Jazz rookie Luther Wright is in hot water with coach Jerry Sloan for the second time in two weeks. The 7-foot-2 center missed the team's Tuesday flight to Minneapolis and was fined the cost of a plane ticket and transportation by Sloan.
The first class ticket amounted to $470 and the cab fare was about $30."Seems like I'm always in the doghouse," said Wright.
Wright didn't arrive at the team's hotel until about midnight, Tuesday. After talking with Sloan Wednesday morning, he attended the team's shoot-around at the Target Center. Sloan said he considers the matter over.
"He'll pay for the ticket and transportation costs," said Sloan. "Other than that, I think that's all there is to it."
Wright said he left for the Salt Lake airport an hour before the scheduled 12:12 p.m. departure. But he was delayed on the freeway when traffic was held up due to an accident. He dropped his bag off at the Delta terminal, but trouble finding a parking space forced him to miss the flight.
After being booked on a 4 p.m. flight, he was delayed further when mechanical problems kept the plane from leaving Salt Lake until 8 p.m. "It was a terrible day," said Wright. "What I plan to do from now on is leave about an hour and 45 minutes ahead of time when I go to the airport. This isn't going to happen again."
Wright said he has no problem with Sloan's fine. "That's what he's supposed to do. It's good for me. I understand why he did it."
Wright added, however, "It was something I couldn't avoid. It was out of my control."
The fine was Wright's second this month. He was suspended for a game without pay Dec. 4 after missing several scheduled weight-lifting sessions. That suspension cost him $7,926.
"I need help," Wright said with a sigh. "I need Jesus to help me."