Jazz coach has dealt with Maynor family before

Turns out Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan already knew a member of the Maynor family. He just didn't remember it.

Sloan, then the coach of the Chicago Bulls, cut George Maynor in 1979. Maynor was the Bulls' fourth-round pick out of East Carolina.

His son, Eric, was Utah's first-round pick in Thursday's NBA draft. The Jazz took the Virginia Commonwealth University point guard with the 20th pick.

Maynor drew laughter, saying "Let's not talk about that," when the subject came up during his introductory press conference last night with the Jazz.

"He's the one who told me that," Sloan said. "I wasn't aware of that."

Said Jazz General Manager Kevin O'Connor: "He's really got a chip on his shoulder."

Sloan is the fourth winningest coach in the NBA with 1,137 wins.

"When I was selected, what everybody was saying was, 'You're going to a coach who's a Hall of Famer,'" Eric Maynor said. "I dealt with [VCU coach Anthony] Grant for three years. I don't know how much tougher he is than Coach Grant, but I'm up for the challenge. I'm going to work hard every day." - Tim Pearrell