Leader and/or Friend? (Melissa Majchrzak NBAE/Getty Images)

Every group needs a leader. Leadership is key for anything to be successful. A leader isn’t whoever is the most popular or who makes everyone feel good about themselves. A leader is someone who can motivate, inspire, and most importantly push a group or team towards a higher goal. A good leader doesn’t have to be someone you would necessarily sit down and have a drink with or call on a Friday night. Leaders are people who seek to help the entire group more than the individual. Leaders need to be able to gain your respect more than your friendship. This is why I admire Jerry Sloan. He is a hard nosed coach who does whatever he can to make the Utah Jazz’s win column increase.

An example of this I can think of is if you were to be sewing a sweater: You want it to be sewn together well, but you don’t want the sewing needles sewn in there. A coach should sew together his team well, but not be included in that type of camaraderie. It is the coach’s responsibility to get the team to function well. Jerry Sloan understands this concept. I still cannot believe he has never won Coach of the Year. In my opinion, he has deserved it multiple times.

This is my official prediction that Jerry Sloan will figure out how to work AK into the system more, assuming AK isn’t traded. He will do the best with what he has this year and get the most out of his available players. He always does. Jerry Sloan is a leader and a coach. Jerry Sloan wouldn’t be considered one of my top priorities to become friends with; I do however respect and admire him, and believe he is an amazing coach.