It was an eerily reminiscent scene. The Jazz were struggling, headed toward almost certain defeat, Monday. Suddenly, at the end of the third quarter, owner Larry H. Miller appeared near the bench, shouting at players and coaches.
Just like that, it was 1994. The emotional man players secretly dubbed the "White Rhino" in bygone years, was again making headlines.
The big difference in 2005 is there are no Hall of Famers to make things right.
The Jazz traveled back in time in their game against the Knicks, when Miller showed up in a huddle and on the sidelines to rail on his team during an awful shooting stretch. Witnesses said it was a profanity-laced rant about effort in the 73-62 loss. Afterward, Miller shook hands with players in the locker room. No harm done. Except that once again Miller's emotions had made him a bigger story than the game.
Talk about deja vu.
For those who weren't around for the 1994 Miller Moment, it went like this: The Jazz led 3-0 in their Western Conference semifinal series with Denver, but abruptly went flat. Eventually Denver evened the series before the Jazz prevailed.
Just before halftime of Game 5, Miller appeared near the end of the Jazz bench, demanding coach Jerry Sloan remove Karl Malone and others from the lineup for the same reason as Monday — lack of effort. Miller also got in a scuffle that night with Denver fans that sat in his seats and taunted him at halftime. Pictures of Miller attempting to throttle one fan made national news.
Fast-forward to Monday's loss to the Knicks. Again Miller appeared near the bench. Again he lambasted players for lack of effort. Again his temper became news.
On one level, it's hard to dispute his point. The Jazz were playing miserably, en route to the second-lowest scoring night in franchise history. With a team payroll of about $55 million, Miller has committed a fortune to rebuilding. In return, he has a ball club bothered by illness and injury. His two highest-paid players, Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer sat out Monday's game. The Jazz's play has been uneven. If they don't pay attention, early season optimism could go south before December arrives, same as last year.
Meanwhile, attendance lags. Monday's crowd (16,166) was the lowest in Delta Center regular-season history.
Which raises the question: If a boss doesn't like his employees' effort and production, does he have the right to scold them?
If they're averaging more than $3.5 million in salary, I'm guessing yes.
If a highly paid employee doesn't produce in other business ventures, he gets fired. But players can only get waived or traded in the NBA. They still get their money, thanks to guaranteed contracts.
No wonder Miller was frustrated.
Miller's outburst wasn't unique. High profile owners such as George Steinbrenner, Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones aren't afraid to voice their expectations. On a related note, Sloan has been known to rip players when he's courtside. But when the owner comes across court and does the same, it becomes a spectacle. Suddenly, the circus is in town.
Miller shouldn't be blamed for voicing displeasure. It's fair to expect great effort every night from multimillionaires. But he could make his statements in the locker room before or after games, or at halftime. He could talk to the players during game-day shoot-around or at practice. Airing grievances during games, though, is more than bad form; it's a distraction.
I can't say I disagree with Miller, or that I don't appreciate the drama. The Jazz are woefully short on colorful characters and Miller fills the void. Also, the Jazz could use a dose of Miller's emotion.
But I have to agree with Malone, who a few days after the 1994 incident was asked about Miller's outburst. To which he replied, "Larry said I'm like a son to him. What I'd like to say to Larry is, 'Let's keep it in the confines of our home next time.' "
E-mail: rock@desnews.com