It's been that kind of season for Iavaroni, the first-year coach of the Grizzlies who played four years with the Jazz in the 1980s. Memphis is 1-12 since trading Pau Gasol to the L.A. Lakers last month and trailed 23-2 in the first quarter of Friday's loss at Houston.

"This stuff isn't that bad,'' Iavaroni said. "Once you sleep on it, it's not that bad. I don't like losing. I don't like losing [eight] straight. But this is part of the process that Chris and I and Mike Heisley committed to, that it was going to be tough to win games."

Iavaroni was referring to Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace and Heisley, the team's owner. Memphis traded Gasol for a package largely built around center Kwame Brown's $9 million expiring contract. Brown didn't even play Saturday.

"It is what it is,'' Iavaroni said. "I have to be committed. I was committed to this when I took the job with Pau. I'm committed to it without Pau.

"I'm committed to having younger players that need to be developed. And I'm committed to the fact that even though sometimes it looks bad, sometimes everybody jumps on the bandwagon. That strengthens my resolve."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, meanwhile, voiced his opinion that the Gasol trade might have been the worst thing that could have happened to a rookie coach.

"To me, that's devastating,'' Sloan said, "because you lose a player of that caliber, how do you get him back?"

Even if the Grizzlies do secure a top-three draft pick this year, Sloan noted they likely will end up with a college freshman. For a coach in Iavaroni's circumstances, Sloan said, "You probably won't be around long enough to watch him play."

Sloan said Memphis should make a public commitment that Iavaroni will see through the rebuilding process.

"As soon as the players know that you're in a tough situation, they walk all over you,'' Sloan said. "They don't care whether they practice, play, win or lose. It doesn't make any difference. "

"That's the biggest thing with any franchise that has the ability to be able to stick with people and say, 'OK, this is the way it's going to be' and 'Agents aren't going to get you fired.' That happens so frequently in this business. I've seen it for years and years and years."

Briefly

Jarron Collins arrived at the Jazz's hotel to find himself staying on the same floor as his twin brother, Jason, traded from New Jersey last month. . . . Ronnie Brewer's former AAU coach brought 70 to 80 kids from the Arkansas Hawks program to Saturday's game. . . . The Jazz scored all 22 of their first-quarter points in the paint. . . . Kyle Korver had missed only eight free throws all season before missing two in the second quarter. He is shooting 88.4 percent at the line this season.

rsiler@sltrib.com