific job with this league. I will wear a microphone."

Fratello sees the situation from both sides. He's a longtime coach and analyst.

"If our league is to continue to flourish and be that premier viewing attraction, we have to stay a step ahead to keep networks interested," he said before Sloangate.

Fratello called it an "evolving" process. Indeed, it is.

Tough on Duncan

Some fuel might be added to the Dallas-San Antonio rivalry.

If current voting totals hold and the Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki finishes second at forward in the West All-Star voting and the Spurs' Tim Duncan third, perhaps the NBA having originally placed Duncan at center will be the difference in Nowitzki starting.

On Nov. 21, with Spurs officials having expressed concern, the NBA moved Duncan on the ballot back to forward, his starting San Antonio position and where he has opened the past eight All-Star Games. There was thinking Duncan's streak would be ended by China native Yao Ming of Houston at center.

While the online ballot now lists Duncan at forward, paper ballots, which account for about one-third of voting totals, still have Duncan at center, although all his votes will count at forward.

Still, fans unaware of the change might vote for Yao or Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire at center on a paper ballot, then not vote for Duncan at forward when they might have otherwise.

Duncan was second in voting at forward last season, and the first-place finisher, Kevin Garnett, has moved from Minnesota to Boston of the East. Duncan, has fallen behind Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Nowitzki, two players he topped last season.

Since last year's voting, all Duncan has done is be fitted for a fourth title ring.

The Darko side

So much for NBA bust Darko Milicic resurrecting his career in Memphis.

Milicic, somehow drafted No. 2 by Detroit in 2003 and ahead of Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, is averaging a modest eight points in his first Grizzlies season.

Milicic had a chance to show his stuff to the Pistons on Tuesday. He scored 12 points in the first quarter but didn't score again in a 113-103 loss.

Milicic took advantage of Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace not starting because of the flu, although he ended up playing 30 minutes. Pistons guard Chauncey Billups joked Wallace didn't start because of "Darko-itis."

Overall, though, there's not much for the Pistons to laugh about when it comes to their Milicic selection.

. Staff writer Aaron J. Lopez contributed to this report.

NUMBERS GAME

12.3difference in points in the career scoring averages of four-time All-Star Penny Hardaway (15.2) and Luke Jackson (2.9). Miami waived the former to sign the latter.

WILTING ROSE

Who wants an arena named after them? The Portland Trail Blazers have announced rights will be sold for the Rose Garden next season and it likely will go by a different name.

That would leave only five of the NBA's 30 teams - Charlotte, New Orleans, Milwaukee, New York and Detroit - not playing in a corporate-named arena.

As for the Rose Garden's new name, perhaps a certain Beaverton, Ore., company will step up and it will become Nike Arena. And never rule out an airline. Alaska Airlines, one of the few not to have its name on a sports building, has a Portland hub.

HE SAID IT

"My bed actually fell apart. My toe was under it, and it fell on my big toe. I thought it was broke. It's not, but it's swollen."

Kendrick Perkins, Celtics center, on an injury to his right toe Monday that forced him to miss Wednesday's game against Sacramento.

Together with Duncan

San Antonio's Tim Duncan has started eight straight All-Star Games at forward. West forwards he has started alongside:

Player Team Years

Kevin Garnett Minnesota 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007

Tracy McGrady Houston 2006

Chris Webber Sacramento 2001

Comments

  • December 14, 2007

    2:53 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    msenk writes:

    Jerry Sloan has an extraordinarily foul mouth and the f bomb appears to be a long time favorite for him. I witnessed this first hand a number of years ago. My seats were in the first row behind the visiting team bench when Utah was playing Washington. Sloan was staning up the whole game in front of us. Another Washington fan politely asked him to sit down. Sloan turned around and - enraged - began an F bomb tirade! He then tried to get security to toss the fan from the arena. When that didn't happen, Sloan intentionally stood directly in front of that fan for the rest of the game. What a jerk!

  • December 14, 2007

    5:24 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    HumnHilitFlm writes:

    How do yo know Sloan used the F word? Maybe he said danging or cra ping?

    Everyone wonders why Sloan goes year after year without winning coach of the year and it is probably situations like the one mentioned above that keep the media members from voting for him.

    http://bornanuggetsfan.wordpress.com/