I think everybody’s surprised. It’s how the NBA works. Good for him. Hopefully, he has a good time and does well. … I’m happy for him. – Jazz forward Gordon Hayward
NEW ORLEANS — Gordon Hayward shook his head when asked about the situation in Sacramento.
“NBA, man,” Hayward said. “It’s weird how it works, huh?” It certainly is.
Nobody knows that more than his old coach, Ty Corbin.
For the second time in four years, Corbin became a head coach (interim this time) under bizarre circumstances.
Last time, the former Jazz player received an unexpected promotion after Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan shockingly resigned in the middle of the 2010-11 season.
This time, Corbin, whose contract wasn’t renewed by the Jazz after 3 1/2 seasons, was given the reins of the Kings after Sacramento management fired Mike Malone.
Surprise!
“I think everybody’s surprised. It’s how the NBA works,” Hayward said. “Good for him. Hopefully, he has a good time and does well. … I’m happy for him.”
Jazz center Derrick Favors called it “crazy” how things happened in SacTown, but he’s also happy for his old coach.
“He’s a head coach. He’s a good dude,” Favors said of Corbin. “Hopefully, he can do a good job over there and keep the job.”
New Orleans coach Monty Williams was disappointed that Kings management and owner Vivek Ranadive fired his friend. Malone was an assistant under Williams in New Orleans in 2010-11.
Williams said he called Malone on Tuesday to express his condolences. The Pelicans coach considers Malone, his wife and two daughters “part of our family” in New Orleans.
“He’s in really good spirits. I just feel for him because I know he’s a really good coach,” Williams said. “I know that everything he’s been able to do in a really short time has changed that (Kings) organization. They’re better defensively, better on offense. …
“It’s pretty tough to hear that news because I know Mike. Mike is a really good coach, not just a defensive coach. He’s a really good coach. He’s got it in his DNA, so to see him lose his job this early in the season is really disheartening.”
Former BYU star Jimmer Fredette played for Malone with the Kings last season until Sacramento bought out his contract in late February.
“Coach Malone, when I was over there, was always great to me, always a good guy,” Fredette said before his Pelicans beat Utah 119-111 Tuesday might. “That’s something that they’re figuring out over there (in Sacramento). I can’t really say anything about it other than that.”
Jazz coach Quin Snyder expressed his empathy for Malone.
“It’s a difficult, difficult profession,” the new Jazz coach said. “The ones that are in it, we love it. That’s why you do it. But I think it’s like any high-pressure business, sometimes there’s things that happen that aren’t in your control that impact you. It’s unfortunate for Mike.” Like Favors and Hayward, Snyder said he’s “happy” for Corbin, his Jazz predecessor.
“Not at Mike’s expense, obviously. I think coaches tend to have empathy for one another, whether you know each other personally or not,” Snyder said. “You always want to see people succeed because you know what a difficult business it is.” Reports claim that the Kings fired Malone because of philosophical differences and not due to Sacramento’s record, which has slipped since DeMarcus Cousins has been out with viral meningitis.
ON THE SAME PAGE: While it can be a challenge for coaches to meet management’s expectations, Snyder said his relationship with Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey is quite strong.
“It was something we talked about long before I got the job. I think for me and Dennis that’s one of the strengths that we have is the relationship,” Snyder said. “There’s always going to be things that are hard to figure or hard to understand or you disagree on, but I think fundamentally and philosophically we’re on the same page.
“The players always don’t do what you want, so it’s not a perfect script, but I think I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dennis. It’s one of the reasons I wanted this job.”
CAREER NIGHT: Utah's loss spoiled career-high scoring nights by Jazz big Enes Kanter (29 points) and rookie point guard Dante Exum (12 points).
“What I noticed, (Kanter) was light on his feet and had energy. It shows up when he doesn’t have the ball,” Snyder said. “When he gets the ball, we know he’s capable and he’s a very skilled player. To see him energetic and active defensively to me is really commendable.”
"I was just trying to push the ball and transition it," Kanter said. "Coach told me before the game about doing that and that was one of my goals."
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