Even more absurd probably would have been the thought that Sloan could reach the milestone with a Jazz victory over a team from Oklahoma City, yet that is exactly the possibility that awaits tonight at EnergySolutions Arena.
Not only does Sloan, 66, have the chance to make history tonight against the Thunder, as the first NBA coach ever to win 1,000 games with one team, but he has the chance to set a mark that might not be matched for generations, if at all.
"It's one of the things that might stand for a really, really, really long time," Carlos Boozer said. "Hopefully we can get him a lot more than 1,000, but that's something that we look forward to doing and hopefully we can do it [tonight]."
Only five coaches ever have won 1,000 games for a career, including Sloan, who has 1,093 victories between Chicago and Utah. As far as the most wins with one team, however, Sloan might as well be in the record books by himself. Red Auerbach is second, having won 795 games with Boston from 1950 to 1966. San Antonio's Gregg Popovich is third overall and second on the active list to Sloan, with 633 victories. Lakers coach Phil Jackson is third at 435 followed by Golden State's Don Nelson with 369.
"It's tough to keep jobs nowadays," Deron Williams said. "In today's game, if you don't win, they tend to get people out of there quick. It just speaks a lot about coach Sloan and who he is as a coach and what type of coach he is. He's been great for this organization."
Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor wouldn't call Sloan's record untouchable, but pointed to the 219 coaching changes that have taken place around the NBA during Sloan's tenure.
"It doesn't indicate that anybody's capable of that kind of longevity," O'Connor said.
To reach 1,000 with the Spurs, Popovich would need to average 53 victories for the next seven seasons. His contract, however, expires the same time as Tim Duncan's, after the 2011-12 season, and whether Popovich would continue without Duncan is unknown.
Unlike Jackson with the Chicago Bulls or Pat Riley with the Miami Heat, Sloan remained in Utah through a rebuilding process following the departures of John Stockton and Karl Malone. "He kept the continuity, he kept the respect of the Jazz in the NBA," O'Connor said.
For his part, Sloan will take little personal significance from his 1,000th victory as well as his 20th anniversary as Jazz coach next month. The Jazz will not hold a ceremony tonight, O'Connor said, which is more than fine by Sloan.
"I think this game is for the players," Sloan said, "and let them be the ones that people talk about."
By opening 4-0, the Jazz have given Sloan the chance to reach 1,000 at home, instead of on next week's five-game road trip. They will play a young Oklahoma City team with rookie of the year Kevin Durant, who was 2 1/2 months old when Sloan took over for Frank Layden as Jazz coach.
Sloan's focus remains on trying to make the Jazz a better team today than they were yesterday. "You never know what tomorrow will bring," he said. "It's been my experience that it might fall apart tomorrow and it's all over."
Sloan credited his longevity to Jazz owner Larry Miller, who has established a culture in which "players are expendable, coaches are going to be here."
So often the opposite holds true in the NBA, where the average player salary has climbed from $575,000 in Sloan's first season as Jazz coach to more than $4.5 million today.
There's no reason to expect that Sloan is going anywhere. He is expected to sign an extension to return for the 2009-10 season and has declared his current Jazz team the most talented in all his years of coaching.
"I don't think Jerry's changed who he is," O'Connor said. "I think after the second game he felt the same way he did after 999. Players win games and his job is to help put players in the right position to win the game."
rsiler@sltrib.com
Most coaching wins with one team:
Coach Wins Team Years
1. Jerry Sloan 999 Jazz 1988---
2. Red Auerbach 795 Boston 1950-66
3. Gregg Popovich 633 S. Antonio 1996---
4. Red Holzman 613 New York 1967-82
5. John MacLeod 579 Phoenix 1973-87
Most coaching wins:
Coach Record Pct.
1. Lenny Wilkens 1,332-1,115 .536
2. Don Nelson 1,282-958 .572
3. Pat Riley 1,195-627 .656
4. Jerry Sloan 1,093-717 .604
5. Larry Brown 1,011-804 .557
Today, 7 p.m., FSN
